Photo Credit: Quinn Tucker

Alt-pop iconoclast Layke steps into a new era with the release of her latest single and music video for “Help Me Out,” a fiercely honest and transparent track that sheds a bright light on enduring mental turmoil. As its sonic backdrop shifts from hauntingly stark to incandescent, “Help Me Out” replicates the unsettling sensation of an anxiety attack which is displayed throughout the music video where all color is dissipated in Layke’s world until she’s able to find the strength within herself, coming out vibrant and alive.

“So many times when you’re dealing with anxiety or depression you just want someone to help you work through it, but you keep it all inside because you’re afraid to reach out,” shares Layke. 

“Even though we’ve come a long way in terms of how we talk about mental-health problems, they’re still so stigmatized in our society—there’s this idea that asking for help makes you weak, when the truth is it’s actually so brave. I really wanted to be transparent about my own experience and the feeling of what being in an anxiety attack is like for me. That feeling of needing to reach out for help but not really knowing how to do that or not being able to.”

What’s your story as an artist?

I’ve always felt different and like I didn’t really have a place that I fit in so when I found music and my love for it and my passion to do it, I found that. So my art is my life blood. It’s everything to me.

What do you want your music to communicate to listeners?

That my art and the space that I create with is a safe place where they can be themselves, whoever that may be, without judgment. And that it’s OK to be vulnerable and show different sides of yourself.

What are some sources of inspiration for your storytelling?

I’ve always drawn from personal life experience. So on these upcoming releases I really exposed a part of myself I haven’t before and I’m talking a lot about my mental health struggles with anxiety. And that’s because it was magnified even more during the pandemic. I felt like it was time to talk about it with so many people dealing with so many things.

Who is an artist that you look up to more than others today?

I really think Charli XCX is doing something really unique with pop right now, with the music she’s putting out. She’s maintaining very much who she is but is still competing in the pop world and coming up which is a difficult line to walk. I really like her vibe and respect her style. 

What’s the record or artist that made you realize you wanted to be an artist?

I grew up listening to all the amazing greats so somewhere between Whitney Houston, Prince, Janet Jackson, Blondie, Queen, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and many many amazing others at a very young age when I made that decision.

Tell us about your latest release, “Help Me Out,” and how it came about.

“Help Me Out” is about my personal mental health struggles with anxiety and the feeling of being devoid of any vibrancy or feeling lifeless like being in an anxiety attack and then coming out of it and the phases of becoming more yourself until you’re fully realized. There are so many times when you’re going through something and you need to reach out for help and you want to, but you don’t know how or you don’t feel like you can and I wanted to write a song that spoke to that and the process of going through that. 

What inspired the sound behind “Help Me Out” and your forthcoming project?

My producer Adrian Gurvitz and I love to play with synths and drum machines and all kinds of fun toys in the studio. And we really went in with the objective of enjoying ourselves and letting the process take us where it did. We knew that we definitely wanted to dig deeper with the beats and the sounds than we ever had before and we had a great time tapping into that intense energy. 

What’s your favorite track of yours that you’ve released or will be releasing soon?

This is a hard one because I love all my music because it is a representation of my life. However, if I have to choose I think I’d go with “XOXO” which is on the upcoming EP. It’s really special to me. It’s sort of a love letter to the LGBTQIA+ Community that I adore so much and am so proud to be a part of.

Where are some things you really want to accomplish as an artist?

I’d love to tour the world, but wouldn’t any artist? lol. But I really want to just keep getting better at my art and evolving as an artist. I always wanna be putting out art that is pushing me out of my comfort zone and to the next level of who I can be. And I always wanna make sure that I use any platform that I do have to advocate for communities that are extremely close to my heart. 

Favorite lyric you ever wrote?

We’re the prisms dripping light, out here shining neon bright. Make you think the sun came out at night. 


Was there ever a moment when you felt like giving up?

Oh there’s been many moments. I definitely think that’s the nature of the beast because the music industry is not an easy industry to put it extremely mildly LOL. But it’s always just like a fleeting moment and I think everyone has those in their life no matter what they do. But you just have to get back up and say nope, I believe in myself, I believe in what I’m doing, and this is what I’m meant to be doing on this earth and whether I’m doing it on a large scale or playing for five people, I’m gonna be doing it and I’m always going to be creating music. I’m always going to be creating art. It’s a defining part of who I am.


What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

Say yes to things. Take every opportunity you can. There’s no upside to not trying some thing and the best things happen when you step out of your comfort zone so just go for it. You’ll be amazed what you can do and what will happen if you do.


Where do you think the next game changer will be in the music industry and entertainment scene?

I mean I think it’s already happening on TikTok. And I think a lot of people are like really frightened of TikTok in the music industry and a lot of people were afraid of Napster and LimeWire but that led to streaming services and that accessibility to music. So I think TikTok is just gonna keep evolving and it’s gonna become extremely interesting and even more of a vital part of what’s going on in the music industry. I love TickTock and I’m excited to see what’s going on with it and where it evolves. I think it’s an amazing resource allowing a lot of independent artists that otherwise wouldn’t have access to get their music out there. And it’s a platform that allows for so much creativity. So yeah I think it’s already happening with TikTok.