Jay Miners is a singer, songwriter and composer with indie/folk/pop sounds. Born and raised in New York, she grew up playing classical piano and has written wide range of songs, including pop melodies and lyrics, instrumentals, and jazz pieces. Jay Miners released her EP titled “The Art We Make”, the beautiful chord progressions and atmospheric placements is the perfect ingredient for the extravagant EP.
The first song released on The EP is titled “The Art We Make” , and I hypothesize that this is the opening and leading song of the project, defining what this album will consist of! Or giving a sneak peek rather. What stunned me the most about “The Art We Make” is her otherworldly vocal resonance. A sound so riveting it delivers chills up my spines. The augmented vocals goes up and down in dynamics, showing off her soft and more subtle side to singing. While sticking to her classical piano roots and adding a trendy twist to the song, “The Art We Make” serves as the perfect introduction to an overwhelming sensation of gorgeous sounds.
The next track on this EP, “Favorite Dress” really brings her delicate vocal style to light the most. The folk sounding single projects warmth and comfortability to us while we are faced with the ability to feel relaxed listening to her ear-piercing voice. The incorporation of the violin and other orchestral instruments while still fusing along that folk home sound really characterize the record. Next to play, “With Our Hands” was one of my personal favorites due to the addicting tune. Her solid and hollow voice carries the tune from beginning to end and gives moments of vulnerability yet embracing the power she is equipped with. A beautiful tune that has an underlying message available for us to decode.
Next, “Strawberry Mountain” was another personal favorite of ours because it had a slight difference than the other songs. It does stick to her artistry however this one felt the most atmospheric and allowed me to mentally escape within the music completely captivated by Jay Miners. It was a little more detailed and intricate compared to the other releases and we would definitely release a visual to this!
However, our all time favorite from this entire EP would be the closing song, “Dog Walker”. The slight bluesy sound with broadway elements showcased her cute sass with instruments such as the harmonica, The piano, the guitar, and drums all becoming fused together to fabricate a hit record while you can hear a slight twang in the high-pitched voice of Jay Miners makes the single Pop. “The Art We Make” was a fun, charismatic but settled way for Jay miners to really come out the woodworks of music the right way.
Listen to "The Art We Make" here, and learn more about Jay Miners in our interview below!
Hi Jay, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Sure! I'm Jay Miners, and I'm a songwriter singing her own songs, which are usually hopeful and only sometimes sad. I grew up playing classical piano but really fell in love with writing songs when I was a teenager. Right now, I'm gearing up for my EP release show at The Bitter End on Monday, 2/18! I'm really excited for this one because it won't just be me alone up on stage -- I'll be with a bunch of talented musicians playing these new songs with cool live arrangements.
How was it growing up in the big city of New York?
I was born in Queens and lived there for the first few years of my life, but the majority of my childhood was spent in the suburbs of Long Island about 40 minutes away from the city. Now I'm back living in Queens. In that regard, I had a much different experience than a native NYC-er, but we visited Flushing and Chinatown a lot (where family + good Asian food lived) and I always looked forward to those trips. I was honestly a really quiet kid, always writing in my notebook and not really going out too much and dreaming I lived in a big, daunting city. Then I did, and now I'm still writing in my notebook and dreaming.
When did you discover your talent for music and songwriting?
I grew up playing classical piano, and I'm thankful for that foundation (thanks mom + dad for the lessons). I had a good ear and was always trying to figure out how to play songs I liked, and I'd hide in a secret corner and try to sing them. What got me into writing songs was listening to really great songwriters, like Joni Mitchell and Fleetwood Mac and Vienna Teng, and wanting to be able to write like them. I think once I started to share my own songs, around the time I was in college, was when I was like, "hey, maybe this could actually be a career of mine."
Do you remember the first song you’ve ever written?
I do, super vaguely. It's probably in a notebook somewhere at my parents' house. I have the melody in my head, and it was in the key of C. I probably wrote it when I was around 13, and I'm 95% sure it was an existentially inquisitive song about a boy.
Knowing your past release “This Is How You Fight” was a work of songs reflecting observations and fading friendships, does “The Art We Make” have any specific message behind the EP?
Definitely. This one's heavily inspired by my own creative process: the ups and downs of making something, what inspires me, treating music like a 9-5 job and establishing productivity with my work. "Strawberry Mountain" journeys through this path to your dream, wherever and whatever that might be. "Dog Walker" is inspired by the fortress of indie musicians I've met since I started my career. This album encompasses this past year, which has allowed me to spend that kind of precious time with music -- I'm really grateful for that, even if a big chunk of it was feeling frustrated and lost.
Which has been the challenging part of your career so far?
My career so far, and this past year especially, has given a lot of creative projects and new learning experiences. Something that has been challenging (and I imagine will always be challenging in this ever-evolving world that is the music industry) is keeping up with technology and the way folks discover music, and promoting/marketing yourself based on all that. I'll admit I've thrown my phone across the room because Instagram frustrates me and have gotten bogged down about Spotify streams. But what helps me stay grounded is reminding myself the kind of connections that have made me like I was meant to write and play music. Like performing for a crowd and hearing them sing the "oohs" to "Sunlight In Your Eyes." Or working with really awesome creative people to brainstorm a way my song can come across visually. It's easy to get stuck staring at numbers and likes, but I've been learning to avoid that by looking straight ahead and focusing on the parts of doing music that bring me most joy.
Any personal favorite releases off “The Art We Make” ? if so which and why!
I think there are strengths to each of these songs. I'm really proud of the production behind Something Alive, and this beautiful and exciting orchestral arrangement my producer Jerry Jean composed for it. Strawberry Mountain means a lot to me personally, because it's closely tied to my relationship with my partner and my own music. With Our Hands has always been my favorite lyrically. So I guess the short answer to this question is not really -- they each hold something special to me.
Connect with Jay Miners: