Cayley Spivey

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Cayley Spivey (formerly Small Talks)
Cayley Spivey performing as Small Talks (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 16, 2019)
Cayley Spivey performing as Small Talks at Voltage Lounge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in February 2019.
Background information
Birth nameCayley M. Spivey
Born (1998-01-21) January 21, 1998 (age 23)
OriginMyrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S.
GenresIndie rock, Dream Pop, Pop Punk, Indie pop
Years active2017 (2017)–present
LabelsCommon Grounds Records
Websitewww.cayleyspivey.com

Cayley Spivey is an American indie rock, pop punk, and indie pop guitarist and singer-songwriter from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.[1] They began their career performing as a solo project known as Small Talks, recording and touring as a three-piece band. Under the Small Talks name, Spivey released the EP Until It Turns to Petals in 2017.[2] The project's first full-length studio album A Conversation Between Us was released on February 1, 2019, via .[3]

In August 2020, Spivey announced they would be releasing new music full time under their own name and retiring the Small Talks moniker.[4] In conjunction with that announcement, Spivey released "SFU", their first single using their given name.[5]

Career[]

Cayley Spivey began writing acoustic songs in their bedroom by the age of 15, and soon began booking local shows at coffee shops in their native Myrtle Beach, S.C.[6]

As Small Talks (2015-2019)[]

Originally formed as a three-piece band on May 31, 2015,[7] to perform their songs live, Spivey created the solo project Small Talks and played a number of club and house shows around Myrtle Beach, developing a strong local following.

In January 2017, the band was signed to California-based label Common Ground Records[8] and released their debut EP Until It Turns To Petals, featuring the singles "New Dork Pity" and "Cop Car". That same year, the band was named co-winners of the "Skullcandy StayLoud Showdown" at the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn,[9] headlined by Canadian band July Talk, earning themselves ten dates on the 2017 Van's Warped Tour.[10]

Over a number of months on tour, the backing members of the band left for a variety of personal reasons, leaving Small Talks as a solo project for Spivey. As a solo musician performing under the existing band name, Spivey released their full-length debut recording A Conversation Between Us on February 1, 2019, produced by Eli Strobeck. The album, an LP with more pop influence than their indie-styled debut EP, spun the singles "Oceans", "Quiet Sounds",[11] and “Nicotine & Tangerines”.[1]

The band has toured extensively, opening for a variety of acts including Can't Swim, Broadside, With Confidence, Chaos Chaos, The Regrettes, and , as well as headlining their own dates and performing at festivals such as Bled Fest in Howell, Michigan, and The Fest in Gainesville, Florida.

As Cayley Spivey (2020-present)[]

On August 5, 2020, Spivey announced that they would be releasing music for the first time under their given name, and retiring the Small Talks moniker for good.[12] The move was to lean more into pop music over indie rock, and to increase their chances at success. "Since the project Small Talks has always been me," they explain, "I realized it’s not going to help if I’m constantly mistaken for a band."[13]

At midnight Eastern Time on August 14, 2020, Spivey released their first single under their own name, entitled "SFU," meaning "so fucked up."[14]

According to Spivey, the single "is an anthem for being trapped in a less than ideal situation through the lens of a hopeless romantic. I have a habit of romanticizing things that aren’t good for me whenever I’m not ready to let it go. This is me sharing my story of being stuck in a loop until I could see clearly enough to remove love’s blinders and walk away. Love can make me do crazy things, this song was my way of reflecting on why that is."[15]

On October 26, 2020, Spivey released their second single under their own name, "Not Over You Yet".[16] Their third single, "Cross The Line", was released on March 19, 2021.[17]

Personal life[]

Spivey identifies as non-binary, and uses they/them as their pronouns among others.[18] They also identify as pansexual, and refer to their sexuality – as well as their gender – as an integral piece of their sound, stating "a lot of my songs are inspired by relationships that I've had, and that comes from me being LGBTQ."[19] They have embraced viral social media video app TikTok[5] both as a music artist and as an LGBTQ performer, garnering 164,000 followers in their first year on the platform and increasing to 275,000 by spring 2021.[20]

Accompanying band[]

Current members

  • Cayley Spivey – vocals, guitar
  • Emma Oakley – guitar
  • Doug Smith – bass
  • Tom LeBeau – drums

Past members

  • Justin Charette – drums
  • Tyler Lankford – bass
  • Kenny Kelly – bass
  • Blake Byrd – drums

Discography[]

Singles

  • "New Dork Pity" (2017) (as Small Talks)
  • "Cop Car" (2017) (as Small Talks)
  • "Oceans" (2019) (as Small Talks)
  • "Quiet Sounds" (2019) (as Small Talks)
  • "Nicotine & Tangerines" (2019) (as Small Talks)
  • "SFU" (2020)
  • "Not Over You Yet" (2020)
  • "Cross The Line" (2021)

Studio albums

  • (2019) (as Small Talks)

EPs

  • Until It Turns To Petals (2017) (as Small Talks)
  • Quiet Sounds (2018) (as Small Talks)[21]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Aikins, Gabriel (31 January 2019). "PREMIERE: Small Talks wants to chat on new LP 'A Conversation Between Us'". Substream Magazine. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Small Talks – Until It Turns To Petals • Punk Rock Theory". Punk Rock Theory. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  3. ^ Serra, Maria (6 December 2018). "Can't Swim announce tour dates and other news you might have missed today". Alternative Press. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  4. ^ @CayleySpivey (5 August 2020). "MY FIRST SINGLE "SFU" COMES OUT AUGUST 14TH UNDER MY OWN NAME