JayO

JayO is an explorer. Whether it be his literal location, his sound or his style, the 24-year-old singer, songwriter and producer is not interested in being stuck in one place. “I try and do everything, try and see everything,” the North London artist explains.

Accordingly, the British-Nigerian artist’s output is hard to pin down under one specific umbrella; since his teens, he’s been uploading tracks and teasing, trying his hand at everything from grime, hip-hop, house, R&B and Afrobeats. These days, it’s the latter two genres which take centre-stage in his sound. His first official releases, ‘XO’ and ‘22’, have had an especially huge reception.

Inspired by a youth spent running around in church, or visiting family in Nigeria, listening to Afrobeats and old school R&B at parties, the unifying factor for JayO’s music is a desire to recreate the feeling those spaces gave him: “For me, my music is an interpretation of that feeling…I make music that makes people feel good.”. Many early takes of his music are made in his bedroom, singing into a mic with his laptop perched on his legs.

On his new music, mainly working alone or with his longtime friend and producer RZ, JayO is building on that gently feel-good vibe. His new single “Back” is a pulsing Afrobeats slowjam that brings to mind swaying hips on the dancefloor, so entwined with a lover it’s like no one else is there. JayO might just be getting started, but his journey is already one filled with tantalising promise.