In this specific day and age, music is more than just knowing how to sing, rap, or play instruments. Production is a highly important element and some artists are so multi-faceted, they know how to correctly do both. For Jay Nomád, he fits right into that category of versatility.
When it comes to Jay and his music, we were so impressed that we felt it would be foolish to not highlight this artist's accolades and star quality presence. With so many amazing releases in the year of 2019, Jay Nomád is somebody who is proving to be an immaculate newcomer in the industry. His releases, like “Hanabi”, “Gone”, “Wanna Be Mine”, and “Forever and Ever”, brought electric pop tunes that you need to hear. Each single has had its own distinct characteristic taking inspiration from different artists. Jay Nomád is not like your ordinary artist who likes to stick to one singular method of creating music. Instead, he is ingenious with the way he creates and makes music. He strives to make each track stands in a lane of its own. Who doesn’t love an artist who strategically curates the productions and arrangements of their music instead of following a simple formula!? Simple is simply a term Jay Nomád can not relate to.
As somebody who is constantly evolving and exceeding expectations, Jay Nomád is on a whole other level! We’re so excited to see what’s about to come from him in 2020!
Listen to Jay Nomád's music here
Welcome to BuzzMusic Jay Nomad! Knowing you produce and create your original music, which aspect do you find to be more challenging? Production or songwriting and why?
Thank you. I appreciate your support. Regarding the challenging aspects of creating original music, it really depends on what part of the production we’re talking about. I’m comfortable with every part of the process but I find post-production (mixing and mastering) a bit challenging. Songwriting, however, comes so naturally. Whether I’m on the train or sitting at work, I’m always cooking up melodies and beats in my head. Once I get home, I sit down in the studio and record them, so that works well.
Let’s talk about your amazing music this year! Between all 5 releases, which would you say best represent who you are as an artist and why is that?
It’s hard to pick since each new release is an improvement production-wise from the previous one. Or at least for me, I feel I learn more from each song I release. For some reason, though I find “Gone”, my second release, to be the best representation of Jay Nomad. It’s melodic, it has simple lyrics and a nostalgic vibe. That’s what I usually like to write about, although some of my next releases will probably have a different sound as I continue expanding my influences.
What specific arrangements were you going for in the song “Hanabi”?
That was my debut song and it starts out with a Japanese Koto and a story about two lovers meeting in Shibuya. Initially, I wanted Jay Nomad to blend Japanese traditional instruments with Pop Music as a way of reconnecting with a part of my background (Japanese Grandfather). Eventually, though I realized my project could reach audiences in Asia by using more Latin influences in my music which is something you can notice in “Wanna Be Mine” where I sing in Spanish in the bridge. It’s now resulted in something more authentic and I feel my future releases will have more of that influence, so I guess “Hanabi” was just me testing the waters in the beginning.
Considering the fact that each release pulls from some inspiration for you musically, mind sharing to us a few of your influences? Who specifically inspired the style for the single “Wanna be mine”?
Some artists might hate me for what I’m about to say but over the course of exploring so many genres throughout the years, I’m really drawn to mainstream music in general. There’s a lot of work done in producing hits and they usually involve some of the best producer-songwriters. I like Jon Bellion, Ed Sheeran, Post Malone, Gryffin, Skrillex when it comes to newer artists. Older influences are Queen, Michael Jackson, Dr. Dre, the list goes on.
“Wanna Be Mine” was originally going to be a more trap-pop song if we can call it that. My influences were Juice WRLD, Post Malone, and an Italian artist called Sfera Ebbasta. My producer Juanda Morales, however, insisted we go towards a more pop sound and eventually added his influences which I think were Charlie Puth, especially in the Chorus. I wanted the bridge to be in Spanish since my new purpose was to give Jay Nomad a bit of a Latin sound in some songs. I drew some inspiration therefrom J Balvin. My mother’s Colombian and I lived there several years so I was also influenced by his music, especially his most recent work.
What has been the most monumental single you’ve released so far and why?
I would say “Gone”. If I could show you the stems from that production, you’d notice all the work Juanda and I put into it. Aside from all the guitars he recorded for the song, I layered a bunch of vocal tracks especially in the bridge where I wanted it to sound like a gospel choir. I added a church organ in the chorus along with synth pads. Juanda did an amazing job with the beats and percussion. Every section of the song has a unique percussion in the background.
I wanted the lyrics to be simple. The purpose was just to tell a story any artist could relate to. That’s why I think in terms of production, “Gone” has been the one we’ve worked on the most.
Any exciting plans for the upcoming new year? What can we expect from Jay Nomad?
I’ve got 3 singles coming up for the first half of 2020 as well as plenty of music videos. I’m also teaming up with an event organizer to play more shows in the city. I’m now looking to expand and find opportunities to play live not only in NYC but also in some other major cities. So 2020 will be more about reaching audiences upfront and in-person compared to 2019 where I reached people mainly online. I’m excited because just starting off I’ve gotten quite a good number of followers and people streaming my music. I also want to collaborate with singers with this new production I’m working on. So anybody interested is free to reach out on my website: www.jaynomad.com