There is a bright future for new artist JAY FRE$CO. His style is unique yet trendy, and he knows exactly what his listeners are craving to hear. He uses his natural gift in music to sing and produce an effortless blend of new wave RnB, Dancehall, and Pop. JAY launched his career in 2017 by curating rap and trap music like the vast majority of artists in Maryland, but when he started to venture out into other genres, he discovered that his true passion lies among singing. His sound is quite diverse from most artists in his area, allowing him to stand out and make a name for himself.
JAY FRE$CO records all of his tracks in Baltimore, Maryland at Wright Way Studios. His latest release this year is titled “Sunset Views” and we are obsessed! “Sunset Views” is exciting and upbeat, and with JAY’s serene voice you are surely to be blown away. His style is original and creative, yet the song is incredibly catchy. We can’t stop hitting repeat! The song gives off the perfect beach party vibes that make this the perfect track to bump to this summer. It’s a feel-good, cheery song that will put you into the right mindset. JAY FRE$CO is exactly what the industry needs, a raw, hungry, talented artist who knows how to make a great tune. Keep updated with JAY FRE$CO so you don’t miss a single hit!
Listen to Sunset Views here and get to know more about JAY FRE$CO below!
Hey JAY! How did you discover your passion for music and creating it?
I’ve loved music my whole life. I actually think I discovered my passion for music at a young age. My parents used to be in the fitness industry and they ran a gym down in Texas. Apparently, I used to turn the volume up on the music all the way in the gym when I was like three to dance to Gettin’ Jiggy With It by Will Smith haha. So, my affinity with music started at a really young age. The first album I ever listened to with a conscious understanding of music was Speakerboxxx/The Love Below double album by Outkast when I was nine years old. I was just mesmerized by how melodic Andre 3000 was but also super impressed with his lyrical ability. Big Boi was also such just a G. That cut he had with Sleepy Brown (The Way You Move) was so addicting, I remember listening to it non-stop haha.
Discovering my passion for creating music was a bit out of the norm. I used to freestyle a lot in middle school and high school. Me and my friends would have rap battles either in person or over Xbox Live. I was always super witty and I think that’s what helped me win a lot of those haha. I also used to make beats religiously on my ASUS laptop with FL Studio. I had vivid dreams of becoming a producer when I was young. I really wanted to be like Timbaland or Scott Storch but my beats were just never up to par so I kinda fell back from it. Ultimately, I did not really commit to becoming a recording artist until after I graduated from undergrad at the University of Maryland in 2016. My friend Deenyo (who is a rising rapper out of Baltimore, MD) and the rest of my boys pushed me to make music. They knew how talented I was as a freestyler and saw I had a passion for music creation. Making the move to a recording studio to lay vocals was the first big step in taking my passion for music from a hobbyist level to true practitioner level.
I credit my friend Mo a lot with my development because he used to drive me to my first few sessions. Hes my ride or die guy. We bounced in and out of crappy studios (from the burbs to the trap) for a minute until I got to Wright Way Studios in downtown Baltimore. Once I started recording at Wright Way and saw the RIAA Gold plaques on the wall it gave me a second wind to take music seriously. The studio was super professional and felt like home. So, I then switched my artist name to JAY FRE$CO, transitioned from rapping to singing moreso, and basically, that’s how my passion for creating music as a recording artist was developed. I have been recording under the FRE$CO moniker since late 2017 and that is also the year I truly discovered my passion for making music.
What vision did you have for your hit “Sunset Views”? Did it turn out how you originally envisioned it?
Sunset Views was initially a throwaway track! I had wanted to make a couple dancehall songs for the summer a few months ago. I laid some vocals down over a few different dancehall beats at Wright Way with my engineer Mario. I then sent the rough mix of Sunset to my brother Chen. Chen is the only person I trust to listen to my demos and give me honest opinions. If he doesn’t approve the song, I won’t release it. He has a really good ear. He initially said he didn’t rock with Sunset Views. I then decided to totally re-work the first verse of the song. After laying the new vocals down and getting it mixed and mastered he absolutely loved the song and the general reception of the song has been extremely positive. So in the end, it did turn out how I wanted it. My vision for the song was for it to be a melodic summer anthem with a catchy hook and that’s exactly what the song is.
What vibe do you want your listeners to get from “Sunset Views”?
I want them to get a fun summer vibe from it. It’s a really warm dancehall/pop song with afrobeat undertones. It has a dance on the beach type vibe, and it also has a warm summer night on the freeway hair blowing out the window carefree vibe. I want people to take what they want away from the record but ultimately the song is designed to put you in a blissful and warm mood.
Who would you consider to be your biggest musical influences?
Tory Lanez is a big influence. He has crazy vocal range. The thing people don’t know is he can actually sing. Many of the notes he hits on his records, he can hit without verb or autotune. NAV is also a huge influence on my sound. Bryson Tiller is another one. Drake obviously. Ramriddlz for sure. PND also has influenced my sound a bit.
Can we expect more music from you in 2019?
For sure! I have another song dropping June 21st titled “Back to You” featuring my brother Deenyo. The record was mastered by Ali Gatie’s engineer Shumxi. So be on the lookout for that. I also just did a feature for Deenyo on a record titled “Time Travel” that should be dropping this summer. There’s also a few dope artists I plan to work with in both the States and Canada so you can expect some more collabs in the near future as well!
Connect with JAY FRE$CO on social media
www.instagram.com/fresco
www.twitter.com/jayfresco