Making beats came easy to Tairey Perez after his father gave him a laptop with the software Super Duper Music Looper, where he created basic instrumental rhythyms.

This soon became a business when he entered high school and began writing his own music.

Nearly six years later, Perez, who goes by the stage name Tairey, released a seven-track EP that caught the attention of Rostrum Records, the record label which launched Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller.  He hopes this will get his music heard.

“I spent a year and a half on this album, retouching, editing and rewriting my lyrics to make it better; it’s like my baby,” Perez said in an interview last Monday.

At the age of 9, Perez moved from Worcester, Mass., to Pittsburgh’s North Side with his parents and three younger sisters.  When he wasn’t outside riding his bike or skateboarding, he was admiring his father Juan Perez and his hip-hop group the M-Team. They were “the coolest guys on earth,” according to Tairey Perez.

His mother Merida recalls constructing a makeshift stage using a few pieces of wood and linoleum as a fun and creative activity for her young son.

“He used to walk around the house saying ‘boom, boom, bap,’ so I made him the stage, and before you knew it, he was up there showing his father and uncle dances and saying ‘boom, boom’ into the microphone,” Merida Perez said in a phone interview last Thursday.

Having experience with beat making software was useful when Tairey Perez reached high school at Pittsburgh’s Science and Technology Academy. Here, he met two other students who made music, Sam Conturo and Curtis Pope.  

The three began producing beats and selling them to other artists in the area, but eventually, Tairey Perez began working on his own solo project.  By 11th grade, he released “Aporia,” his first project written and produced on his own. The spacey five-track EP features dreamy beats as well as sophisticated vocabulary.  In the fall of 2013, Perez entered his first semester of college at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg where he majored in engineering and continued to work on his music.

Several small EPs and self-titled projects later, Tairey Perez found himself in the opening spot at the Odd Future group MellowHype’s Pittsburgh show last fall. His music ranged from old school hip-hop beats to new age spacey hip-hop/trip-hop. Almost simultaneously, Tairey Perez released one of his hottest tracks to date, “Zodiac.” The local Thrival Music Festival included Tairey Perez in its lineup this past September alongside Portugal the Man, Motion City Soundtrack and Moby.  

Last April, Tairey Perez removed all of his previous work from his SoundCloud account in preparation for his new EP “Celestial” that was released Nov. 22.  With track hits well above 10,000 on SoundCloud, his music caught the attention of veteran Maybach Music Group artist Wale as well as Rostrum Records.

“One night in May, I got a tweet from [rapper] Wale and it was like, ‘This is the best song I’ve heard all day’ talking about my song ‘Zodiac,’ and I was floored,” he said. “It felt nice to gain recognition.” 

Even though many listeners say Tairey Perez has a similar sound to The Weeknd and Kanye West, the 20-year-old says the biggest influence he has is the urban environment that surrounds him.  Absorbing positive energy from those around him, as well as walking around the North Side, Strip District and Downtown, give him the inspiration he needs to create new work.  With no given theme or one inspiration for this album, his songs go from losing love in “The Signs” to a romantic daydream in “Synergy.”

Hannah Tajuddin met Tairey Perez when they were in 9th grade. Their families soon became friends, sharing the Islamic faith.  She can recall the creative ability Tairey Perez had after just a few times of meeting him and how much it evolved into his new music.

“He was always creative and wanting to try new things, so it’s nice to see that he’s really found his footing and has experimented with all the possibilities that there are with his music,” Tajuddin said.

Soaking in the after-hype of “Celestial,” Perez decided to take a semester off from Pitt-Greensburg to work at the local record store, The Exchange.  He’s recently filmed music videos for “Celestial” as well as his most popular track “Zodiac.” Gaining attention by big names is exciting for the young artist, but he doesn’t let it get to his head.

“I’m not really looking to get famous or to be a big name,” he said “But it would be nice to get out there and learn more about the artistic process that I’ve been through while working on ‘Celestial.’”