We recently connected with J’ray and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, J’ray thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
This is a tough one, but I would say my most meaningful project has to be my most recent 4-track EP “UnJ’rayted” which I released in September 2021.
I consider “UnJ’rayted” to be my most meaningful project because I was at a point in life where I felt underappreciated, underrated, and often overlooked by a lot of people including myself, I was definitely giving myself little credit especially in situations where I knew I had accomplished something worth celebrating.
After much thought about it, I thought it a good idea to put out a project that could perfectly tell that story. Apart from the title “UnJ’rayted” which pretty much tells a story on its own, I made sure each song on the project told it’s own story, switching across multiple genres of music in turn expressing my versatility, lyrical, and melodic prowess.
J’ray, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is J’ray, although currently based out of Austin, Texas, I am an Afro Fusion artist originally from Lagos, Nigeria where I was born and raised.
Music began as a hobby growing up in Nigeria, I was always in and around music in the church, school, and at home. Through this, I got to learn a few musical instruments like the Piano, Saxophone, Guitar, and the drums so I tend to do a little bit of everything
Every time I played the guitar, I always came up with melodies and lyrics without thinking about it, it all came naturally to the point where I felt it inevitable to become an official musician. In 2017, I decided to drop my first official song ” Sisi” which was heavily influenced by my life circumstances at that time.. This song was very well received and I just never stopped since then, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
I believe what really sets me apart from other artists is my musical background, lyrics, and diverse melodies. With my music, I tend to infuse different genres of music into the overall Afro Beats genre which is why my main genre is coined “Afro Fusion”. A lot of artists are not willing or capable of creating outside their comfort zone, but I always ensure that is indeed the case with me.
I’m definitely most proud of how far I have come as an artist, I remember starting out, mainly friends and family listened to my songs but now, I have listeners in over 70 countries, most of which I have never been to, it’s such an amazing feeling. Also, I recently released the video to my biggest song yet “Dance” currently out on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66b3Id3EfnE and I’m definitely looking forward to what this summer brings.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I think a lot of people underrate the impact they have especially when it comes to sharing artist’s music. A lot of folks think they need a big platform to be able to reach as many people as possible, however, just sharing music to friend groups / family could go a long way especially in the current social media era.
I also think society could pay more attention to “smaller” artists, a lot of folks focus on the big ones and they miss out on even better music coming from the “smaller” artists.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect for me as an artist is seeing different people with different cultural backgrounds listen to and sing my music especially in countries I have never been.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jrayworldwide.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jrayofficiall/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jrayofficiall
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrayofficiall
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/jrayofficiall
Image Credits
Ernesto Juarez Daniel Sanni Femi Olateju