There was a time when discovering new music was a weekly ritual for me. Off late though, nostalgia has taken over. I find myself returning to the early 2000s, playing those tracks on repeat. There’s something timeless about the music from that era, and for me, songs by Jay Sean are at the top of the list.
The British singer-songwriter with Punjabi roots delivered chart-topping hits like Down and Ride It. His collaborations with Rishi Rich, including groovy tracks like Eyes On You and Dance With You, remain classics.
While South Asian artists are currently enjoying well-deserved global recognition, Jay Sean has been leading the charge for over two decades.
This year, the artist is returning to Mumbai to perform at Nykaaland on Saturday 26th October. Ahead of his performance, I caught up with him over a virtual call to talk about his journey, his career-defining moment, his thoughts on South Asian artists on the rise, and more.
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ELLE: How does it feel to be performing in Mumbai? And what are you looking forward to the most on your visit here?
Jay Sean: I love visiting Mumbai every year. For the last 20 years, I’ve been visiting Mumbai and because of that, I’ve fallen in love with the city and have so many friends there. The most fun thing for me is that every time I come over, I get a chance to reconnect with some of my friends and they get to take me out and show me what’s new.
ELLE: Looking back at your early days in the music industry, what was the defining moment that set your career in motion?
Jay Sean: It was when Rishi Rich and I made Dance With You. I’ve been writing music for a long time, ever since I was a kid but when I met Rishi Rich, that changed everything because he and I had this incredible chemistry when it came to writing music together. We’re both Punjabi boys with a culture of listening to Punjabi and Bollywood music, as well as R&B and hip-hop, which we love. Working together was a very organic, natural chemistry that came through in our music and that moment was very instrumental in shaping my career.
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ELLE: You’ve been in the music industry for over two decades. What has kept you motivated and inspired to create new music?
Jay Sean: I don’t force anything and that’s the most important thing. Making music is not a normal job. You can’t go into the studio expecting to make a hit, it doesn’t work like that. Sometimes, inspiration hits you when it’s meant to hit you and that’s how I write my music all the time. There might be times when I don’t want to write a song for many months because I don’t feel inspired by anything at that time and then there’s a time when I don’t want to get out of the studio and just sleep in the studio because all I want to do is make music. So it all has to be about feeling.
ELLE: What’s your take on nostalgia being the trend where people are going back to the early 2000s and listening to music of that era?
Jay Sean: I have noticed that for sure. There’s been a resurgence of this era of music and I wonder why that is the case. My theory is that music at that time made people feel a certain way and they want to feel that way again. There was something about my new song Call You Mine, I did exactly that. I went back into my sound of 2008-2009 when I was doing melodies, music and beats that sounded like that. It just made you feel something and that was so easy for me to do, it wasn’t a contrived effort. It was literally because I missed that music too. I remember being in the studio saying, “Man, I just missed that feeling.” I missed it so why not make it, that’s the beauty of being able to be creative in the music industry. If it doesn’t exist, you can make it and that’s why I think this is also something that’s resonating with people everywhere, they just miss that sound.
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ELLE: South Asian artists are having a moment with so many musicians being recognised on a global platform. What are your thoughts on South Asian representation in the music industry?
Jay Sean: I have been noticing this for many years and for the longest time, I’ve said to people, our time is going to come. If it came for K-pop, Afrobeats and Latin music, it’s going to come for us too and it was just a matter of time. That’s why I’m so excited about my record label ‘3AM’ which is launched in conjunction with Virgin Music Group globally. That allows me to hand-pick the talent–South Asian artists out there–and be able to give them a platform like the one I had. But now I have 20 years of experience behind me, I’m able to also mentor them and show them the ropes, and that’s exciting for me.
ELLE: If you weren’t a musician, what career would you choose?
Jay Sean: I actually would have been a doctor by now because I was in med school for two and a half years and then that’s when my music career kicked off. God and the universe had different plans for me. I’m so glad it did.
ELLE: Any hidden talents that your fans aren’t aware of?
Jay Sean: Funny enough, I think my fans have realised this now that I like to laugh, I’m a bit of a joker and I don’t take things too seriously. So comedy, for me, is something that I love and doing impersonations of people is something that I seem to have a good ability to do.
ELLE: Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you’re excited about and can share with us?
Jay Sean: My upcoming album excites me. It’s been a long time since I did an album and I finally decided I wanted to do one. The inspiration hit me to do a body of work that was cohesive and meant something and so the album is complete, I actually did some of it in India and the rest in California.
Catch Jay Sean along with other exciting artists live at Nykaaland from 25th-27th October. Book your tickets on BookMyShow.
