Hailing out the far corner of the world, 24 year old singer and songwriter Jay Jacob is one of the rising talents in Dance Music. His versatility and willingness to try new styles along with his humble personality makes him a perfect collaborator for producers in the EDM world.
It wasn’t always about EDM for Jay though but we caught up with the talented artist as we discuss how he get started in the Dance Music world, what inspired him to become a singer, his hobbies and even his life roots.
Hi Jay, thanks for taking the time to talk to us, im sure a lot of people are already familiar with your craft but for those not in the loop please tells us a little bit about yourself.
No problem! Well basically I’m a singer. I turn words, stories and themes into something you can sing along to.
Not many people would guess you actually reside in Australia, are you a native or where are you from?
I was born and raised here, but my parents are actually from Fiji. Coconut trees and beautiful beaches baby! Haha
Fiji? That’s a very interesting background, im sure we could discuss about that all day but for the sake of the length of this interview we will try to stick to music ha!, When did you get started with music, was singing your beginning or did you start like many others, producing first?
I started playing guitar at the age of 7. Taught myself a few other instruments and then in high school started producing Rnb. I only started singing a couple of years ago, but it wasn’t until I discovered EDM that I really got into it!
It’s a big step going from RnB to EDM due to how different both styles are, how were you introduced to EDM and who were some of your early inspirations in this new world you discovered?
It was a very big transition. I randomly bought a ministry of sound cd, with a remix done by Neon Stereo and it really got stuck in my head, so much in fact that I started a soundcloud and tried making some EDM of my own. Early inspirations were guys like Zedd, Porter Robinson and Lazy Rich – they never seem to drop their standard and they still inspire me.
When you decided you wanted to be a singer in EDM, how did that come about, what was the first track you worked on?
I actually tried producing my own stuff. I didn’t have any software, just a few analog synths so I made two tracks, and decided to put some singing on there. No one commented on the music, but on soundcloud people started asking me to sing on their tracks just from hearing the first one I made called ‘Come Back’. I guess from there I just started singing on tracks and it turned into somewhat of a passion – I love it!
You have managed to quiet rapidly become a very sought after singer, you have had the pleasure of collaborating with producers like Lazrtag, Revolvr, Nicola Zucchi, Yenn, Vodge Diper, Ryan Enzed and rumor has it artists like Klaas and Marcus Schossow have shown some interest. If you had to pick one producer right now to work on a track, who would it be and why?
There would definitely be two producers I’d like to work with again. Yenn & Ryan Enzed are probably the coolest and most productive producers I’ve had the pleasure of working with. With collaborations it’s important to have some form of common ground with the guys you work with, and with these guys you can really tell it’s all about the passion for music and that makes for awesome music.
With a lot of requests for your singing/songwriting skills coming in daily, what’s the normal process Jay Jacob goes through to decide which tracks/projects to work on?
All the requests are unique and the ones I look for generally have enough breathing space for vocals, but hit hard with big basslines or epic melodies that help push the song forward. Nothing catches my attention like an epic drop!
Mostly we have heard you in Electro House and Progressive tracks, the occasional dubstep tune make it in there too, what other genres would be appealing to you as a singer?
I listen to a lot of Electro House, Progressive House and Dubstep but I have a soft spot for Trance. I think it allows us singers to express a bit more emotion than other genres. Definitely on my to-do list.
What’s a normal day like in your life, take us through an imaginary tour through the life of Jay Jacob.
Contrary to popular belief, I actually do sleep. So after I get up I eat breakfast, hit the gym, hit the shower and then into the studio!
From there I go through Facebook and other social media sites to make sure i’m in touch with all the people trying to contact me. While i’m doing this I pump out tunes at max velocity haha! Once i’ve finished that I start writing lyrics to tracks that i’m working on. Sometimes I get one line an hour, other times I finish a track in a few minutes. Each day is different but I spend a lot of time in the studio.
When not in the studio, what are some of the hobbies you enjoy in your free days?
I’ve got a lot of hobbies, just not a lot of time. When I do get a chance, I try to go fishing (my favorite pastime). Spend a lot of time clubbing, love being in a club with the floor jumping up and down to massive tunes and everyone enjoying themselves. I also like to gangster rap, but I think that will stay a hobby for a long time! Haha
Quiet fascinating hobbies you got there, we can totally imagine you with a gold grill in your mouth haha. Since you are big into the club scene, what are some of the tracks that get you pumped?
At the moment, my favorite track is Zedd’s Spectrum ft. Matthew Koma. It’s an amazing piece of art, both from the producer and singer alike and every time I hear it I want to dance. Chris Lake’s Build Up is another huge track that gets me pumped, otherwise anything from Dada Life – those guys are bananas!
Dada Life are bananas indeed and that bring us to some word association, im going to mention a word or a person and you reply with the first thing that comes to mind, ready?
Yeah sure!
Paris Hilton
DJ Mag
Love
Boobs
Facebook
Fans
Soccer
Manchester
EDM
Love
Interesting… so somehow Boobs, EDM and Love are all connected in your world. Thanks Jay for the interview, if there are any sites or news you want to share, please feel free to do so!
No problems!
If you want to check out my stuff, you can hit up my website www.jayjacob.com . I’m also on Facebook and soundcloud so check me out there too!
