Jay Sean Shares Thoughts on Being an Inspiration, New Single “Cherry Paper” and Career Highlights
British singer-songwriter Jay Sean first shot to fame in the year 2004 following the release of two UK top ten hits as a solo artist. Over the years, he has sold millions of records worldwide and is known to be a pioneer of the Bhangra-R&B genre. Some of his most popular collaborations include “Down” with Lil Wayne, “What You Want” with Davido, and “Thinking About You” with Dutch DJ Hardwell. We had the pleasure of interviewing him ahead of his upcoming Asian tour this coming September. Read on to find out his thoughts on being an inspiration, new single “Cherry Papers” and career highlights.
Could you share with us how your heritage has influenced your music?
I grew up listening to many different types of music including R&B soul hip-hop and Indian music, especially from Indian movies. Those songs had such emotional and beautiful melodies some of which I integrate into my music. All of these genres influenced me melodically as well as lyrically and had helped shape the type of artist and songwriter I am today.
A lot of aspiring singers, dancers, and musicians look up to you in being an inspiration and role model regarding your journey into becoming a successful global artist - what are your thoughts on this?
It is such an honor and a privilege to be seen as a role model to anybody. If there is a kid somewhere out there that has looked up to me and that makes him or her want to pursue their dreams then I am extremely lucky to have positively impacted someone’s life. That means a lot to me.
What was the inspiration behind your latest single “Cherry Papers”?
Cherry Papers is a nod to the smooth seductive R&B that I grew up on in the 90s. I wanted to make a slow jam for all of my fans that l enjoyed, songs like “Ride It” and “Stay” and tears in the ocean. I know a lot of my fans love that R&B side of my music so it was a gift to them.
Tell us about how your collaboration with Hardwell came about!
Hardwell reached out personally and said he would love to feature me on one of his songs this was a huge compliment as Hardwell is such a huge name in the industry so it was an honor to work with him. He sent me over the music and we wrote a beautiful song to it. I love that record.
Looking back, what are some of your most fond memories throughout your career?
There have been too many to recount and that is an amazing thing to be able to say! There are however some stand out moments, for example, the moment when I was told that I had the biggest song in the United States and I had reached number one in America. I will never forget performing at Madison Square Garden in front of 20,000 people all singing back the words that I had written. Working with some of the biggest artists in the industry like Mary J Blige, Lil Wayne, Sean Paul, Nicki Minaj, Busta Rhymes, Pitbull and doing multiple shows with Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Enrique Iglesias. It’s all been a wonderful journey that I am blessed to be living.
What do you have in store for the rest of 2018 that you're able to share?
Of course, brand new music is always the main focus I have some incredibly hot tracks coming out in a few months watch this space!
Connect with Jay Sean on his socials below!