Jay
Sean grew up in Southall, west London and started his hobby of rapping at
the age of 11, in a hip hop duo called "Compulsive Disorder." He left
school with ten respective GCSEs and 4 A levels which earned him a place at
Medical school. He eventually dropped out, after being offered a record deal, to
pursue his music career.The biggest year for Jay Sean's career had to be 2004, when his debut album charted within the top 30 of the UK Albums Chart for one week, while his first two singles managed to break the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. He was introduced into the musical scene with hits like "Dance With You (Nachna Tere Naal)", "Eyes on You" and "Stolen".
Last year Jay Sean was released from his contract with Virgin Records which delayed the release of his new album. However, his musical career is far from over and he is currently recording a new album. Make it down to the HUGO Urban Rules event in Birmingham to catch his live performance.
I hear you’re recording a new album, how’s that going?
I’ve been working hard writing new tunes. It’s really exciting right now because I’m experimenting and writing stuff I’ve always wanted to without catering to a specific market. I’ve been listening to all the old school music I used to love like Jodeci and Blackstreet to gain inspiration because I’m very bored of modern day R&B.
Are there going to be any collaborations we should watch out for?
There will be but I’m keeping it all hush hush at the moment!
What? You can’t even tell us one?
I want it to be a surprise so everyone will be like ‘yeah, that’s Jay Sean giving it large!’ I can tell you that I’m definitely working with Rishi [Rich] again. That’s a chemistry that nobody can mess with. This album is R&B with a twist - the production is unconventional.
What do you think of new UK singers like Nathan?
I’ve heard his new stuff and I think it’s great people like him are coming up. The only problem I have with UK music is that the words ‘urban’ and ‘R&B’ are dirty. We need more people from England doing this.
Why do you think it’s difficult to make it as an artist in the UK?
It’s the market that we’re in; it’s dominated by Indie and Pop bands. We can put out the best R&B and hip hop we want but if there isn’t an infrastructure to support that then it can’t be heard. More people are listening to artists like Kano and Sway through their Myspace pages than on the radio.
Would you ever go back to studying medicine?
Nah, what’s the point in going backwards? Music is my heart. Music was a hobby that I used to mess with but then one day when I was learning about mitochondria and shit that I’d rather be writing songs. I might not have had the guts to do it if I didn’t get the record deal. It was a legitimate thing and I couldn’t believe it was real. Things might not have happened if I didn’t take the chance. When it’s on the table you take it!
What needs to be done to improve the situation?
I’ve gone with what I call a ‘raggo attitude’ which is where you just go and do your own thing. Push your own material out, get your own shows and plug your own music to build up your own fan base. You can literally make a name for yourself. The thing I like about the UK is that we’re very real about things, if we’re not feeling something we’ll say it’s shit. As soon as you blow up and go on MTV you’re suddenly not cool enough and people go to the next underground cat, that’s why Channel U works.
Are you looking forward to HUGO Urban Rules in Birmingham this month?
Hell yeah! I’m going to be doing a performance down there, so is Amy Winehouse. There’s a competition happening down there which I definitely want to check out to see who’s good and who’s not.
How do you think an event like this will benefit artists?
It will help towards a better environment for people to put their music out. The fact that Hugo Boss jumped on it shows that they’re a brand that wants to be associated with something that is up and coming. They want to get involved at grass roots level which is what this is about.
Is there anything you can’t stand about the music business?
There’s a lot I can’t stand but I vent it out into my tracks for example in ‘Stomp.’ That’s a track where I take the piss but say it in a funny way. I don’t even need to say it; it’s all in that track. At the end of the day if you love music, you’re going to do it. Music has become my life. As long as you’re true to your fan base they will keep you happy forever.
But there is some music out there that could be considered as ‘fake.’
Yeah, I agree with you but that’s alright. We have to accept that. I’ve gone past the stage of moaning and telling people not to download music. How are you going to tell a kid not to download MP3s and buy a CD in a shop? They’ll be like ‘shut up, I’m at my yard right now and I can get your tune within two minutes. I’m not going to walk down the street to HMV and buy it.’ we have to understand that that is the generation of today. People have to stop crying about their CDs not being bought. Even if our music is being downloaded, it’s still being spread in places where our CDs didn’t sell.
What do you think of awards shows like the BRITs?
Unless I’m nominated then I’m not going! One day it will come but I’m not interested in the la-di-dah side of it all. There are all these parties and premieres and it’s a load of rubbish. If I’m not nominated then what am I going to do? Just act important? I’m not with all that.
Were you following the Shilpa-Jade beef that happened on Celebrity Big Brother recently?
I know Shilpa, so I was watching to see what the experience would be like for her. I’m proud of the girl and I knew she would handle herself well because she has a lot of class. She did so well and I’m glad she put our name up there and made us look classy at a time when we’re painted with the terrorist brush. We needed something like that.
www.jaysean.com
By Rashmi Shastri - Feb 2007