It started as a dream; now we're standing next to stars from our city. Here's to us, the DreamTeam.
Naming themselves to commemorate their very first concert together at the American Dream Mall in Secaucus, NJ - Two music artists and two dancers found family in a way they never expected.
Jay Valeyo: I'm Jay Valeyo, an Actor, Music Artist, and entrepreneur. The DreamTeam came together in a way that almost felt like a destined alignment. I knew the girls, DomUnique and Iislandgyal, from playing guitar for a close artist friend and met KingTrippy through a show we both happened to be part of. I was used to performing solo for a while, but with my roots being in Rock and Metal music, I always knew I wanted a band to bring my work to life, and I needed dancers to make sure songs like my first single, which had more of a Pop/Rnb/HipHop vibe, stand out when it's live. I promised everyone I knew that the show would be one of the best I'd had to date and asked these three incredible people to help me do that, with KingTrippy on guitar for my song "Happy Never After" and DomUnique and Iislandgyal on "Favorite." We oversold the tickets we were given; the rest has been history. I don't think a month has gone by without people clamoring for us to be part of multiple shows - Toy Drives, Competitions, Showcases, you name it; It feels weird to perform solo now
Since Trippy and I are both artists and guitarists, I play guitar for his sets, and he still does the same for mine unless we are both on the mic. Recently we've had the pleasure of adding new friends to the lineup as part of our band. Our guys, Davion and Anthony Sabino, are killer musicians. The kind of synergy we have as a group is a rare find, and I'm grateful to know that having four people who are dedicated and driven enough to help and see each other win and improve, both as individuals and as a team, makes us all a powerhouse.
Overall, it's been a journey to grow our brands, and although we've done a lot in such a short time, it still feels like it's only the beginning.
As an artist, I aim to become one of the most influential and prolific people known in the industry. I want to inspire my fans to know they aren't alone in their battles with mental health and that every part of life doesn't always have a fairytale ending, but the only way you can change your situation is by getting up and making the moves to do so. It won't always be easy, but if it were, we'd likely take that for granted. I want to be a provider of the same solace that my favorite bands gave me as I grew up, and I found a family of people in the DreamTeam that understand on the same level I do.
Outside of my artistic career, I run a few businesses but primarily focus on real estate photography. We've been performing so much that we've practically been on tour for a couple of months, so right now, my current goal is to release all of the music I've been stacking up. I also engineer my demos from home, so I often run sessions for the team and our friends. With that gift, Trippy and I have enough songs in the works to make a collaborative EP, and my personal songs have been hiding away for far too long, so I'm ready to give all of myself to the world as soon as I can!
You can find me on Instagram and all of my current releases at jayvaleyo.com.
Iislandgyal: It's your girl, iislandgyal, and I'm glad to be part of this little but big group we call DreamTeam! I started as a dancer at three years old and haven't looked back. I've done major performances on big stages with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in NJ and honed my skills to become the dancer I am today. I was also heavily into playing sports growing up; I've run track, done gymnastics, played tennis, basketball, swimming, and tons more.
Jay put us all together for one show, and we've been a group ever since. We've worked hard and come so far through every show and performance. I love that we're a great team, but most importantly, we're friends first - we go together like peanut butter and jelly! As of now, I dance backup for Jay Valeyo, King Trippy, Eberechi, my cousin Tinkaa G and any other artists in need of dancers can contact me on Instagram. Check out my Tiktok as well!
Outside of the team, I am a Hairstylist, and I'm graduating from school this year to get my hair license and start my own salon. I remember my mother allowing me to do her hair when I was eight years old, and I took an interest in it as one of my dreams. I actually stopped dancing for a while and took a break to pursue my hair business, Lalas.Creations, but now I've been able to do both. I'm also a full-time mother, so it's been a wild ride balancing everything I do, but it's been a great experience so far! I also dance alongside my friend DomUnique for her dance classes; make sure you check that out!
DomUnique: My name is Dominique Gervais; I go by DomUnique on stage! I'm a dance choreographer, teacher, and coach. I have been dancing since I was able to walk! I took many classes growing up including ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary and more. I also dabbled in cheer and gymnastics. I started my professional dance career in high school with my first paid job at the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton as the dance team's coach before I began choreographing sweet 16s and graduations. Eventually, I met an Artist named Tinkaa, who asked me to dance backup for her, and that's how I met Iislandgyal and Jay Valeyo; through him, I met King Trippy. We started performing together consistently, and more artists began to ask Iislandgyal and me if we could make something special for them, so now we work with artists Ciarah MzHayes and Eberechi as any others who may come across us. For DreamTeam's choreography, Iislandgyal and I worked together to create the dances, and from the beginning, we just meshed really well instantly! Soon Iislandgyal and I will be performing our choreography on our own set, and I'm excited to show what we can do in a slightly new way.
One thing I love most about working with each and every one of the people in DreamTeam is that we all work together to help each other grow.
I am currently a hip-hop dance teacher at the Nunnbetter Dance Theatre. I also teach adult classes including, heels, hip hop, twerk classes, and more! Check out my Instagram and maybe learn some new moves when you join me at my next dance class.
King Trippy: My name is Terrome Fernandes but I go by King Trippy on stage, and I'm a musical artist hailing from Bloomfield, New Jersey. I started off as the drummer of a band called "Jukebox Romance" that I actually formed with our current bassist Anthony Sabino in 2012. There, I learned the skills that eventually would help me join the DreamTeam, like playing guitar, writing music, and working well in a band setting. I then ventured off into a solo career which years later led me to meet Jay Valeyo, the very catalyst to our new family. His performance inspired me, and I, being the fearless networker I am, got his information and was adamant about working with him. Long story short, we began practicing for a massive show at the American Dream Mall, which is where I met my current dancers DomUnique and iislandgyal. My life has changed drastically from that exact moment. With their help, I was able to elevate my performances past a level I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to reach. They have taught me so much as individuals and as a duo that has been invaluable to my success. Not to mention iislandgyal is my personal hairstylist! Outside of music, I boast a ten-year career in the restaurant business, where I've learned various skills I've been able to hone and use in my own music career. I am very blessed, fortunate, and favored to have met my "DreamTeam," all thanks to YAH. As we continue to grow and become the superstars we are destined to be, I would like to thank everyone who has seen us live and supported us and also everyone who our performances have inspired. The Dream Team will be coming to a city near you! You can find me on Instagram.
One of the most beautiful parts about the DreamTeam is our ability to not only help each other but to lend our talents to countless friends. I feel like we're the main avengers, and all our friends are part of it with us. Sharing our talents is what we do best, whether that's together or for other people!
Jay Valeyo and KingTrippy can often be seen playing guitar for other music artists. They write guitar melodies to each other's songs by ear, so doing that for their friends is almost second nature.
Iislandgyal and DomUnique share their dancing talents amongst many great artists from NJ as well, creating choreography that matches every beat and word to elevate the show of any artist they work with.
In other words, if anyone happens to know an artist who needs a dance created to their songs or live guitar played or written to any genre, you know who to call.