jayo.

creating and innovating in 2023

Okay before we dive into this interview , UK sun is starting to shine and summer playlists are being made. We want to ask how 2023 has been treating you so far?

I.. I go now? Aha hear that. On your IG, theres loads of fit pics, they go hard. Are there people behind the scenes or are you doing them all yourself? hear that hear that. UK R&B and Afrobeats sounds always mix really well. Do you think theres already a solid relationship between the two sounds?

How’s 2023 going for JayO?

How’s 2023 going for me? Great. Dropped a song in like February. It’s picking up, it’s on 20 mil right now so I could only be grateful.

What tune is that?

A song called 22. Which is out now. Everywhere.

Not to mention that single. Calling it a hit is an understatement. Still on a high from success or are you focused on crafting your next hit?

Just focused on more music, guess. It’s fun. So, the creations never stops, the innovation never stops, let’s say.

Who are you thinking about in 2023?

Erm, noone in particular. Just saw that woman in too hot to handle [mumbles].

How is it filming a music video for that?

How is it filming a music video? It was fun, it was early. It was quite fast-paced. Because think I re-recorded the video with the song playing faster than the original. So it was like.. A lot of work to be honest.

Born and raised in Tottenham. You come from an area with some of the biggest influential UK artists. From Skepta to Adele. How would you say being from Tottenham has influenced your music?

The culture, I’d say. There’s a lot of Carribeans, Ghanians, Africans. From Turkish to Asians. So a lot of influences from everything. Just growing up in Tottenham, you don’t even listen to one genre, you listen to everything. Kind of thing.

Most all myself. Things like my video shoot, it’s more like… I've got a stylist as well. But we come together and put our minds together.

Um. Yeah you could say. When you say R&B it always refers to love. So when you include love on something like a beat like Afrobeat, it kind of just, intertwines into both. hear that, I hear that. What do you have coming out the rest of the year? What are you working on? hear that. Can we talk a little bit about the camp in Ghana? What’s it like coming to here? Is it your first time? What you feeling? do a lot of Graphic design...

I’m currently working on my next single. Well should say already have it. But uh, that and hopefully a tape this year.

Ghana is beautiful, I'd say. came from Nigeria and then here. So, its a big jump, I’d say. From being like - if you’ve been Nigeria you know how hectic it is - but it's still nice. But here it’s very quiet. Like we are in the mountains, like there's no internet but it’s peaceful, you know what mean?

Is there something that people don’t know you’re into, like an inspiration or a hobby or something you like? What don’t the people know about JayO yet?

Photoshop?

Yeah, I made my own logo, which is the logo everyone sees. play sports, guess. I game a lot, play a lot of games.

Which sports and which games?

Football, basketball. Call of Duty mainly. would say FIFA but I’ve given up on FIFA, i’ve just got tired of it. More a Call of Duty guy now.

How is your experience of the camp so far? How does it differ from the other camps, or is this one of your first ones?

I’ve had a camp, maybe 2 years ago. Since then, I haven't. Just been focusing on myself. This one has been quite fun. The views are inspiring. Different producers from everywhere, so its nice to work with people who have a different insight to Afrobeats and R&B and XY and Z. So it’s proper so nice.

We can wrap it up there, bro, thank you so much and for your time.

Thank you.

Founded in 2017, GIRLSofGRIME is an independent, femaleled grassroots organisation that aims to reinforce gender balance within the music business and their strapline reads - ‘It’s Not Just Music, It’s Our Culture’. Inspired by the foundation of the early Grime scene, company founder Shakira Walters, drew from the essence of community, the resourcefulness and the independence of the genre’s founders to provide a platform for female artists, DJ’s, producers and women in music business to showcase their talent and develop their careers.

Today, GIRLSofGRIME is helping to reshape the culture, by advocating for gender balance in the industry. Their latest project, the collaborative record 'Crop Tops and Hoodies', is a testament to their commitment to empowering women in music and providing them with career opportunities. An official record for International Women’s Day 2023, whose theme this year is #EmbraceEquity, ‘Crop Tops & Hoodies’, aims to highlight the often-silenced female voices and to encourage the community and corporations to take action on their mission to advocate for better gender balance for the next generation. This track features Ariez Baby, Frizz Price, Cassie Rytz and the duo, AE and drops on IWDMarch 8th.

At its core, GIRLSofGRIME is a community of women in music supporting women in music and could be described as the 'Big Sister of the Scene'. Producing national and international live showcases, panel/networking events and live streams such as GIRLSofGRIME RADIO with resident DJ Kaylee Kay, the multi-purposeful company, GIRLSofGRIME prides themselves on supporting their community and the development of creative talent. GIRLSofGRIME have also curated various collaborative opportunities for female creatives including national radio show takeovers with Rinse FM, BBC 1xtra, and KISS FM, plus showcases with prestigious venues such as National Theatre & Somerset House, and for Wireless Festival, and Amazon Music.

GIRLSofGRIME is on a mission to level the playing field and bring more diversity to the industry. Therefore, alongside creating opportunities for live performance, GIRLSofGRIME also provides safe spaces for future females to be able to fulfill their maximum potential, by offering programmes to assist women in improving their skills and developing their careers. GIRLSofGRIME have curated workshops, and new release music programmes including their successful DJ sessions headed up by DJ Shaxx and discovering resident and now international DJ DEBS, created opportunity for artists to perform alongside a live band for the first time with the LOCKED+LIVE project and assisted with the release of music music and videos such as ‘Press It’ by Ariez Baby and ‘Jim Carrey’ by Lauren Marshall.

DJ DEBS - How she joined GoG

“I was part of a group chat for creatives and someone had sent in that GOG were doing DJ workshops. I had known about and been a follower for quite some time so I was like “Rah, the stars have aligned because I’ve been trying to learn”… I pulled up to Pirate Studios in South East London, and met Shakira and Shaxx, who straight away made me feel so welcomed. We were vibing the whole time and at the end, I made it clear that I wanted to be part of this amazing community and Shakira gave me the opportunity to work with her on our (GOG’s) social media and other projects. Now it’s just family.”

DJ KAYLEE KAY - What GoG Means to Her

“Being part of the GOG community is really important to me as have been able to connect with other talented and likeminded females who also share a passion for Grime and UK music. GOG gave me a platform to demonstrate my passion for Grime music and DJing and I have been lucky enough to have gotten some dope opportunities in the process, like djing at certain events and meeting/working with people in the industry. GOG is a recognised platform that continues to showcase females doing big things in the scene. like the sense of community and inclusion Shakira has created. I feel grateful as GOG has elevated my profile and Kaylee Kay is recognised as someone who reps the Grime scene.”

DJ SHAXX - Craziest DJ experience

“I played an NYE set for ‘Faded’ in Dalston. It was so lit! Ppl where shaking the barriers everything! was even scared to play certain songs because knew it would get too crazy. Well. I played ‘big drip’, that was it, the tables they had pushed together for the decks split in half! The mixer fell through but managed to catch it in time. But yh had to tell everyone to calm down while I put it all together.”