Spotlight: TELYKast
Meet TELYKast, a trio from L.A. Their inspiration may come from a drum groove, a melody, or a lyric line, but mostly from people and things around them.
Amuse, amuse
Hey TELYKast, what’s up? Tell us a little bit about yourselves!
- Oh you know, just grinding, writing, producing, and playing music. These last weeks we’ve been focusing on our single ‘Summertime’, featuring the talented Rachel Raquel. We’re a high-energy pop/electronic trio comprised of Linus AK, Kyle Tonoli, and Trevor Klaiman. Each of us comes from different backgrounds spanning across the USA with Linus from New York City, Kyle from Dallas, and Trevor from L.A.
What is ‘Summertime’ about?
- ‘Summertime’ is about moving to L.A. and getting lost in the skyline. It’s easy to be swept away by the beauty of it all. The track is about the magic to it, but it’s also about the pitfalls that easily happen, and about the parts of the city life that are often forgotten when a city is heavily romanticized.
What does the perfect summer soundtrack consist of?
- Straight up vibes. Music that you bump with the top down while cruising with your homies. Music that you listen to while chilling on rooftops watching the sunset.
What does your songwriting and production process look like?
- It really depends on the song. A lot of times we will start on guitar or keys, and build from there. Other times a drum groove, a lyric line, or a melody will inspire us to build everything else around it.
What’s your favorite summer memory together?
- One of our favorite memories and favorite things to do is go to the beach. Just driving through the Malibu canyons blasting music – which by the way is one of the most beautiful places in Southern California.
Where do you find inspiration?
- We find most of our inspiration in our roots, the music we grew up listening to and playing. We also get inspired by the people and things around us. Inspiration, however, is fleeting. Relying on the dedication to just sit down, start messing around, and push through creative blocks is ultimately what gets the best results (we have found).
What’s your best advice to up-and-coming artists?
- First and foremost always, always have fun. Assembling a team of people you work and communicate well with is essential to keep moving forward and achieving your goals. It’s important to know and focus on what your team member's strengths and weaknesses are and to be well rounded enough yourself, in order to make the best decisions to continue your success on both the business and music side. A good lawyer is an essential part of our team and we recommend finding one to help you with a lot of higher-level decisions. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people, even if it may seem like a shot in the dark.
Why did you choose to work with Amuse?
- When we met with Amuse we really felt a genuine connection as well as a strong sense of teamwork. This is something we value a lot and is hard to find in the industry.
What’s your favorite line you’ve ever written?
- Haha. Not sure we have written it yet! But in our journey thus far our favorite lyric is probably “at the end of it all, I’ll still be there for you”. It is simple and sincere. When we heard the crowd singing it live at our show here in L.A it was a really special moment. And it felt so good to hear everyone shouting it at the top of their lungs.
What is one song that you wish that you had written?
- That’s a tough question. There are too many! But if we had to pick one it would probably be ‘Happy Birthday’. It’s a total classic that’s transcended decades and that everyone knows the words to.
Do you guys have any hidden talents?
- I can do two and a half flips with two twists off a diving board.
Kyle: I can cook the most insane ramen noodles in life.
Trevor: I can sleep till as long as you want. Try me.
What can we look forward to in the future of TELYKast?
- You can look forward to a slew of genre-blending music, as well as a live show that highlights incredible musicianship and showmanship – and that has the energy of the mainstage and arenas written all over it.