Up-and-coming artist breaks barriers in electronic music

Lauryn Henry did not think she could sing until her fifth-grade talent show. That night, Henry sang “Energy” by Keri Hilson while wearing fingerless gloves, Ed Hardy high-top shoes and a big chunky star necklace from Limited Too — and from there on, no one ever stopped her. 

For Henry, a senior majoring in cinema and media studies, RYL0 is a revival of her passion for music, specifically electronic music. She has been interested in the genre since middle school and in ninth grade, made a decision to one day become an “international superstar-DJ.”

“I told my mom, ‘I want to do this. I want to be a music producer. I want to be Dillon Francis. I want to be Diplo. I want to be Steve Aoki.’ She was like, ‘OK. OK,’” Henry said. “My mom is a very smart woman, a very strategic woman and wants the same exact thing for me. Her policy is … ‘If you’re going to do it, you have to do it so well that there’s no choice but for you to be successful.’” 

From there, Henry’s mother enrolled her in DJ classes at Scratch DJ Academy in New York City. However, Henry’s experience at the Academy discouraged her from continuing music. 

“Ultimately, [the classes] probably did more harm than good,” Henry said. “Ageism definitely exists in the world … especially in music because I went to these classes being taught by white men in their mid-30s, earlier 40s. … I felt out of place as a young, black woman just not knowing exactly what I wanted to do … It was a great moment of exposure, but it also scared the hell out of me.”

Even though Henry finished the course, she said she experienced imposter syndrome, which led her to doubt whether or not she wanted to pursue music. 

That was until summer 2017 when Lorde released her sophomore album “Melodrama.” Inspired by Lorde’s lyricism, Henry experienced a newfound renaissance for her love of music and dove into songwriting. 

Her first original release as RYL0 was a song called “E-boy!!,” which was created in less than 24 hours after a friend dared Henry to create it. Her song after that, “Twilight (Remix),” features hypnotizing beats that never bore the listener: It incorporates Edward Cullen’s (Robert Pattinson) iconic line “Hold on tight, spider monkey” from the “Twilight” movies as well as pieces from the instrumental tune of “Bella’s Lullaby.”

As absurd as it may sound, it totally works. The song is a mesmerizing journey from beginning to end, showing just how ingenious RYL0 can be. 

Henry released her EP titled “The Death of a Loved One” in November and hosted a release party for the EP at Junior High Los Angeles —  a space that showcases the artwork of women of color and queer voices for free. 

Creative director and visual artist Janae Marable assisted Henry with the release party and various artwork for “The Death of a Loved One.” 

“[Working with RYL0] is an absolute joy,” Marable said. “It has been cool to see her develop in such a short amount of time … She’s easy to work with, she’s inventive, beyond creative, is excited about anything she can create and get her hands on.”

Reanna Cruz, a junior majoring in cinematic arts, film and TV Production, has also seen Henry’s progress since the very inception of RYL0. 

“The space that she’s is in right now, being a queer woman of color in these EDM spaces, that kind of persona and that kind of artistry at USC is something that you can’t really find right now,” Cruz said. “And that whole idea of daring to go into unchartered territory is something that I’ve always admired about [Henry], and especially about RYL0.”

Henry’s one-of-a-kind sound is a product of her production style, in which she produces every single song by herself. 

“I wouldn’t be RYL0 without the experience of producing these songs myself,” Henry said. “RYL0 wouldn’t be RYL0 if someone else were producing these songs.”

When making songs, she tends to focus on the instrumentals first and her voice second. 

“I might come up with a melody, or I might come up with a phrase … and then I go into my software system and come up and build up a whole song around it,” Henry said. “And then after the whole instrumental is done, I’ll go back to the initial phrase or melody that inspired it and build the lyrics and the rest of the vocals around it.”

Moving forward, Henry’s next project as RYL0 will explore the gray areas of life, delving into a diary entry of what is currently occupying her mind, such as her concerns for the world and the livelihood of humanity. 

“What does it mean to be young growing up in a dying world?” Henry said. “What does it mean to be Black and a woman growing up in a world where representation matters, yet I feel as unrepresented as ever? What is all of this about?”

The project will feature a song that centers around the idea of how it feels to be a woman of color not experiencing the love one thinks one deserves.