What started out as a plain hobby is rapidly turning into a full-fledged producing and DJ career as 23-year-old producer extraordinaire JayK stakes his claim in the music industry churning hit-after-hit and keeping the dance floors packed with his astounding track selection and technically matured production.
“My songs focus on storytelling. I want to speak to people. I’m telling all stories – from love to heartbreak and stories about life. There’s always going to be a love story and it’s just about how you come with it and how you’re going to make people dance and sing along to your jams,” he said.
Striking a perfect balance between house music and hip-hop, the multi-talented producer, DJ and songwriter attributes his love for music to the relationship he has with his brother and a late friend who supported his efforts at taking on the music industry.
“My first real encounter with music was with my brother’s MP3 player. I started with hip-hop but later on I started listening to house music. I started liking house music a lot because house music had the power to really make everyone dance,” JayK said.
A chance encounter with legendary musician Speedy, propelled the young producer to greater heights. However, it wasn’t until 2018 that JayK started gaining traction following the release of his debut single, Phindela Kuwe. The single peaked at 17 on Apple Music’s house and dance music chart.
JayK followed up his 2018 chart-topper with 2019’s Futhi, iNdima Yami and Beng’dakiwe. Singles that received much-deserved rotation and tell different stories. Attributing the success of the singles to the allure of house music and its serenading vocals, JayK said he aims to tell stories through his music.
“As much as we want to drink our sorrows away with music, at some point we need to reach a point where the same music can still touch people. When the music is able to have an impact on people’s lives then you know you’re doing something good, and that’s the reason I love producing any day,” JayK said.
Citing the likes of Prince Kaybee, Heavy K, and Bette Midler as musical influences, the resident Voice of Wits DJ garnered a strong following through his weekly Saturday mixes on the campus-based station and is ready to take on the music world with his love-infused Afro-house jams.
“The reason I started deejaying was to put my songs out there. “I wanted peopled to hear my songs. Through my deejaying and mixes I’m trying to push myself as a brand.”
