WORLD EXCLUSIVE
UK R&B’s sensation Jay Sean has a career now spanning over 3 years. Along the way he has picked up various accolades, one of them being the first Asian R&B singer to perform on Top of the Pops and has even got famous admirers ranging from footballers right through to Diddy and producer Timberland.
His debut album ‘Me Against Myself’ sold over 300,000 albums worldwide in mainstream outlets. In India “Me Against Myself’ reached Number 1 going 5 times platinum.
Unhappy with the music industry, Jay decided to on out on his own and set up his own production company called ‘Jayded’ – a joint venture between himself and his management company/record label ‘2Point9’.
Now four years after his highly successful solo debut album ‘Me Against Myself’, Jay Sean is back doing what he does best, writing quality songs and vocals representing the best of British R&B and Soul
His new album entitled ’My Own Way’, which was recorded in New York and London is out in stores NOW … Make sure you go and buy it.
In its first week, its reached number 6 in the UK album charts and thats a phenmonmal achievement and congratulations go out to Jay Sean and all his people.
The Hip Hop Chronicle exclusively spoke to humble gentleman that is Jay Sean about his musical influences, being an Asian in a genre known as ‘Black music’, the bad things about the music industry and what fans can expect from his latest effort ‘My Own Way’.
You can listen/download the whole interview and you can also read the transcript of the interview.
World Exclusive - The Hip Hop Chronicle Interviews Jay Sean
Audio - The Hip Hop Chronicle Interviews Jay Sean - CLICK HERE
*All Rights Reserved by The Hip Hop Chronicle. Any use of the interview must have the permission of The Hip Hop Chronicle staff.
Transcript Of Interview
HHC: Thank you very much for taking the time out to speak with The Hip Hop Chronicle, for the listeners and viewers, just tell us who is Jay Sean?
Jay: (thinking) who is Jay Sean….erm, well I guess for the people that dont know, Im an R&B artist and born and bred in London and I’ve been doing this for four, five years … im pretty easy goin, happy-go-lucky gezzer who…at the end of the day, loves music. I love to write songs, performing songs and I like to make people happy…
HHC: How would you describe your musical sound?
Jay: Its melodic R&B…I write real songs … real songs about real topics. Alot of the stuff is very auto-biographical but also at the same time its stuff I think alot of people can relate to themselves…you know?…its something that…I talk about things that we’ve all been through in life and I talk about it in a very open and honest way.
HHC: Is there any particular musicians or artists that have influenced you to get into music?
Jay: Yeah…i mean loads, people like…Ive grown up listening to people like Jocedci and Blackstreet…people like Fu Shnickers and Das FX, Big L…all those people who…who, when I first did Hip Hop…I did Hip Hop for a good 10 years before I did R&B, those are the people that influenced me to that and you know I think the legends like Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder.
HHC: The UK Hip Hop and R&B scene…what do you think of it right now, are their any artists that your really feeling at the moment and what’s it potential?
Jay: Erm…yes there are loads of artists that are out….Well I say there are loads of artists … there’s loads of underground artists you know … alot of rappers. I really into what Akala does, I really like what Bashy does, Chimpmunk …erm N-Dubz…I really love N-Dubz actually, I think their brilliant…erm Sway is a very obviously a very good lyricist as well, he’s got an amazing flow. I guess from the singers side of things there’s not many of us to be honest who are actually doing anything in the charts … Taio (Cruz) is a good friend … Craig (David) is a good friend and there about it pretty much, in terms of R&B, its pretty difficult to find many artists that are out there.
Jay Sean - Ride It
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdmExBANzqw]
HHC: How do you feel about Asians having a place in a genre dominated by…in inverted comma’s ‘Black Artists’?
Jay: I think at the end of the day … its a black music genre but erm…I think it feels great that … yes Im an Indian guy who’s taken on Black Music, who’s doing Black Music ….you know its called ‘Black Music’ but I dont any Black people would think only Black people are allowed to do it, I dont think its like that. Its just a name given to it and I think if anything, people will have alot of respect for someone who’s taken on a genre but taken it on and try to do a good job of it. I think if I took it on and completely messed it up or just … put out bad quality R&B out there or mixed it in with stuff that really degraded it or made it sound like crap, I think that way people would be like ‘Why have you taken our music genre and completely taken the piss out of it. For example, if someone did that … if a Black artist did that to Bhangra music and did it in a bad way, we’d probably be like ‘oh you didnt have to do that’. I’d have so much respect for a Black guy that came in and managed to sing well in Bhangra and Punjabi … I’d have so much respect for him … you see what Im sayin?
