BEHIND THE MUSIC OF NIKAYLA AND THE PHUNK

Nikayla and The phuNk consists of Nikayla Byirt and her artistry. Nikayla is a cellist and multi instrumentalist from Jacksonville fl. She began her career at the age of 8 as a violinist. Her mother enrolled her in Arts schools and programs where she was classically trained. In middle school, she switched to Cello. During those years she also taught herself how to play Bass and Guitar by ear. She realized that she had a passion for learning new instruments. Though Nikayla was receiving classical training, she was heavily influenced by Funk, Soul, and RnB music such as James Brown, George Clinton, Motown, Prince, Earth Wind and Fire, and many more. Nikayla was determined to combine her love of cello with genres that she was influenced by. She graduated from Berklee College of Music with a Bachelor’s in Professional Music with concentrations in Music Business, Performance, and Music Production & Engineering! She has done session work for many different projects including “Sky Blossom” directed by Richard Lui. She has also played on many shows including playing with Lalah Hathaway, Allen Stone and working with Rob Lewis! She has also taught lessons with City Strings United in Boston, Ma which is a non profit organization that brings music education to students of color. Nikayla’s solo work consists of her being a Funk cellist creating an experience that one may not expect. Nikayla chooses to bend the meaning of genre and open doors for those who want to play outside of the boundaries given to them.

​