“When I tell people I’m from Tottenham, they’re surprised,” says JayO. “There’s a stereotype that only south London people sing or make ‘sweet’ music. North is not really a sweet place.” But those assumptions have never impacted the singer-songwriter’s creative output — his warm, feel-good sound is all about dropping sunny afrobeats influences into sharp US R&B-style packages, and using that heady fusion to uplift listeners. It’s a recipe that is clearly connecting with people.
The mellow, super sultry vibes of last year’s breakout single ’22’ helped establish JayO within the pantheon of promising, R&B-adjacent vocalists operating in London right now, which includes the likes of Summer Banton, JVCK JAMES, and Mychelle. His laid-back vocals roll off the tongue, allowing him to glide across sparse Afroswing-tinted instrumentals with a hypnotic edge that helped land him a spot at Stormzy‘s All Points East takeover at Victoria Park last year. He recently kicked off 2024 by dropping ‘Episode 1: Lost’, a 2-track EP comprising singles ‘Obsessed’ and ‘So Sweet’, which both have their own vivid, slightly trippy visualisers that JayO dreamed up himself.
When NME meets the 24-year-old for lunch at a bougie central London restaurant, one thing that quickly becomes clear is his tailored approach to every aspect of his musical identity. From designing his own graphics and styling himself in a way that reflects his personality, to thinking deeply about why people listen to his music and how he can relate to them, he’s determined to “control the narrative”.
Here, we chat to JayO about that mission and its roots in his marketing degree, as well as discussing his super-tight relationship with producer RZ, his experiences growing up in Tottenham, and what the vision is for ‘Episode 1’.
Your sound seems grounded in escapism, from the summery sonics of tracks like ’22’ to lyrics like “Might just pick up my bags and go / And hit the road” (XO). Why is that?
“I just like to feel good, and I feel best when I’m away. I see myself like Dora the Explorer; from young, I’ve always gone places by myself. I’m from north, but when I was a younger I’d go to parties in east, south, west alone. I don’t really like waiting on people, I just make my move. And I wanted it to make music bad, so I’d be travelling to Woolwich when I was 16 and coming home at like 1am, just because I’m at a recording studio trying to make a song with a beat from YouTube.”
Growing up, what sort of artists were you listening to?
“Mainstream artists like Drake, Chris Brown, Usher, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, and Beyonce. Over the years it changed, because I just started listening to myself. I’d listen to beats more than I would listen to actual music, because I feel like a beat carries more. And I listen to a lot of Afrobeats as well – you see the growth of artists like Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, and I can also see my growth just from listening to them.”
Those latter artists have become global superstars in recent years. As someone who shares their Nigerian heritage, what do you take from their success?
“I take that it can be done. That level of stardom is different. I feel like there’s only a handful of UK people that have done that, and to do that you’ve got to keep your head down and make good music and make sure your brand is on point. I’m trying to do it with a sound that nobody else is doing, and not really following any specific rules. Not necessarily making a two or three minute song, or including a hook.”
“I see myself like Dora the Explorer; from young, I’ve always gone places by myself”
You have been making music with your producer RZ for years. What does that relationship mean to you?
“We grew up in Tottenham together. Same nursery, same primary school, same secondary school for a bit, same uni. We’re neighbours, we’re best friends, we do everything together. He taught me how to make a song, and I taught him how to be confident in his producing, so we help each other out, and there’s never a time where I wouldn’t bring him in on something. If I win, he has to win.”
When you’re in the studio and he’s running through instrumentals and ideas, what are you looking for?
“Something I haven’t heard before; that could come down to melody, it could come down to beat pattern, and also feeling, does it make me feel good? Sometimes I just make a song, listen to it back a few times, and it’ll either grow on me or not grow on me at all. I probably have over 1000 songs, and I listen to most of them… but once they’re out I hardly ever listen again. Then I move on to ‘What can I make that I will always replay?’ Replay value is one of the key things I look for.”
You studied Marketing Management at Northampton University. How has the knowledge you gained there helped you navigate the industry so far?
“Music, dance, acting, graphics, taking pictures, dressing well… it all goes hand in hand with marketing. What is it that makes you unique? Because it’s not gonna be just your voice; people hear your voice and wonder what the face behind the voice is. Your character plays a huge part in your music, because it shows in your music and it shows in who you’re surrounded by, what type of videos you make, your graphics, beat selection.
“People tend to look at commercial success and think, ‘This is commercial music’. They say Drake is commercial pop rap, but I disagree, I think he just makes tracks that are globally taken in. His beats and his lyric selections, whether he’s rapping or singing, it’s him. People who put a label on music are the people listening, it’s never the people making the music.”
You’ve just dropped a new 2-track EP called ‘Episode 1: Lost’. What’s the vision for the project?
“Everyone can relate to ‘Episode 1’, because that’s where you start. Everyone’s wondering why it’s called ‘Episode 1’, so now they’re gonna be thinking ‘What is Episode 2?’ — it’s a cliffhanger. Also, it’s just unfair hoarding all this music!
“Now I’ve dropped two more songs, I’ve got more to play with when performing; more minutes, more choices to make. With these songs coming out now, it’s just a waiting game. But this year, I’m not gonna let people hear what my next move is!”
‘Episode 1: Lost’ is out now via 0207 Def Jam