HHC: I absolutely agree and I think we can both safely say your not doing anything to degrade urban music in this country…if anything your doing more to progress it and showing that people in this country, regardless of race…have talent! And thats the main thing…to have talent
Jay: Yea…
HHC: So leading on to this … your the leading British Asian artist, what advice can you give to upcoming artists?
Jay: First and foremost, the biggest advice I’d always give is…put out good quality music, dont take it lightly … this is not a game, the music industry is very very tough, its VERY VERY tough. Everyone wants to be a singer, everyone wants to be a rapper, everyone wants to be a producer … so many people want that big break, so your competition is fierce, so you really got to put out some SERIOUS quality music …put out quality videos, put some time, effort and thought behind it; dont just think you can get away with mediocare efforts and I think that’s the biggest thing, you just gotta try real hard and you gotta do a good job of what you are doing.
Jay Sean - Stay (Video)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIrTuByFPmM]
HHC: Ok … when your not in the studio or not performing, what does Jay Sean like to do?
Jay: Oh, I like to hang out with my mates and catch up with things I havent had a chance to do …because at the moment, its really busy at the moment. I love going to really nice resturants, really nice bars, thats what I really love doing; discovering these nice little places because London is a beautiful place if you really look around. And erm … I like going to the gym, I like watching films…that kind of stuff…
HHC: Ok…Lets get into the new album, its called ‘My Own Way’, its in stores, where can people go buy it?
Jay: Well its available in all HMV’s, in all the Zavvi’s stores, in all the Tesco stores, all the Asda stores, in Woolworths… its available online on ITunes, on amazon.co.uk … on play.com, I mean (laughs), its not a matter of ‘I cant see it anywhere (laughs)
HHC: Why did you choose to call it ‘My Own Way’?
Jay: Well everything about the album … everything about the album was on my terms this time round. It was a strange one because ever since I departed from Virgin…I had a vision of what I wanted to do and what kind of album I wanted to make and I think that…it took me a couple of years to be able to do that and I think Ive successfully managed to put out a really really hot R&B album, you know what I mean?….And I did it on my own terms and that’s why I called it ‘My Own Way’ because I had it my own way this time. I chose the producers I wanted to work with, I chose the video directors, I chose my photographers, I chose my disturbutors, I chose my marketing people, my PR people and at the end of the day, I basically built my own team around me because … to me, its all about the team … the team of people, you got so many people that are working for you and its gotta be the right people.
HHC: What can fans look forward to from this album?
Jay: If you love R&B…I tried to take it back … I tried to take it back to the era of R&B that I fell in love with where it was melody driven. You got songs…basically my album, I think…is the kind of album that when you listen to it, your not going to be able to get the songs out of your head. Its one of them ones where your gonna be singing along and singing the hooks …to often I used to hear R&B that was forgettable for me and I couldnt remember the melody, I couldnt remember the hooks. I really concentrated on writing a really really solid album with really good songs. So if your into R&B, this is the album for you?
HHC: It sounds like a really hot album, what’s your favourite track from ‘My Own Way’?
Jay: Its probably a song called ‘Stay’ and a song called ‘All Or Nothing’.
HHC: Ok…ok, and what producers have you got on this album? Because you mentioned earlier you chose your own producers this time around.
Jay: There’s only two producers on this album, there’s a guy called J-Remy from New York, who’s a great producer, great songwriter, he’s done alot of stuff for people like Fabolous and Jagged Edge and Mary J Blige and also a producer from London called Alan Santon, who I discovered actually about three years ago. He came to one of my store signings and gave me a CD and I listened to it … I was just blown away by it.
Jay Sean - Maybe (Video)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNYxuZHhmEM]
HHC: Could you tell us why Rishi Rich is such a great producer?
