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Exclusive Interview with Ay-Jay

AyJay_londonGirl
 
SimplyBhangra.com's Jusi Sahota caught up with vocalist AyJay, discussing his debut single "London Girl", Urban Asian music, future collaborations and more. 
 
 

Hello Ayjay! Welcome to SimplyBhangra.com! Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi guys, I'm a young artist, born and raised in the UK. I'm a Singer, Songwriter, Music Producer & Intrumentalist.

You have just released your debut single entitled: "London Girl" - tell us how this project came about and your thought process going into this project.

I was listening to a song with the same sort of concept, which inspired me to write a hook which sounded catchy. I sent the idea to my good friend Jagga Nikuwal who then wrote all the verses for the song.

I thought this would be a good first song to come into the industry with, as it's different but still has that current sound and is quite catchy.


In the year 2015, you released three separate singles with you vocalling each project. This was in the form of "Charkha", "Gallan" and "Ek Tara", which were all produced by yourself as well! How did you get into music production and singing and what was it like for you to get such a warm reception for each of those singles?


I began making music when I got my first bit of software which was FL Loops, this was when I was around the age of 13. Over the years I have been improving my knowledge of music; and am still learning so much now. Software that I'm now using now is Logic Pro X.

The reception has been surreal at times! I've had so many kind messages from people saying how much they are loving my music, it's crazy!

You have enlisted vocalists Hans Raj Hans, Lakhwinder Wadali and Diljit Dosanjh as your main inspirations. What is it about those specific vocalists that inspire you?

What inspires me most about all the vocalists above, are that they are so versatile. They can sing in so many different styles which i want to also try and implement.

As a music producer, are there any music producers and composers that inspire you?

Yes, I'm inspired by so many different artists. This includes artists like Dr Zeus, Rishi Rich, Prophec, RDB, Illegal Demo, Manni Sandhu and Sangra Vibes. I am also inspired by a lot of current mainstream artists such as Drake, The Weekend, Coldplay, Kanye West and many more.

For each project you have released so far, you have stepped away from the typical desi and traditional route into the industry, but instead gone for a more urban sound. Is there a reason as to why you have done this?


I believe the Urban Sound compliments my style of singing. Also I listen to alot of current Hip-Hop and R&B music which influences my sound quite heavily. I think the typical desi sound has become abit repetitive so I wanted to stay away from that for now.

Even though all of your projects are massively focused on an Urban sound, do you intend to release a desi track anytime soon?

In the future I would like to showcase some desi music as a producer, but if I was to sing on desi track, it would have to be in a way that would suit my vocal.

Urban-Asian music has been massively popular with artists such as Mickey Singh, Amar Sandhu, Pranna, Kay V Singh exploring the same route as you and having huge success doing so. What is it about Urban-Asian music that you think people find attractive?

I think being raised outside of India we have been bought up in a different culture where we listen to many different styles of music. When I was growing up, my uncle would be playing us tracks by artists like Shabba Ranks, 2 Pac, Dr Dre, Maxi Priest, Etc. I think this is why Urban Asian music appeals to so many younger fans nowadays, including myself because it gives us a chance to fuse all those different styles together.

For a new vocalist, with no backing from a label - was it hard to break into the industry?

It is very hard in this industry for a new vocalist, as there is a lot of competition. However, I think if you have something different to offer the industry and your music is good, people will begin to appreciate that.

What advice would you give to an aspiring musician, producer or singer wanting to break into the music industry?

My advice would be to stay creative and think of different ways to stand out. If your music is good people will appreciate it.

Young music producer Binnie Marwa did a fantastic remix to your track "Charkha", is this someone we can see you collaborate with in the future?


He is a very talented young producer who is making good music. There maybe a collaboration in the future!

Are there any music producers or vocalists you would like to collaborate with in the future?

A producer I would love to work with one day would be Dr Zeus, as I'm a big fan of his music! Prophec is another artist I would like to collaborate with in the future.

What projects can we expect from you in the future?

I'm working on my E.P which will have 4, 5 tracks on there. Although singles are great, there are not enough new artists in the UK putting enough tracks out. Hopefully this will give the fans a real insight to what I'm about.

Finally - is there anything you would like to say to the readers of SimplyBhangra.com?

A massive thanks for supporting me and my music, carry on showing your support as it's only with your support I can carry on doing what I love and that's making music.

Also thanks to SimplyBhangra.com for your continued support!

Charkha Remix https://soundcloud.com/binniemarwa/charkha-ayjay-singh-ft-binnie-marwa-free-download
London Girl Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddQQbMFim1U
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ay-Jay-1033455893352509/?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AyJayArtist