Jay Sean: American Boy
By Thu Oct 8, 2009 3:07pm PDT 361 Comments
Jay Sean did it. His US debut single "Down" just reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
For weeks, Jay Sean patiently waited for the Black Eyed Peas
to give up the coveted position. They have been holding the No. 1 spot for 26
weeks. But when their song "I Gotta Feeling" dropped to the No. 4 slot this
week, Jay Sean was waiting in the wings.
In just 14 weeks, the British pop-R&B singer-songwriter of Sikh Punjabi descent has topped the charts, making him the first solo male artist from South Asia to claim this honor.
"It's like a dream to have a song and you know you've written those words, you came up with that melody and go, ‘Here America, what do you think?' and everyone goes, 'Yo, we love this'," Jay Sean said via phone. "You're getting No. 1 most added, No. 1 in requests. Shows in the country...That's crazy."
Jay Sean is not new to fame. He scored a top 20 hit in the UK with his first song "Dance With You (Nachna Tere Naal)" from his 2004 Virgin Records debut album "Me Against Myself." He released his sophomore set, "My Own Way," independently in 2008. Both albums earned him a total of 10 honors from the UK Asian Music Awards, Channel U Best of British Awards, UK BMI Awards, and MTV Russia Music Awards.
Jay Sean's seemingly instant American success is even more substantial because he is signed to a hip-hop label, Cash Money Records. Cash Money made a name for itself in the late ‘90s on the heels of artists including Juvenile, the Hot Boys, and the then teen sensation Lil' Wayne. While these artists found tremendous success in the pop market, it was because their music crossed over--not because they fit the traditional pop artist mold.
Cash Money had its first non-rap hit last year with Kevin Rudolph 's "Let It Rock." Jay Sean was signed to the label before Kevin's song blew up. Jay Sean admits he was surprised when he found out that Cash Money was interested in signing him.
"I got a phone call from my U.S. rep," Jay Sean explained, "and he said, ‘Listen, you know Cash Money? They kinda wanna sign you. They've been checking your stuff out, all your videos, and songs, and really like your album. I got the CEO on the line."
Within seconds, Jay Sean was speaking to Cash Money head Ronald "Slim" Williams. Jay Sean thought joining the Cash Money family might be perceived as odd by some, but he believes that is also the reason why the teaming has been so successful.
Slim's main selling point was offering Jay Sean creative control. "[Slim] said, ‘Dog, I don't want you to change anything. Do you," Jay Sean recalled.
Jay Sean already had a clear vision for his Cash Money
debut. Though he grew up in the UK,
his music tastes were heavily influenced by American R&B artists. As a
preteen, he was drawn to music from the New Jack Swing era and idolized groups
like Jodeci, Boyz II Men, and Blackstreet.
"When I was 10, and 12 years old, I would listen to Jodeci do runs and copy the way they sang," Jay Sean said. "It was the same for Boys II Men. All these kinds of styles. This is why you see a lot of people in the Philippines. They don't have it so much, so they emulate it and copy it."
If Jay Sean had to compare his Cash Money debut "All Or Nothing," due out in November, to any American pop star, he'd pick Ne-Yo.
"This is a very eclectic, diverse album," Jay Sean said. "The whole album is not like ‘Down.' Every track is not some uptempo, nice little sing-a-long like chorus. There are slow jams, old New Jack Swing, like Donell Jones, Jodeci, Musiq Soulchild. It is very Ne-Yo-esque, in terms of the diversity he brings."
It sounds like Jay Sean has more hit songs in the vault. If the Black Eyed Peas continue to hold "Down" out of the No. 1 chart position, maybe he will get it with a subsequent single.
