21-year-old, Houston-based R&B singer-songwriter Peyton will release Reach Out EP on Stones Throw Records in 2019. Her debut single is “To Spare.”
Born in Missouri City, Texas and raised in Houston, Peyton grew up shy but her love for music always overpowered her social anxiety.
She pulls from those experiences when writing now, detailing often unrequited attempts to connect to those around her. Peyton has always felt a close connection to her hometown, especially the Third Ward. She is a classically trained vocalist and violinist. Peyton’s late grandmother Theola Booker was a formative inspiration who not only composed and arranged music for renowned gospel musician Reverend James Cleveland, winning a Grammy nomination for her work behind the scenes, but also taught piano for decades at Peyton’s elementary school (and counted the young Beyoncé Knowles among her students). Some of her other early influences include Amel Larrieux, Erykah Badu, The Neptunes/N.E.R.D., Prince and Kanye West, sonically woven throughout her catalog.
Peyton is young but she has already started to make a name for herself in the music scene, with Steve Lacy from The Internet collaborating on her song, “Verbs” and opening for The Internet and SALES. In 2018 two of her songs, “Sweet Honey” and “Lifeline” were featured in episodes of HBO’s Insecure as well as on the soundtrack for the series.