D.Lylez

I grew up singing in a church setting — my father was a pastor, but also spent a lot of time at the hair salon where my mom worked and would sing to a mirror while there. Patrons complimented me on my singing, and my mom was always supportive, taking me to recitals and music lessons. * I credit my father for introducing me to music. “He sang with Sam Cooke a few times and told me how inspired he was from that and handed the legacy down to me.” * I continued with music through high school, forming a boy band called Changes with close friends (BROTHERS) Kenneth Ellis and Dontrell Bell. We had a few songs that did well on MySpace. As for music, I helped produce a song called “Right Amount of Wrong” with EDM DJ Gianni Blu. That song has been streamed more than 2.4 million times on Spotify. I am a featured vocalist on a couple of other tracks by Blu. Of course, the world now knows me as Darious Lyles but under D. Lylez, I released an R&B album called “Alone” in 2015 and a pair of singles — “Who Cares” and “Feel Good” in 2019. “‘Feel Good’ is one of my favorite songs that I produced and written,” I told Voice Views. “I love the Isley Brothers and I love what Ice Cube did to one of their songs. So, I decided to make my own version while paying homage to the legendary group.” You can check out the song below. I just recently became Grammy Nominated with legendary House Duo Ten City in 2021 for best Electronic album. I have also been performing with a Chicago-based band called 2nd Nature for the past four years and working as a substitute teacher for the past two years. My musical inspirations include Marvin Gaye, Usher and Bobby Caldwell, adding “Marvin Gaye is the best of all time.” I Thank God each and every day for the gifts He has given me to share to the world, but most importantly bring LOVE which is in Him. A Closer look at D. Lylez Ever since I could remember, I grew up singing in a church setting with my father, he was the pastor (PK kids stand up! lol). When not in church, I spent my days in the hair salon with my mom. As she worked, I put in some of my own at a young age. For self-entertainment, I found myself singing in the salon mirrors (in the back/bathroom – if you want to share that much detail or not), putting on a show: unbeknown that fellow patrons were enjoying the show as well. I’ll never forget it, one of ladies told my mom of my “secret” concerts and how good I was. Then one day, my mom caught me! From that day forward, my passion for music could no longer be hidden. I credit my father for introducing me to music, teaching me everything I know, and my mom for being the best support anyone could ask for. She faithfully took me to recitals and music lessons since the age of 9. One of the most memorable moments I had with my father, before he passed, was of him telling me about the times he sang with the legendary Sam Cooke. In his proud moments, he told me how some of my earlier creations reminded him of his youthful days with the soulsters, and how now. . .he’s passing that legacy down to me. A man of few words, my father’s blessing solidified everything for me and meant I had to be doing something right. In high school, my close friends: Kenneth Ellis and Dontrell Bell (they’re like brothers to me), we formed a boy band called Changes. Singing in the hallways, at talent shows, meeting after school or during lunch period to create songs, were the only things we looked forward to. We were the hallway singing bandits and once a few of our songs did pretty good on MySpace, (back when MySpace was the “Instagram of its time”) we thought we were the next Boyz to Men. Continuing through my musical journey, I’ve been featured on numerous of tracks with a variety of artists (see if you can search and find out who). Specifically, I assisted in the production of a song called “Right Amount of Wrong” with EDM DJ Gianni Blu - streaming more than 2.4 million on Spotify alone. Simultaneously I released a few mixtapes and plenty of covers from the early to mid 2000’s. However, by 2019, I was ready to fully introduce the world to D.Lyles. Now, the world knows me by Darious Lyles – Thanks to The Voice, but under D. Lylez I released an R&B album called “Alone” in 2015 and a pair of singles — “Who Cares” and “Feel Good” in 2019. As I told The Voice, “‘Feel Good’ is one of my favorite songs I produced and wrote.” Inspired by the song “Footsteps in the dark” - “I love the Isley Brothers and how Ice Cube did the remake to one of their songs. So, I decided to make my own version while paying homage to the legendary group.” (You can check out the song below.) My other top musical inspirations include Marvin Gaye, Usher, and Bobby Caldwell, - “Marvin Gaye is the best of all time.” Currently, now and days you can catch me performing with Chicago-based band called 2nd Nature, or substitute teaching and doing my due diligence for my community. I want to be a pillar of hope and lead by example that if you follow your dreams, anything can happen. Ultimately, I thank God each and every day for the gifts he’s given me to share with the world, but most importantly bring LOVE; which is inevitably - Him.