JAIE
“Unique” hardly scratches the surface as a word that best describes up-and-coming R&B artist JAIE. After amassing a large following over the last few years, Malaysian-raised and New York-based artist has truly found her sound, drawing on the classic elements of indie and bedroom pop. As of this July, she has over 138K monthly listeners on Spotify. Songs like “better days” and “discohaze” have earned millions of streams across multiple platforms, cementing her as a name to watch in the music industry. The artist also has had impressive collaborations with NYK on “Daylight” and Mishegas on “We Could Be”. As Red Bull Music puts it, JAIE is “the one to watch right now.”-- and the praise is well-deserved. We recently spoke with her about her growth as an artist, her beginnings as a musician, and more!
How did you start making music?
Growing up, I played the classical guitar and cello. I started writing songs during high school in an attempt to break out of the traditional approach of classical music. I think the constraints of not having a physical band led me to tinker around on GarageBand and essentially function as my own band members. Eventually, I started producing, writing, and recording my own stuff and sharing it with my friends on Soundcloud, which was where I first gained the confidence to take music more seriously.
You’ve had quite an impressive breakthrough, with your song “Better Days” grossing close to 2 million views on Spotify. What’s in store for you?
Thank you, we just hit 2 mil! It’s a huge milestone and it’s definitely hard to wrap my head around those numbers sometimes. This year, I’ve got my second EP Gin Eyes following my two recent singles “Shot In The Dark” and”‘Scent”. I’m currently finishing the tracks up, they’re a mixture of groovier bops with my usual chill Pop/R&B sound.
What have you learned from your work as a musician?
As a musician early in my career, it’s hard to be taken seriously in Asian culture. But exploring this creative path outside of my safer, more accepted engineering life has helped me realize what I’m capable of and the range of possibilities that lie further down the line. Seeing my music on Spotify receive so much support as well as getting heartfelt messages about how people connect to the music is quite a special and moving experience. I think my work has helped me see the impact and power music can have on an individual level. I also think that the process of making music really brings me back into the present moment, which is something we lack these days.
You recently collaborated with lost spaces on “discohaze,” another success. Who would be your partner in the collab of your dreams?
I’d love to collab with artists from different genres and cultures. I love how Rosalia brought traditional flamenco styles into modern day Reggaeton and Hip-Hop and I want to see/hear more cross-cultural fusion in mainstream music and performance arts.
If you could only perform one of your songs for the rest of time, which one would you choose and why?
This is such a hard question because I get bored of my own songs easily. If I had to pick one, it would be “better days” since the message is so universal and it always seems to bring the energy of the room to a more empathetic place. I’d like to think that the song I’d want to perform over and over again is a piece I’ve yet to write though.
Who do you owe your biggest thanks to?
I owe my biggest thanks to my mom and dad. They gave me the opportunity and the means to pursue my passion. They’ve also shaped a major part of my musical influence. I come from a family of music-lovers and one of my most distinct childhood memories is listening to albums on repeat during the long car rides we’d take when visiting relatives. (Plus, my mom straight up forced me to try out guitar lessons when I was just a stubborn kid who insisted on learning by myself through YouTube tutorials... lol thanks mom!)