Jay: Rishi Rich can make people dance, that’s his thing. I think his forte is club music…he really knows how to make some solid, hard banging beats.
HHC: You’ve got your own record label, Jayded Records, is there any particular significance to the name? Why did you chose to name it Jayded Records?
Jay: Yeah, its a play on my name; Jay. As in ‘Jay did it’ and Jayded because I was slighty jaded by the music industry when I left my label because I was like this is all bollocks … people are saying you cant do R&B music because R&B doesnt sell in England anymore, that you gotta do Rock music and all this kinda sh*t and I was like ‘you know what? Im not really with that, why do we follow so many trends, like now its so guitar based, everything is so guitar-heavy in the country, on the radio and the charts …its guitar, guitar, guitar and so like I just kinda thought, ‘you know what? this aint right’, the whole music industry I was kinda jaded by it and want to start my own thing, my own way and do things…independantly and have fun with it man…people gotta enjoy your music, too many people forgot how to enjoy it and its become’s too much like; ‘you got to go with this producer and we need a top ten hit and we need this…’. I mean what happened to having fun and enjoying writing and enjoying performing?
HHC: Yeah, its more like work rather than actually being creative and expressing yourself, I agree … do you have any artists signed at the moment to your record label?
Jay: So far its me as the only artist but we’ve signed some songwriters and some producers as talent … its just a record label, its more like … I guess a production company.
HHC: Oh ok…I ask this question to alot of our interviewee’s, your top three albums, of any genre and why?
Jay: (Thinking) Top three albums of any genre…
HHC: Yea you can put Bhangra, Soul, Folk, Country, Hip Hop, R&B, anything you like?
Jay: Number one would be ‘Cooleyhighharmony’ by Boyz To Men, I just love that album because it reminds me of when I first really fell in love with singing … I was really blown away by their vocals and erm… also ‘19 Naughty III’ by Naughty By Nature and (thinking) what else, what else…erm and probably ‘Aijuswanaseing’ by Musiq Soulchild.
HHC: Yeah, thats a great album..thats actually a great album, that Naughty one is a great one as well (Jay agreeing)
HHC: Right Jay, your top three artists of any genre and why?
Jay: (Thinking)….lets see…Soul it would have to be Stevie Wonder
HHC: Yea.
Jay: For obvious reasons …(thinking) ah lets see….and Hip Hop, it would probably be … its Eminem for me, I think he’s ridiculous, he’s an amazing MC, before him I would have said Big L, I just absolutely loved him.
HHC: He was a very very good, sharp lyricist…
Jay: Yeah, his flow was sick
HHC: He was awesome
Jay: Yeah…and I guess…erm what other genre….(thinking)…erm…
HHC: Give me Bhangra
Jay: (Smiling) Bhangra…oh rite, then it would have to have to say Premi because my Uncle was in Premi…
HHC: (Shocked - side note - Premi are huge in Bhangra music) Really…
Jay: Yeah
HHC: That’s amazing
Jay: He was a drummer yeah
HHC: You see what we need to do at The Hip Hop Chronicle is school people about other genre’s as well, its about respecting other people’s genre’s
Jay: Exactly
HHC: That’s very very important. Is there anything you’d like to add?
Jay: I guess just my…my website …www.jaysean.com…my myspace, which is myspace.com/jayseanbeats, if you let them know the album is out now, in all those stores, let them know ….I think thats pretty much it…
HHC: You’ve got so real funny videos on your website and I would urge all readers and listeners to go see that because ….
Jay: (Interested) Which ones….
HHC: On your website, when your going to your barber’s and your going to get your haircut
Jay: Oh yea…(laughing)
HHC: Thats just hilarious and on amazon as well
Jay: Oh… you’ve see those as well (laughing), yeah yeah yeah…check them out. Check out all the video’s on youtube as well
HHC: Absolutely, absolutely, well Jay thank you for taking the time out to speak with The Hip Hop Chronicle.
Go buy the album at your local retailer or on the internet at HMV, Play.com, Zavvi, 7 Digital and iTunes.
Check Out Jay’s Official website - Jay Sean.com
His Myspace and Facebook
