Saya Gray: 2025

Saya Gray was destined to be a musician. Both of the Canadian-born musician's parents are musicians — Gray's mother founded a music school in Toronto and her father is a jazz trumpeter.

Saya Marion Murata Gray started taking music lessons early in life, but she possesses an innate sense of rhythm and melody. As a teenager,  she was already playing professional gigs, going on tour with Daniel Caesar and Willow Smith. In addition to touring as a multi-instrumentalist, Gray is a musical director and producer, absorbing and internalizing myriad styles. Her artful experimentation is why her music is hard to categorize — either as an instrumentalist or vocalist (perhaps her  most affecting instrument).

Her latest album, Saya, is thematically a break-up record, but it’s not sad. It feels honest and even confident. I adore "Shell (of a Man)" and lines from it: “Uninvite the guests” and “If you don’t like me now, you’re gonna hate me later." That kind of boldness and self-assured approach  makes Gray distinctive — and my guess is that she probably doesn’t care whether other people like her music. She likes the music she makes. For the record, so do I.

Check out our frank conversation in this "FUV Live" session with Saya Gray, who was joined by her talented band: her brother Lucian Gray on guitar; John Mavro on drums, bass, guitar; Alexander "Ace G" Ernewein on keys and backing vocals; and backing vocalists Chiara "Kola Ra" Bonfatti and Taj Sapp.

[Recorded 1/21/25; Engineered by Jim O'Hara with Julia Maling, Olivia Grant, and James Higgins; produced by Meghan Suma. Videographers: Sydney Marovitz, Alena Godas, Nikki Phillips, Lyla Toomey, and Grace Guerra.]