We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mollie Jay. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mollie below.
Hi Mollie, thanks for joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later
Hi! I am Mollie Jay a singer, songwriter and rapper living in Los Angeles. Being in the music industry has certainly been a wild ride. I started writing songs since I could talk, and I started performing on stage around 14 years old. I recorded my first songs in high school. I went to college and majored in popular music/ vocal emphasis. I had amazing professors who sharpened my songwriting skills and my vocal techniques. However, if I could go back- I would skip college and move straight to LA and get my artist career moving…
Mollie, 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?
I grew up in PG county Maryland right outside of DC, so my songs do carry quite a bit of hip hop inspiration as I was constantly surrounded by that world. I started singing Lauryn Hill and Toni Braxton at block parties when I was very young. I quickly learned to freestyle rap and started doing that for fun publicly as well.
I was never comfortable rapping on records before, because I figured it wouldn’t be accepted by the mainstream. I got over that fear about 6 years ago. I do primarily sing more, but I like to throw rapping in the mix especially at shows.
I would say at this point in my career I am most proud that I am finally being myself. I am finally making the music that I want to make. I am finally finding myself and and creating a brand that truly reflects that. For so long, I felt pressured to brand myself as this blond pop princess; when in reality I am a queer tomboy.
To all the artists out there, take your time evolving and realize that it is going to take some time to truly find your voice in a world with so much noise.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I was on an indie label when I was younger that completely crashed and burned. I lost access to dozens of songs that I had written. These songs will never see the light of day. I felt like I was completely bamboozled out of so much time and effort. I felt defeated and heartbroken.
You can’t depend on anyone but yourself in the music industry and that is something I had to learn the hard way. There are so many people that will come along and promise you the world, and leave you with nothing.
This experience taught me that I had to stand on my own two feet. It taught me that, at the end of the day I have to make music for the love, because success is not guaranteed. Failure is part of the process, and love for your craft is the only thing that will keep you moving.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
After the label crashed, I had to completely pivot. I moved back to DC and started recording in New York. After about a year of doing that I moved to Los Angeles. Being in LA has opened up a world I never knew before. There are artists on every corner, each with something completely unique to offer. Instead of being defined by a label(as I formerly was) I pivoted to defining myself. There was a lot of freedom in this, but also A LOT more work, because I no longer had a machine behind me.
Being here, keeps me competitive and keeps me on my toes.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @molliejay
- Youtube: Mollie Jay Music – YouTube https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCCNfIapyYzJmLx0jV0uSZeA
- Other: https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Flinktr.ee%2Fmolliexjay&e=AT3mp16JmuXC_KWaSTn5lK1zB4chYJ3FFqLgwbDDP9UY4hchLBy6QKOGZAA3lfFM-0PZYSxm1IyQkTm3puHwhbpFitq2YjxsrqVI9BbuXkoPnvlfwbK8
Image Credits
Images by Keren Sinai