In an exclusive conversation with RaptureStone, Tya Rez opens up about the childhood dream that refused to disappear, her first release “One in a Million,” the influence of Barbados on her artistry, navigating a male-dominated industry, and her determination to build a career that lasts.
For Tya Rez, music was never simply something she decided to pursue.
Long before the releases, collaborations and ambitions of an emerging recording artist, there was a young girl in Barbados who already knew she wanted to sing. She just did not yet know what the journey would look like.
That uncertainty did not stop her.
Born and raised in Barbados, Tya Rez spent years writing and creating privately, using music as a form of expression and, at times, a source of peace. Her first released record, “One in a Million,” arrived in late 2025 through Music Core and Music Ink and went on to chart at No. 1 on Selecta Charts. More than simply a debut release, however, the song represented a decision: it was time to stop treating music as a dream that could wait.
1Now, Tya Rez is looking beyond the borders of Barbados.
She wants to reach international audiences without losing the identity that made her. She wants to experiment without being forced into a definition of what a Caribbean artist should sound like. And while she has ambitions of bigger stages, major collaborations and even a Grammy, she remains focused on something she considers more important than recognition alone — creating work that means something.
Speaking exclusively to RaptureStone, Tya Rez described herself as a woman who is still becoming, emphasizing that the person behind the music matters just as much as the artist listeners hear.
“Tya Rez is a young woman who is still becoming honestly,” she told RaptureStone. “I’m an artist, but beyond the music, I’m someone who values authenticity, growth, and being able to express the things I sometimes can’t put into everyday words.”
She wants listeners to understand that there is more beneath the artist name than a collection of songs.
“I want people to understand that there’s a real person behind the music,” she explained. “I’m not trying to fit into a box or be something I’m not.”
For Tya Rez, that authenticity is inseparable from the music itself. Her experiences, emotions, environment and personal growth all become part of what she creates.
“My music comes from my experiences, my emotions, my environment, and the different versions of myself I’ve had to grow through,” she said. “So before people even press play, I want them to know they’re going to hear a piece of me.”
The Dream That Wouldn’t Go Away
The origins of that connection with music can be traced back to childhood.
Tya Rez told RaptureStone that she was around seven or eight years old when she first told her mother that she wanted to become a singer. Her mother, however, initially viewed music as an uncertain career path and encouraged her toward more conventional professions.
“I always knew music was going to be it for me, I just didn’t know the how,” she recalled.
Her mother’s reservations, Tya Rez now understands, came from a place of protection and from a generation in which professional success was often associated with careers such as medicine or law.
“Looking back, I knew her intentions were in the right place and she would have rather me said a doctor or lawyer coming from a generation where success only looks like that,” she said.
But music kept finding its way back into her life.
“No matter what else was happening in my life, I always came back to writing, creating, listening, or thinking about music,” she explained.
At 11, she wrote her first complete song on the hall steps of The Alexandra School, her alma mater. The song reflected something she was experiencing at the time, and although she was not yet releasing music, the creative process became deeply personal.
“I was writing and creating for my own pleasure,” she said. “It was my peace of mind, music really got me through alot.”
By late 2025, the private relationship she had maintained with music began transforming into a professional one.
An opportunity with Music Core and Music Ink resulted in “One in a Million,” her first released record. The song charted at No. 1 on Selecta Charts and became a significant marker in her transition from aspiring artist to recording artist.
“I really had to be honest with myself and take the leap of faith because time waits on no man and following my dreams were no longer an option,” she said. “It was necessary.”
A Sound Rooted in Barbados
Although Tya Rez refuses to place herself inside a single musical box, there is one influence she cannot escape — Barbados.
Growing up on the island taught her the importance of identity, individuality and resilience, lessons she continues to carry into her creative life.
“Growing up in Barbados definitely shaped me in ways I’m still discovering,” she told RaptureStone.
She learned to stand apart without abandoning where she came from.
“I learnt to have my own identity and not be afraid to stand out,” she said. “The culture, the people around me, the sounds I grew up hearing, and just everyday life in Barbados have all influenced the way I see the world and, naturally, the way I create.”
For Tya Rez, being raised on a small island did not teach her to dream smaller. If anything, it taught her to appreciate her roots while imagining a life beyond them.
“There’s a certain resilience I gained from being born and raised on a small island,” she explained. “I learnt to appreciate where I came from while still dreaming beyond what I could see around me.”
That duality has become an important part of her identity.
Refusing to Be Put in a Box
Tya Rez describes her sound as versatile and emotional, but above all, authentic.
She is not interested in creating music simply because it fits neatly into a genre or because it satisfies someone else’s expectations of what an emerging Caribbean artist should sound like.
“For me, it’s the emotion and the honesty behind it,” she said. “I want my music to feel like something, not just sound good.”
She wants intention behind her records, whether she is drawing from a personal experience, exploring an emotion or telling a story.
Her Caribbean identity, meanwhile, naturally finds its way into the music.
“I also think my Caribbean influence naturally finds its way into what I do, even when I’m not consciously trying to put it there,” she said with a laugh. “This bajan accent cannot be tamed lol.”
Ultimately, she wants the music to be identifiable without relying on a formula.
“I want someone to hear a record and feel like, that’s Tya Rez,” she said. “Not because I followed a formula, but because I allowed myself to sound and feel like me.”
That philosophy extends to her approach to genre itself.
“I don’t like putting myself in one box because I enjoy exploring different sounds and allowing the music to take me where it needs to go,” she explained.
There are Caribbean influences in her work, but she also draws from different genres and experiences.
“At the core, though, I want my music to feel authentic,” she said. “I want you to be able to connect with the emotion before you even think about what genre it fits into.”
She also credits the producers she has worked with so far — Music Core, Shiftnote and, most recently, Starway Studios — for helping her explore that space and bring different sounds together. Those collaborations have allowed her to experiment with different creative approaches while continuing to shape a sound that feels distinctly her own.
She is particularly excited about her upcoming release produced by Starway Studios, a track she believes will challenge expectations and reveal another side of her artistry.
“I’m obsessed with it,” she said, hinting at a new dimension of her sound that she cannot wait for listeners to experience.
Carrying the Caribbean Without Being Defined by It
For Tya Rez, representing Barbados and the Caribbean does not mean being restricted by them.
She believes the influence of home is already embedded within her, making it unnecessary to force Caribbean elements into every record.
“The rhythms, the melodies, the way we express ourselves, the culture, and even the way we tell stories all become part of how I create,” she told RaptureStone.
“I think you can travel anywhere in the world, but your roots stay with you.”
That perspective is particularly important as she begins looking toward international audiences.
“My Caribbean identity is already a part of me, so I don’t have to force it into everything I create,” she said.
Instead, she wants the freedom to experiment.
“I want to be able to experiment, evolve, and explore different sounds while still being true to myself,” she explained. “I think the most interesting artists are the ones who aren’t afraid to grow beyond what people initially expect from them.”
Finding Her Place as a Woman
Tya Rez is also entering an industry where women can face additional pressure to establish their credibility.
She acknowledges that there have been moments when she has felt the need to prove herself, particularly while attempting to establish her own identity within a competitive, male-dominated environment.
“Yes, I do think there are moments where you feel like you have to prove yourself, especially as a woman trying to establish her own identity in a male dominated competitive industry,” she told RaptureStone.
Her response, however, has not been to shrink herself.
“But if you want to eat with the big boys you have to be tough like one,” she said.
Rather than allowing that pressure to dictate who she becomes, she has learned to use it as motivation.
“I don’t want to spend my career trying to convince people that I belong in space,” she explained. “I want the work to speak for itself.”
Those experiences, she said, have ultimately made her more confident and more deliberate about what she brings into the industry.
Her broader concern is that women in Caribbean music should be discussed for their contributions rather than reduced to their appearance or personal lives.
“I think we need more conversations about the women behind the music not just their appearance, their relationships, or how they fit into a particular image,” she said.
Female artists, she emphasized, are creators, businesswomen, writers, producers, performers and leaders.
“There’s so much more to our stories,” she added.
The Confidence Behind the Artist
Confidence did not always come naturally to Tya Rez.
She told RaptureStone that there was a period in her life when social anxiety affected her confidence significantly. Through time and personal work, however, she was able to move through that chapter.
“It’s taught me that confidence isn’t about believing you’re better than everyone else,” she explained.
For her, confidence is about knowing who you are without allowing outside opinions to determine your worth.
“It’s about entering any space and your energy speaking for itself, knowing who you are and not allowing other people’s opinions to determine your value,” she said.
That lesson has also shaped the way she responds to rejection.
“I stand firm on not compromising myself just to be accepted,” she said.
She has learned to trust herself even when the answers are unclear and the journey becomes lonely.
“Resilience has also taught me that rejection, disappointment, or moments when things don’t go the way you planned doesn’t mean you’re not good enough,” she said. “Sometimes they’re simply part of the journey.”
The Woman Behind the Music
There is another side of Tya Rez that listeners may not immediately encounter through her music.
Before music became her primary pursuit, she was studying to become a microbiologist. That scientific background, she believes, reflects a curious and analytical side of her personality.
“I think people would be surprised to know how much of a science girl I am!” she told RaptureStone.
She is also passionate about food and cooking, joking that she could eventually see herself hosting a cooking show.
“Honestly, I could see myself having my own cooking show one day lol,” she said.
Away from the spotlight, however, Tya Rez describes herself as someone who values genuine connections, enjoys her own space, laughs often and can be private.
“There’s a softer and more vulnerable side of me that people may not necessarily see right away,” she explained.
That vulnerability is one of the reasons music remains so important to her.
“It gives that side of me somewhere to exist,” she said.
Writing What She Feels
For Tya Rez, inspiration rarely arrives according to a schedule.
Sometimes it comes from personal experiences. Other times, it emerges from conversations, relationships, emotions or seemingly insignificant moments that stay with her.
“Honestly, a little bit of everything, but emotions are probably the biggest trigger for me,” she told RaptureStone.
She does not believe every song has to originate from a dramatic life event.
“Sometimes it’s a small moment or a thought that just sticks with me, and I find myself wanting to turn that feeling into music,” she said.
At the heart of it is a simple love for songwriting.
“I honestly just love writing and pushing my pen,” she added.
That process can sometimes reveal more of herself than she intended.
“Sometimes when you’re creating, you’re so focused on getting the emotion out that you don’t realize how much of yourself you’re actually putting into the music until you hear it back,” she explained.
There have been moments when she has listened to a recording and realized just how much she had revealed.
“I’ve listened to something I’ve recorded and thought, wow, I really said that out loud,” she recalled.
But rather than retreat from that vulnerability, she has come to understand it as part of the power of music.
“I’ve also learned that vulnerability is part of what makes music meaningful,” she said.
What “One in a Million” Represents
Her debut release carries a significance that extends beyond its status as her first official record.
Tya Rez told RaptureStone that “One in a Million” captured a particular emotional period in her life while simultaneously representing the leap she was taking into music professionally.
“It was my first released record and yes it was a love song but its release also signified my leap of faith,” she explained.
Music, she said, has the ability to preserve moments that might otherwise disappear with time.
“I can remember exactly where I was emotionally when I made it,” she said.
Whenever the song returns, so does that earlier version of herself.
“Whenever I hear ‘One in a Million,’ I’m not just hearing a song, I’m transported back to that version of myself and everything I was feeling at the time,” she said.
For Tya Rez, that is part of what makes music powerful.
Making Listeners Feel Something
The ultimate goal is not simply to create records that sound good.
Tya Rez wants listeners to experience something.
“I want them to feel something real,” she told RaptureStone.
That feeling could be happiness, confidence, nostalgia, healing, love or simply the comfort of knowing that someone else understands.
“I think music is at its most powerful when someone can hear your story and somehow find a piece of their own story in it,” she said.
For her, the greatest compliment would be for someone to hear one of her songs and discover language for something they could not previously explain.
“If someone finishes one of my songs and feels like I put words to something they couldn’t explain themselves, then I feel like I’ve done what I set out to do,” she said.
The Reality Behind the Dream
The public often sees the finished product — the song, the photograph, the performance and the moments when an artist appears to be moving forward.
Tya Rez knows there is another side to the journey.
She told RaptureStone that one of the hardest parts of pursuing music professionally is the uncertainty.
“I for sure know where I want to be but the journey there isn’t a straight path,” she said.
Behind every visible achievement can be a long period of waiting, sacrifice, self-doubt and financial and emotional investment.
“They don’t always see the waiting, the sacrifices, the self-doubt, the unanswered messages, the financial and emotional investment, or the times when you have to keep believing in yourself without knowing exactly when things will come together,” she explained.
The challenge, she said, is continuing to show up even when the next step is unclear.
“The hardest part is sometimes continuing to show up with the same passion even when you’re not sure what the next step looks like.”
When Doubt Arrives
There have been moments when Tya Rez questioned herself, but those doubts have never erased her love for music.
“Of course! I’m human, so I’ve had moments where I’ve questioned myself and wondered whether I was doing the right thing,” she told RaptureStone.
What ultimately brings her back is her belief that music is part of her purpose.
“I am in love with music,” she said.
Even frustration has not changed that.
“Even when I get frustrated, I still love music. That love keeps pulling me back.”
She also reminds herself that difficult seasons are not necessarily evidence of a wrong direction.
“A difficult season doesn’t automatically mean I’m on the wrong path,” she said. “The storm always comes before the rainbow.”
What Barbados Needs to Build the Next Generation
Tya Rez believes Barbados possesses the talent necessary to compete internationally, but talent alone cannot build an international career.
“We have artists who are capable of competing on an international level, but getting from local talent to international visibility can be challenging,” she told RaptureStone.
She believes the industry needs more platforms, investment, mentorship, industry connections and consistent opportunities for artists to showcase their abilities beyond Barbados.
At the same time, she does not place the entire responsibility on the industry.
“I think we also have to take responsibility as artists to keep developing, keep creating, and keep looking beyond our borders,” she said.
For Tya Rez, the talent already exists.
“Barbados has the talent we just have to keep building the bridge between that talent and the wider world.”
She would also like to see greater investment in artists before they become commercially proven.
“Sometimes artists need resources, mentorship, access, and opportunities before they have the numbers or recognition,” she explained.
Investing in artists during their development, she believes, could reveal just how much potential exists throughout the Caribbean.
Defining Success on Her Own Terms
At this point in her career, Tya Rez does not define success solely through numbers or recognition.
“Right now, success means growth,” she told RaptureStone.
She wants to look back and see progress not only in her professional life but in herself as a person.
“Of course I want bigger opportunities, more listeners, bigger stages, and greater recognition,” she said. “But I also want to enjoy the journey and be proud of the artist I’m becoming.”
Ultimately, success means creating something authentic enough that she can look back on it without regret.
“Success to me is building something authentic that I can look back on and say, I really did that my way.”
And while financial independence matters, she places greater emphasis on legacy.
“If I had to choose one, I’d choose leaving something meaningful behind,” she said.
“Fame can come and go, and trends change, but I want the music and the work I create to have longevity.”
Bigger Than Barbados
The ambition is clear.
Tya Rez wants to take her music to a much larger international audience while continuing to represent the place that shaped her.
“I want to reach people who may have never heard of Tya Rez or even know much about Barbados and give them a reason to connect with my music,” she said.
That means bigger stages, meaningful collaborations and opportunities to demonstrate what she believes she is capable of achieving.
“I’m not interested in just being known; I want to build something that lasts.”
Her vision for the next chapter includes more music, a growing fanbase, bigger stages, stronger collaborations and travel.
But there is another word she repeatedly returns to: freedom.
“I want it to look like freedom, financial freedom, the freedom to create what I want, the freedom to work with people who genuinely believe in the vision, and not feel like I have to compromise who I am to get where I’m going,” she explained.
“I want the next chapter to feel bigger, but still feel like me.”
The Collaborations She Wants
Tya Rez already has a list of artists she would like to work with, including several names from Barbados.
“Locally, I’d love to collaborate with DoeJay, Masta T, Nikita, Lead Pipe, Saddis, just to name a few, because I feel like our sounds could complement each other in really interesting ways,” she told RaptureStone.
She also has a more unexpected collaboration in mind.
“A wild card for me would definitely be Brutal Crankstar,” she said. “I actually have an idea for a song that I think would be really dope.”
Internationally, 6LACK is high on her list.
“I really love the way he creates music that feels intimate and honest but still chill and laid back,” she explained, pointing to “Pretty Little Fears” as one of her favorite records.
Lil Wayne is another dream collaborator.
“He’s a lyrical genius,” she said.
She also wants to work with artists from across the Caribbean, including Shenseea, as part of a broader effort to celebrate the region’s creative talent.
And there is one collaboration particularly close to home for the wider Caribbean connection.
“I’m especially excited about the opportunity to work with FyaVerse from Jamaica,” she said.
For Tya Rez, collaboration is ultimately about creativity rather than status.
“I believe in good music,” she explained. “So even if it’s someone who isn’t known yet, if I hear something in them and feel like they have the ability to create something different and magical, I’m 100% down.”
She also wants to work with producers who understand how to combine Caribbean influences with other musical worlds, pointing to Jus Jay as someone she believes does that particularly well.
Five Years From Now
The artist who once wrote songs privately is now thinking about the next five years with a much larger vision.
Tya Rez wants to look back and know that she seized opportunities rather than waiting for them.
“I want to be able to look back and know that I took the opportunities that came my way and created some of my own,” she told RaptureStone.
Her goals include an international audience, a strong catalogue, bigger stages, meaningful collaborations and the financial freedom to continue creating without limitations.
But there is something more personal beneath those ambitions.
“I want people to hear my music and immediately recognize that it comes from somewhere real,” she said.
She also hopes her journey will encourage other young people from Barbados and the wider Caribbean to think beyond the geographical boundaries of where they were born.
“I want my journey to inspire other young people from Barbados and the Caribbean to believe that their dreams don’t have to stop at the edge of the island.”
What She Wants Her Legacy to Say
When Tya Rez eventually looks back at her career, she does not want the story to be defined solely by fame.
She wants people to remember her authenticity.
“I want them to remember that I was genuine,” she told RaptureStone.
She wants to be remembered as someone who worked hard, took no easy routes, maintained her morals and remained appreciative of the people who supported her.
“I never forgot where I came from,” she said.
The music will obviously matter, but so will the emotional impact it had on listeners.
“If someone can say, Tya Rez made me feel something special, something different, something worthwhile, something to aspire to, then that means more to me than simply being remembered for a song,” she explained.
Her final perspective is perhaps the clearest description of the artist she wants to become.
“At the end of the day, I’m not trying to be perfect,” she said. “I’m trying to be real, to keep growing, and to leave something behind that I’m genuinely proud of.”
RaptureStone Quickfire
The more reflective conversation eventually gave way to a lighter side of Tya Rez, who offered quick answers about the artists she is listening to, her ambitions, personality and the things she refuses to compromise.
Asked which Barbadian artists she is enjoying, Rihanna was naturally among her first choices.
“Of course Rihanna is up there on the list. Let’s be for real,” she said.
She also highlighted DoeJay and Lead Pipe, joking about the reaction she has to Lead Pipe’s soca releases.
“Lead Pipe’s soca releases be having me a chokehole, pun intended, iykyk.”
When asked which Jamaican artist she would most like to collaborate with, her answer was immediate: Masicka.
“Love his lyricism, his voice, his energy, everything.”
Her current song recommendation is DoeJay and Cappa’s “On & On.”
When asked whether she would choose performing for 100,000 people or having a song reach 100 million streams, she simply answered: “Both tbh.”
One word to describe her music?
“Magnetic.”
One word to describe herself?
“Authentic.”
What keeps her grounded?
“God.”
And the ultimate career milestone?
A Grammy.
“To win a Grammy,” she said. “That would be an incredible milestone for me, not just because of the award itself, but because it would represent taking my music from Barbados to an international level and being recognized among some of the best in the world.”
She is also quick to correct any assumption that being an artist automatically makes her a social butterfly.
“I’m a lowkey introvert,” she admitted.
“People would assume as an artist I’m a social butterfly but I’m really a loner. I genuinely enjoy my own company.”
She values peace, personal space and time alone, even though she also enjoys connecting with people.
And when asked what she would never compromise, her answer was one word:
“My dignity.”
For young artists from small islands, her message is equally direct.
“Don’t let the fact that you’re from a small island make you think your dreams have to be small,” she said.
She encourages emerging artists to believe in themselves, develop their craft, remain grounded, stay open to learning and refuse to abandon themselves simply because the journey takes longer than expected.
“You don’t have to become someone else to be successful,” she said.
Her advice ultimately returns to faith and work.
“God would not have put that dream in your heart if it was not attainable. Believe and put in the honest work and anything is possible.”
Only Getting Started
For all of the ambition Tya Rez has already articulated, she remains conscious of how much is still ahead.
She does not see herself as an artist who has arrived.
She sees herself as an artist who has begun.
“Tya Rez is only getting started because my dream is way bigger than where I am right now,” she told RaptureStone.
She knows there are still stories she has not told, music she has not created and places she has not yet reached.
“I haven’t reached my full potential yet, and I haven’t even told all the stories I want to tell,” she said.
“There’s still so much music I want to create, so many places I want to go, and so many people I want to reach.”
For her, everything that has happened so far has been preparation.
“I feel like everything I’ve done so far has been preparing me for what’s next,” she said.
Then comes the statement that perhaps best captures the entire conversation:
“Honestly, the best is still ahead.”
For an artist who spent years writing privately before taking her first professional leap, that belief carries weight.
Tya Rez is not presenting herself as a finished product. She is still learning, still experimenting, still finding new ways to tell her story and still discovering the full extent of what she can become.
Her ambitions may stretch far beyond Barbados, but the foundation remains firmly rooted in the island that shaped her.
The next chapter, however, promises to be much larger.
And according to Tya Rez herself, the world has only heard the beginning.
