Unveiling the Journey: Socalledjay Talks Beginnings, Latest Release 'GOT IT', and What's Next!
By. Alicia Zamora
Alicia’s Studio Sits Down with Artist Socalledjay to Talk about the Challenges He Faces as an Artist, Upcoming Singles, and Future Plans.
A Conversation with Jay
Alicia: Welcome back to Alicia’s Studio we have our 12th special guest!!
Jay: Hey! Socalledjay here thank you for inviting me. I just came from Toronto, Canada. I got here about 2 days ago so I'm glad to be here.
Alicia: Diving into the first question, how did you get started with music? What inspired you to start your musical journey?
Jay: It started off with me and my friends. At first, I didn’t know that I could make music very well. My first song was so bad but it was kind of like a hit or miss and then somehow my friends really liked it and then I posted it on social media and then that's when people were like hey you should start doing this more often and that's how we started. And now obviously I’m here doing it as a career.
Alicia: How long did it take you to start this journey?
Jay: How long did it take? It has been about two years now, almost hitting three. So it hasn’t been too long but overall, I think I’ve been making good progress. So it's not too bad, but at the end of the day, any progress is good progress.
Alicia: Who are your biggest musical influences? How have they shaped your style and approach to music?
Jay: It would definitely be Tory Lanez and Bryson Tiller. Every mainstream R&B artist. I’d also say Jhené Aiko. These artists have really helped me out when it comes to inspiration and making lyrics.
Alicia: Going into your most recent release “GOT IT” what's the story or inspiration behind that single?
Jay: Oh man *laughs*. Well obviously not to be TMI or anything but it is a very sexual song. It’s a really sexual song and I wasn’t supposed to release it because it is summer right now and I was supposed to release more Cali music but then my friends were like “You need to release this”. So it’s more sexual to intimate R&B and it’s gone great so far.
Alicia: What does your songwriting process look like? Where do you draw inspiration from?
Jay: I would say I guess it goes off the vibe of what I like to make most of the time. At the end of the day it's like again it's like a hit or miss if people do like listening to my music but I've always listened to R&B my entire life, always. So it's kind of been my background when it comes to listening to music so from that point on it's kind of just been my main inspiration based on just making music. There hasn't been anything too specific like family or anything like that but so far it's just that music-wise. That's pretty much it.
Alicia: Okay, and how do you typically approach making music and how long does that take you to create the simple track?
Jay: So there are days where it takes a long time. There are literally times when it takes like almost a week to just finish a song. But then there are days where it literally just takes like a couple of hours to maybe even 30 minutes. Depends on how drunk I am. It really depends on how drunk I am.
Alicia: Oo okay so you write music when you're drunk?
Jay: Yes, 100% I think my feelings just come out more when I’m drunk
Alicia: Yeah like the emotions just flow
Jay: Yeah
Alicia: Can you share some highlights or milestones from your music career so far?
Jay: I hit a million on Spotify! I’ve done a couple of performances so far so it’s kind of just here and there performances. I’ve done a couple of interviews. I guess these milestones have been Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms. I think on TikTok I hit 200k or almost 300k. But yeah it’s just small things I’d say.
Alicia: That’s not small! Congrats!!
Alicia: What have been some of the biggest challenges you've faced as a musician, and how have you overcome them?
Jay: Oh man I think it was a lot of doubt and regret. I think it was based on when I made music there were a lot of times where I regretted something because I didn’t do it. I did regret a lot of things because I felt like I missed a bunch of opportunities and was still there but when it was shining at its brightest I just never took that spot. I do have a lot of times when I do doubt myself about making music.
Alicia: How has your music evolved from three years ago?
Jay: Man my lyric choice when I make music and my song quality because I had started off so bad. I think the only reason I started making music was because of TikTok. Well, that’s how I blew up. I did covers on TikTok and people liked it so when I made my first song it blew up because of the popularity I feel like I had. But when I look back to it now I’m like that’s not the best song I made. For Instance, I have this song ‘Make Em Say’ that everybody loves but I hate it. Like it’s catchy but it’s not my best song.
Alicia: What would you like people to think when they hear the artist name “SocalledJay”
Jay: When they hear the artist name SocalledJay…I feel like oh man that is a tough question. I guess just a guy who sings R&B music and a TikToker. I think that’s really it. I feel like I don’t really think of myself as anything. I’m just like every other regular human being.
Alicia: Okay so you just want them to see you as a person?
Jay: Yeah that’s it! Like you know how there’s a huge difference between celebrities and stuff
Alicia: right right
Jay: You know how they carry themselves and they feel like... Not to throw shade or anything but some celebrities carry themselves in a way where it feels like they're in a different dimension from other people and I don't like that. That is just a personal opinion but yeah I just carry myself as a normal regular person.
Alicia: Oo okay! I like that. It’s a good way to think you know!
Alicia: Are there any specific themes or messages you try to convey through your music?
