Standing within a genre that’s often underrepresented in Australia, Tey Orion has been pushing pop-friendly R&B to an Aussie audience since he released Cocktails last year.
The Canberra artist has finally released offering number two, bringing in production credits from one of the biggest names in the genre.
If you think there’s no R&B scene in Australia, you’re wrong. With Only Human, Tey Orion proudly breathes life into his underrepresented scene.
Only Human is the new track, a smooth soul tune peppered with hip-hop elements, as well as percussive influences from a poppy trap sphere.
It was produced by the Nigerian-Australian urban star Timomatic, who was brought to fame after winning Australia’s Got Talent. Since then the dancer, singer and producer has reached international recognition with hits like Parachute and If Looks Could Kill.
Grabbing the attention of an artist this prolific is no easy deal, and this connection speaks loud and clearly of Tey Orion’s talent. Only Human also features Sydney’s Darlington Peters on the mic, bringing a diversity to the track that wasn’t present on Cocktails.
Only Human further distinguishes itself from Cocktails by being infinitely more dance friendly. While Tey’s first single was more towards the soulful ballad end of the R&B section, the sticky kick drum and tight snare claps in Only Human push the track further in the direction of club friendly contemporarise such as Chris Brown.
With so few artists treading this body of work in Australia right now, it’s refreshing to see new artists getting picked up by big names like Timomatic. In a genre it’s so difficult to break into, sometimes it takes a helping hand to stand loudly above the hardworking crowd.
Tey Orion is a promising new light in the scene, with obvious talent and a top-notch set of pipes. We look forward to anything else he brings to the table.
