Premiere Here: Leo Kalyan

London’s Leo Kalyan is stepping out of the basement where he makes his beats and into the spotlight. For the last year, he’s been releasing his tracks on Soundcloud to an ever-growing fan base. Choosing to keep his face semi-obscured in album art that he conceptualizes and creates, Kalyan falls musically and aesthetically in line with contemporaries Jai Paul and Ben Khan—comparisons likely to draw detractions from fervent followers of both. While a culture of exclusivity grows around these artists, so does a genre. It’s too soon to give it a name, but Kalyan stands out in that his electronic melodies have a distinctive island vibe, or at least one fully drenched in the sun. Premiering here, exclusively on VMAN, is his first music video, directed by James Barber, for track "Get Your Love," where the singer captures that tropical magic visually, and reminds us that summer can be forever. Here, the artist chats with VMAN to discuss his music, his dreams, and the weather.

Your Twitter says, “I want to capture this idea of sunshine, palm trees and beaches, not the grimy Hackney basement where a lot of the music is made.” It sounds like music is your escape. Have you always been a dreamer?

LEO KALYAN Music is definitely my escape, but at the same time it's the experience of escape that inspires my music. Does that make sense? It makes sense in my head. I always try and live in the moment, so it's not like I want to be somewhere else. I’d say it's more a case of always trying to be in the perfect place.

Would you ever move somewhere tropical? Or is it all about the fantasy?

LK If I didn't do music, I’d move somewhere [beachy] in a heartbeat. A Greek island maybe or the French Riviera—only for half of the year, though. I don't think I could live there full time because I’d never get anything done. I’m a city kid, so I need a little bit of noise, pollution, and people traffic to keep me balanced!

Where was this music video filmed? Did you intend to make a music video with the footage?

LK It was filmed in Biarritz, in the South of France. It was definitely a very fun road trip, and, yeah, we went out there intending to shoot the video. Biarritz is a beautiful place, a real mix of old world glamour and surf culture. We couldn't have found a more perfect location.

Are you sad to see the summer end? 

LK Always. Although the weather in London this summer has been...unreliable at best.

How do you make it through the winter? 

LK Holed up in the studio, making music.

Complete this sentence: Leo Kalyan is…

LK Ready for an adventure.

Catch Leo Kalyan at The Courtyard, London, on November 10. Tickets here. Buy Silver Linings on iTunes here