Jay: Man… * Laughs*.
Jay: Well you know most of my songs are kind of just about getting drunk, having fun, partying a lot, and damn near a bunch of sexual things that I probably can’t talk about here * Laughs*. It’s probably not suitable for the video but you know it works out. It sounds good on the song but you should get it.
Alicia: Have you collaborated with other musicians or artists? How do these collaborations influence your work?
Jay: A bunch of these artists have different genres compared to me so there would be times where… well I actually have a bunch of unreleased work with artists. There's this guy named Jay Word who does K-pop-ish R&B music. I’ve made a bunch of songs but I just haven’t released them. But STAY TUNED !!! Soon enough they’ll come out but for right now it’s more of a surprise type of thing.
Jay: But yeah they have helped me out a lot. Like I said I’ve only stuck to R&B and 2000s music but because they have different genres it kind of helps me to be more diverse with my singing and stuff. I used to never listen to country music.
Alicia: I hate country music * Laughs*
Jay: * Laughs*
Jay: You don’t like country music??
Alicia: I listen to a lot of music and I’m open to listening to different genres but I can’t do country music.
Jay: Who's your favorite artist?
Alicia: Wave to Earth! It’s a band, you’ve probably haven’t heard of them * Laughs*
Jay: * Laughs* I don’t
Jay: What's your favorite genre though?
Alicia: Probably R&B
Jay: Oh okay you're an R&B person. But yeah back to what I was saying. All of them are unreleased and all singles. But I do plan on doing songs with big-time artists but I just haven’t gotten to that yet.
Alicia: How do you prepare for live performances? Any rituals or routines?
Jay: Yes I actually do! I do get nervous and I have stage fright whenever I'm talking to big crowds. I’m more of a one-on-one person so let's say I am performing. I’ll take a couple of shots to get me a little tipsy and I have a lot of good friends who hype me up and are like “Yo you got this!” and they're like “Don’t trip, everyone’s here supporting you”. That helps me out a lot but to be honest without any of my friends, family, or even just me doing my ritual of taking a shot and getting myself ready to perform. I don’t think I would be able to do it or have a good performance without my ritual.
Alicia: What do you enjoy most about performing live? How do you connect with your audience during performances?
Jay: Well because I am a one-on-one type of person, I just go one by one you know. So let’s say I’m performing. I’ll talk to them as a crowd but let’s say they know a specific song and then I’m like “You know this shit” so I’ll go one by one and they’ll be like “yeah”
Alicia: What advice would you give to aspiring musicians who are just starting out?
Jay: DON’T STOP!!
Jay: Keep going because there’s a lot of times and a lot of places where someone is going to tell you your music is bad. To be straight up there are a lot of times where people are going to say “Hey your music is good” but they actually think the complete opposite because they won’t say it to your face. But at the end of the day, a lot of artists make the mistake of stopping so just keep going and keep releasing your music, keep grinding out for it, and more than half of the time hard work is going to pay off.
Alicia: Are there any lessons you've learned along the way that you wish you knew when you started your career?
Jay: Yeah I think it’s more of a mental health type of thing for me. I feel like when it comes to making music it is a personal career you know. It’s not just making music it's really how you carry yourself, how you talk to people, and how you are going to get your connections. At the end of the day it is a mental game so I think that’s one of the biggest things I’ve learned. So you just have to treat yourself as a regular human being because someone wouldn’t like it if you were too vulgar or rude so you just have to match someone's energy and I never knew that when I started making music. I was just an outgoing person who was like “Hey this is me!!”.
Alicia: What are your goals for the future, both short-term and long-term, as a musician?
Jay: I would say it is to be financially stable. Don’t get me wrong there are also other goals where you know you can make music because you love it which is true but at the end of the day it is also a financial thing where you want to be financially stable to a point where you're able to support everyone. So I understand that I’m here to make music because I love it but at the end of the day when you're financially stable everything comes along in my opinion.
Alicia: Where do you see yourself and your music career in the next few years?
Jay: I don’t want to overlook myself but hopefully doing big concerts. Hopefully, I land a song with a big-time artist like you know someone that I actually grew up with, and actually be able to make music with them and make connections.
Alicia: Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you're excited about?
Jay: Yes, so there's this one UK artist whose name is Equation Billionz and we plan on making a song when I go back. He landed around 3-4 weeks ago give or take in Toronto. But yeah I do have a song with him that’s coming soon we just haven’t completely finished the song but when we do come back.
Alicia: With the interview ending, I wanted to thank you for letting me interview you! Feel free to promote your new single or say whatever you’d like!
Jay: Thank You!
Jay: So I actually do have an unreleased song and it’s called “On You”. I actually haven’t released it yet but it’s coming out this summer and any other upcoming performances or concerts or updates on my songs will be on my Instagram @socalledjayy on all platforms! But yeah thank you for inviting me!