Photo courtesy of Louis Colato
Justin Jay can do it all! The LA-based songwriter and producer is barely out of college–he graduated from USC in 2015–but he’s been making serious waves in the house scene for years, and he just wrapped up Part 1 of his national “Everything Will Come Together” tour.
25-year-old Jay already has three albums, an active label (Fantastic Voyage) and a strong club presence under his belt, but he’s still growing. This year sees Jay releasing his fourth album, along with working on his songwriting chops and adding live instrumentation from himself and others to his tracks (such as this one).
If this is your first time hearing Jay’s music, you may think that he’s been singing and writing his own songs forever. That’s not the case. Within the past few years, Jay completely upended his world, taking a step back from the house tunes that made him famous, leaving his current manager, and moving back in with his parents to focus on giving this new sound a try. And after hearing the chill vibes of “like that,” I’d say his efforts were a huge success. His older house tracks are still great, but I’m a big fan of the calmer, summer-ready sounds of this one.
“like that” is so much more than a simple, beachy track, though. It begins with Jay’s vocals backed solely by
I’m also very into the video, which centers on Jay but features his fellow performers a fair bit (all in a Brady Bunch opening credits-esque setup), something that you don’t always see with DJ/producer-led songs. I love that he’s giving credit where credit’s due, while still showcasing his own talents. It also seems just as chill as the song itself, like Jay and his friends were just hanging out and decided to make a music video.
This effortlessly laid-back vibe is in perfect keeping with Jay’s current tour schedule, which just hit Miami Music Week, and will soon be making an appearance at weekend two of Do LaB Coachella (and also includes a Hawaii stop). I can’t think of a more perfect artist to be playing in the desert and by the ocean/on an island.
Needless to say, I’ll be blasting this one for the next few months; I’m super excited to hear more from Justin Jay and to see how his music continues to grow in the future. Check out “like that” for yourself:
Want to learn more about Justin? Check out our 2018 interview with him here.
Keep up with tour dates and new music: