Tay Tay & Richard Wisker
Monday 5th April 2021
Tay's Jumper - Palace Skateboards / Tay's Jeans - Levis / Tay's Shoes - Reebok / Richard's Jumper - ASOS
Photographed by Owen James Vincent
Grooming by Ayesha Bowen
Hair by Alexyi Reneece
Words by Pankhuri Bhutani
Graphic Design by James Shaw, founder of Volley Design
In our first cover, ReVamp is extremely excited to bring two talented best friends sharing a mutual interest in the entertainment industry under our spotlight. One is a wildly loved actor whereas the other is a highly established artist who is finally set to mark his debut into the world of music as a solo artist.
We are of course talking about the talented Richard Wisker and TayTay Starhz.
You might know TayTay Starhz from the critically acclaimed boy band ‘Franklin Lake’. About to mark his transition into the world of music as a solo artist, TayTay aims to diversify his music potential by releasing tracks immensely different in nature and showcase music that his fans never got the opportunity to have witnessed him perform before.
ReVamp recently had a really exciting conversation with the artist as we talked about what the fans can expect from the release of Tay’s first solo project.
Hi there Tay, thank you for joining us on ReVamp! How are you doing? As we are facing this unfortunate pandemic, is there anything that you're doing in order to maintain your creativity?
Hi Revamp really pleased to be here. I have been fortunate enough to work with people on creating new music via Zoom, Facetime and Skype. It was a tough time when my Mum became seriously ill with Covid Pneumonia and was in Intensive care and we honestly didn't know if she would survive and luckily, she pulled through. Made me realize how quickly life can change. The music I have worked on helped me mentality and gave me a focus.
You will be finally launching your career as a solo musician! Congratulations! How did you come up to the decision that this was the perfect time to elevate your music experience as a solo artist?
This has been so exciting for everyone to be working on and having the time to devote to my own project was invaluable. Basically, the pandemic left a gap with not being able to do gigs however I still had the need to do music. I got in touch with Ali Tennant who is the most fantastic vocal coach and writer, and we were able to do lessons to work on me, as I was going from being in a group to being on my own and those lessons were needed to develop my own sound. Together with Anthony Marshall (Previously work include Craig David, Nelly Furtado) The three of us created this very special project and I am very proud of what we have done musically.
When it comes to creation of music, do you need a specific environment to work in or do you consider yourself to be pretty flexible?
I am flexible, I do have ideas come to me and I voice note them or put them on my phone, however really strong ideas come when I am part of a writing team in the studio, it is such a buzz especially once you have a rocking melody and then the hook honestly, I LOVE IT !!
Left Image: Top - Dsrcv / Trousers - Asos
Right Image: Top - Palace Skateboards / Trousers - Kids of Broken Future
Where do you garner your major motivations from when it comes to your professional journey? If you could have the opportunity, who would you love to collaborate with on your music?
Pure instilled passion for music, I cannot imagine not doing this and I have stood the test of time and carried on, when others have just dopped out. You have to be in this for the long run and not give up. I would love to work with Stevie Wonder or just even be in the same recording studio as him !! I have had people compare me to George Michael recently and wow that is such a compliment what an absolute music legend, would have loved to have worked with him creating music.
Being in this industry for a long time now, what is the best piece of advice that you have ever received?
Trust your instinct and don't believe everything you see online. When you need a break from Social Media take it.
Lastly, what can the fans expect from your forthcoming projects? Any message that you would like to convey to them?
I want to thank everyone for the continued support and I am fortunate that I have gigs to announce and looking forward to seeing everyone again and celebrating my own music - Big Love TayTay
Outfit - Liquor N Poker / Shoes - Reebok
Jumper & Jeans - ASOS
Shoes - Nike
You might know this talented personality from his portrayal of ‘Liam O’Donovan’ in the wildly loved show ‘Tracy Beaker Returns’. Currently under the spotlight for playing the character of ‘Declan’ in the superhit BBC Teen Comedy series ‘Flatmates’, Richard Wisker has successfully garnered support from all around the world.
Acting is one of the many diverse talents that Wisker possesses. Besides being a phenomenal actor, Richard is also an extremely talented musician, dancer and presenter. As his show ‘Flatmates’ made its highly anticipated return with its second installment on Friday (2nd April) of this year, Richard recently had a really fun chat with ReVamp in order to discuss significant insights into his acting journey.
Hi there Richard. Lovely to have you on ReVamp! How is 2021 going for you so far?
It is going great, really in a good place.
How do you usually prepare for the roles you are offered to portray? Is there any specific warm up rituals you indulge yourself in before acting in front of the camera?
I like to be in a calm environment when learning scripts, not too much noise, so I can get into the zone of the character and the story.
You are currently under the spotlight for playing the character of ‘Declan’ in the BBC Teen Comedy Series “Flatmates”. What do you think is the biggest similarity between you and Declan as well as the biggest difference?
The music part of Declan is similar and the way we look. Declan is much more sensitive.
Jumper & Trousers - ASOS
Was there any quality that you grew to appreciate about your character in the show that you maybe didn’t realize was there when you first started playing him?
I grew to appreciate his strength when he comes up against a situation, you will have to watch the series to find out what happens to him.
The second instalment of “Flatmates” has finally been released! Congratulations ! How was your experience like working on this season considering the unfortunate pandemic that we are facing currently?
It was a great experience; we are a tight group and was able to hang out together after filming as we were in a bubble. We celebrated Halloween, Birthdays and Bon fire's night out there, so much fun!!
You have worked in several genres like comedy and crime. Is there any other genre that you would love to explore and work in your upcoming years?
I would definitely like to play a darker role, murder mystery, gangland, thrillers.
What’s next for you Richard? Any projects that you’re currently working on that you would like to hint your fans about?
I have just finished filming in London's Canary Wharf which I can't talk about the moment. I will be back in the studio for the rest of the album too.