Alt-Pop artist, Dela Kay, unveils her latest single, "Anybody Else," a heart-wrenching ballad that captures the bittersweet nostalgia of lost love. Written October of last year in Nick Cozine’s East Nashville studio, the song was born out of deep reflection and raw emotion, making it one of Dela Kay’s most vulnerable releases to date.
The track was co-written by Dela Kay, Nick Cozine, and Whitney Fenimore—the same trio behind her previous single, "Remedy." "As soon as the three of us got together, we knew we were going to write a ballad," shares Dela Kay. "I was still processing a
painful breakup just a few months before, and with the Halloween spookiness looming in the air that day, nostalgia was all around us. We started to walk down memory lane with my past relationship, coming up with lyrics detailing my first date, then letting the current reality hit when writing the chorus."
Nick Cozine first introduced the "any anybody else" hook, which instantly resonated with the team. "Whitney and I loved it and knew we wanted to keep it," Dela Kay recalls. "With both Nick and Whitney rooted in the folk/indie scene, the melodies we developed felt so organic and real to all of us. Sometimes when you're speaking directly from the heart, things flow super easily, and they definitely did that day."
In an unconventional move, the final vocal in "Anybody Else" is actually Dela Kay’s original scratch vocal from the writing session. "We loved it so much, we kept all of it—it’s the same vocal you hear in the final track!" she reveals.
Sonically, "Anybody Else" evokes the drama and intensity of early 2000s romance films. "It’s kind of giving ‘A Cinderella Story’ when Chad Michael Murray runs up on the bleachers in the rain to kiss Hilary Duff after the football game," Dela Kay explains. "We wanted the verses to feel bare, with acoustics leading the track alongside strings, but then have the choruses come in strong with booming drums and electric guitar swells—absolutely wrecking our hearts."
At its core, "Anybody Else" explores the complexity of love and heartbreak, offering both understanding and vulnerability. "The second verse acknowledges their past and offers reassurance that I’m strong enough to handle their pain," Dela Kay says. "And as painful as it was in the moment writing this song, I have peace looking back. Even though the relationship didn’t work out, knowing my heart has the capacity to love that deeply—despite the pain—is something to be hopeful for in my future."
MORE INFO:
Dela Kay, who hails from the vibrant music scene of Nashville, TN, draws inspiration from artists such as The Maine, Maggie Lindemann, Paramore, and Avril Lavigne. “The One” follows the success of her debut EP, Falling Into Place, with singles that have amassed almost 1M streams collectively, and secured a spot on Shazam's Best New Music Apple Playlist. Dela Kay, who identifies as a songwriter first and foremost, believes that the past year of her career has been her most authentic to date. With a commitment to continue releasing singles throughout the rest of this year, she is determined to leave a lasting impression and make her mark on the music industry with her unique voice and perspective.
At the start of Dela Kay’s career in 2014, her electro-pop style began to emerge through a collaboration with Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and producer, Femke Weidema; which eventually led to her first electro-pop/European-infused single release, “9 out of 10.”
Named by Earmilk as an artist who was gifted “with a rich, distinctive vocal style” for her 2018 release of “Make You Mine,” Dela Kay went on to continue releasing singles and garnering hundreds of thousands of streams. In 2019 Dela Kay released “All My Love” through Sony Music, which ended up charting 49 on the top 150 global artist charts for Digital Radio Tracker as well as in the top ten for the Top Independent Charts. After a brief hiatus, Dela Kay marked her return by debuting a new, more alternative sound in 2021 with the release of “The Worst Part,” via Wonderland Magazine, and has been releasing this style of music ever since.