We recently connected with Jaeya Bayani and have shared our conversation below.
Jaeya , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
My parents were both 21 years old when they had me, and they’ve always given their best effort to nurture me into a creative, critically thinking individual who lives by compassion and kindness. They gave me the gift of learning how to be an adult by growing up with them as they learned how to be adults, which has informed me on what family norms and personal boundaries I want to carry forward in my life. My parents are my greatest teachers and the first loves of my life. They are my heart.
My mom, Kiana, is a beautiful, anomalous, empowered woman with my favorite whip-smart sense of humor and an unmatched work ethic that lays the roadmap for our family. She raised me to be well-rounded and well-prepared, which contributed heavily to my lifelong clarity of what I want to accomplish. Her determination to finish nursing school as a single mom – with the support of two loving sets of grandparents – enabled her to put me in activities like Muay Thai, Sea Scouts, San Francisco Children’s Musical Theatre, Young Women’s Choral Projects, FLEX College Prep, United World College’s Summer Global Leadership Forum Program, and so forth. She still teaches me how to “adult,” based on what she’s learned as a now-mom-of-three, nurse educator, and overall badass with her M.S.N. in nursing. There is never a moment where I don’t feel humble or like I’m still a little kid in her presence. Her protective love has always kept my spirit safe, my skin tough, and my spine strong.
My dad, Jon, is a kind, loving, and goofy man who instilled a creative-professional balance in me from a young age. Through him, I witnessed how the entertainment industry can mistreat and misrepresent dancers, especially Filipino-American and BIPOC creatives who are major culture bearers and/or pioneers of the street dance styles promulgated today. These experiences expanded my cultural literacy and knowledge of underrepresentation long before I engaged with identity politics on social media as a young adult. My dad always reminded me to be proud of my Filipino heritage and to shoot for the stars. My favorite moments with him are our car talks, where we have the best conversations on life, dance, and Hip-Hop. I also grew up going to battles, jams, and cyphers with my dad. These spaces demonstrated a community-based version of Hip-Hop that I’ve only seen in underground scenes that embrace a holistic view of the elements (DJing, rap, breaking, graffiti, knowledge). In this way, I’ve always understood my place as a guest and student of the culture.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Jaeya “Jaeonic” Bayani, and I’m a Filipinx singer-songwriter, dancer, rapper, and music industry professional from the Bay Area, CA. I graduated summa cum laude in 2024 from Columbia College Chicago, with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Business: Recorded Music and Publishing and a Double-Minor in Hip-Hop Studies and Pre-Law Studies. I’m a 2024 GrammyU Ambassador, BMI member, and the 2024 recipient of the Columbia College Chicago Parker Lee Williams Award for Hip-Hop Excellence. For more than 5 years, I’ve established a space in the global Filipino music industry dedicated to uplifting underrepresented creatives through my roles as an Operations Assistant at The Luna Company, LLC (Traverse Music Group & Zion Agency), an Operations Director for Quilt Magazine. I’m currently the Music Publishing Administration Coordinator for Thizzler on the Roof.
Utilizing my events, marketing, and talent management expertise, I co-created and co-produced my first Fil-Am event with peer and friend Cali Castillo — Kapwa Chicago Vol. I — at the Rizal Center on April 27th. During this, I secured my first sync deal for “510” and “Believe Me” in Episode ONE of “No Room For Love” by Malou and Randal Kamradt. I’ve been featured in multiple blogs, articles, campaigns, and podcasts — not to mention the podcast I formerly co-hosted, Movement, Body, & Soul. I practice movement to connect with my music; I’ve studied the funk style, popping, for almost four years, crediting my mentors with the knowledge I’ve received.
My freshman EP, BAYANI, was released in June 2023, propelling me to lead the lineup for Bay Area, Chicago, + ATX shows. My recent career highlights include headlining Darwin’s Piano Bar @ SXSW and APAture’s 25th Anniversary Music Showcase @ DNA Lounge by Kearny Street Workshop. I’m a Filipino-American hip-hop practitioner who has studied the culture in the Bay Area and Chicago. I blend my consumption of unapologetic, informative flows inspired by local Filipin-American emcees with my lifelong training as an R&B vocalist. My ultimate goal is to take my music dreams beyond myself, by pursuing a law degree to serve local Filipino/Filipino-American artists who lack adequate legal representation or resources. Stream my latest single, “Growing Pains,” with Chicago artist Color. on all platforms. My next single + music video, “Illuminate” with Acari, is dropping on 03/31!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Singing was what I first gravitated to as a baby; I was learning to talk at the same time I was memorizing lyrics to Ruben Studdard and Alicia Keys. My parents ensured my crib was enveloped with the sounds of Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, and Earth, Wind, & Fire—to name a few. Growing up, I also spent a lot of time with my many cousins, in church, and in youth bands. These collective experiences led to a lifetime of being involved in school choirs, vocal lessons, and a deep love for gospel, funk, R&B, and Hip-Hop.
Over five years ago, I was starting my college search and application process with one goal in mind: Berklee School of Music in Boston. I was quietly dropping my first tracks on SoundCloud and about to start a life-changing internship with my long-time mentor, Christina Luna. Berklee seemed like the natural choice for an independent artist in the making. At my mom’s advice, I also applied to a few other colleges, including Columbia College Chicago.
I got into Berklee College to study R&B vocal performance but didn’t attend. The school tuition was crushingly expensive, and scholarships were rare. Columbia was the clear next choice, not just because of the amazing scholarships, one-of-a-kind degree offerings, cultural focus, and community-based approach. It is a school that is built for independent creatives who are people-oriented, and it ultimately became my dream school. The education I received from peers, counselors, and professors alike is incomparable. The Music Publishing, Hip-Hop Studies, and Pre-Law path that I locked in on enabled me to evolve from indie singer-songwriter/recording artist to a multi-creative professional within 4 years.
Today, I have the privilege of working every day in the music industry while pursuing a music career and trying to stay present with my loved ones—my current definition of success.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The greatest joy of being a creative professional is honoring those before me, working with those beside me, and hopefully helping lay the right groundwork for those that come after me. I’m blessed to have grown up learning about and respecting Hip-Hop culture and dance. My elders and mentors emphasize the importance of storytelling for the sake of preserving our local dance communities, and to honor the individual stories that have contributed to them. Creating connections between movement, community, and shared histories is how we align our personal intersectionality as a tool to uplift each other, and acknowledge how we’ve historically interacted and intersected with each other in the context of mutual regard.
I’m an admirer of Hip-Hop culture but also an observer of the tools of supremacy, fear, and the resulting racism that pits Asian and Black folks against each other. My vision is focused on bringing us together in mutual regard to acknowledge our collective displacement, and reject the respectability politics that fuel the mutual erasure of our identities. There is a burning frustration that I feel in seeing us fall apart from not being able to come together, and I aim to be a consistent force in challenging the narrative of the crab mentality as the only mentality.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jaeyabayani.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaeyabayani/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaeya.bayani
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaeya-bayani-7360a5a3/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jaeyabayani
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kikileeks?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
- Other: https://linktr.ee/jaeyabayani
Image Credits
Photo 1: @amyschwartzphotos
Photo 2: @ontheroofline_photography
Photo 3, 4, 5: @sloaneshotit
Photo 6, 7: @jmrlnPhoto8: @rjkoolraul @undiscoveredsf @kapwagardens