Kaien Cruz Releases 'I Lay' Featuring Xenia Manasseh
The track was co-produced by Glass Animal’s Edmund Irwin-Singer alongside Alli Valenzuela and Joshua Choo.
By: Michael Major Sep. 20, 2023
Gearing up for the release of their debut album, Queer South Africa-born, Los Angeles-based independent recording artist Kaien Cruz (they/them) returns today with an infectious alternative version of their viral Afropop-infused anthem “I Lay” featuring Kenyan crooner Xenia Manasseh available to stream now on all digital platforms via The Orchard.
Co-produced by Glass Animal’s Edmund Irwin-Singer alongside Alli Valenzuela and Joshua Choo, “I Lay” is an anthem about the power of intuitive love and cosmic energy. Through potent vocals and the universal language of musical expression, the infectious song takes you on an upward spiral journey of curiosity, expansion, pure joy and ecstasy.
“Immediately after writing the original song I knew I wanted to hear it with a feature. Xenia sounds so perfect on it when she first sent me her verse I totally freaked out,” shares Kaien on their new version. “The harmonies and the way it flows is effortless.”
Cruz continues, “I wrote this song in an hour and honestly it just flowed straight out of me. I wanted to portray the feeling of total ease in love and life. “I Lay” is my pure expression of what it means to be in love and connection without the toxicity of ego.”
The original version of “I Lay” is accompanied by a breathtaking cinematic video – directed by Hunter So with production by Anna Dickson – that was shot on location in Costa Rica and features an appearance by Kai’s girlfriend as the love interest.
About Kaien Cruz
Kaien Cruz (they/them) is an independent artist hailing from South Africa and now based in Los Angeles. With a voice that encompasses elements of R&B and AfroPop, the proud Queer and non-binary singer-songwriter hit the ground running when their debut single "Love Me In The Dark" rose to the top of the South African charts earning a prestigious nomination for Song of the Year at the South African Music Awards.
As a result, Justin Bieber hand-picked Cruz to open his sold out Purpose Tour for their first major performance in front of a crowd of 90,000. Inspired, Cruz released two EP’s independently and made their way to LA in 2022 for their first U.S. tour including appearances at SXSW and Governor’s Ball.
Despite being offered countless record contracts and garnering support from tastemakers like PAPER, ESSENCE, EDITION Modern Luxury, Okayafrica, METAL Magazine, Ladygunn, and more along the way, Cruz remains firmly fixed in staying independent in order to ensure a continuation of the authenticity they possess.
With their natural, effortless approach to style and beauty, they make their presence heard, seen, and felt all at the same time. Cruz has a holistic approach to life, as they do with music, by connecting with mother earth and through meditation. Merging culture, music, tech, and art on their own terms, Cruz is a champion for a more uplifted, inclusive generation of souls who feel different.
About Xenia Manasseh
Xenia Manasseh is a 26-year old Kenyan-born and raised singer-songwriter who brings a refreshing, new sound to the music scene that captivates her audience with the clarity and the purity of her tone. The Los Angeles-based crooner takes listeners on a rollercoaster of love’s uncertainty with her eagerly-awaited debut album ‘Love/Hate Pt. 1’. The 11-track masterpiece is delicate, yet fierce, woven with raw and vulnerable lyrics that just begs to be heard from top to bottom.
Manasseh released her first EP ‘Fallin’ Apart’ in 2019, which debuted at #1 on the Kenyan iTunes R&B/Soul charts and #2 in all genres. She followed this up with a second EP, ‘Maybe’ (2022), a collaborative project with Kenyan producer Ukweli that was selected as the Editor’s Choice on Apple Music.
She has been identified as one-to-watch landing her the Spotify EQUAL Month of February Ambassador and more recently has been named as part of Spotify’s RADAR Program Class of 2023. Xenia has a vision to create music for a global audience that is a relatable, honest and true reflection of her life, values and experiences; music that binds people from various walks of life because it speaks on real, universal messages.
Xenia has accrued songwriting credits on Teyana Taylor’s “The Album” for the songs “Wrong B*tch” in which she also did background vocals and “Shoot It Up” ft Big Sean. She features on Sauti Sol’s album ‘Midnight Train’ on “Rhumba Japani”, Mr. Eazi’s “Cherry’, Tay Iwar’s “Stones”, as well as having done background vocals on Burna Boy’s “Time Flies”. Xenia has a vision to create music for a global audience that is a relatable, honest and true reflection of her life, values and experiences; music that binds people from various walks of life because it speaks on real, universal messages.
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