RESPECT. Interview: Daye Jack on New Album "Soul Glitch", Atlanta & His Fears

A day after his listening party, Daye Jack and I sat on the ninth floor in the building where Warner Music Group is situated to converse about “Soul Glitch”, his musical influences, new music videos and more. During our light discourse, the nineteen-year-old Nigerian-born, Atlanta-bred talent taught me how to pronounce his name, shared what helps a mellow, creative guy like him “turn up”, and the intricate process of creating his sophomore album. He didn’t disclose which Nigerian tribe he’s from but the New York University student did share that he’s from Rivers State, and that he’d just like for his fans to take away what they may from his music.

To date, he’s released three well-crafted singles (“Save My Soul”, “Trapped In Love”, and “Easy”) and his album “Soul Glitch” is now available everywhere. Read along and learn more about Warner Music’s new buzzing entity, and get insight on just how far he’s come since releasing “Hello World”, which he uploaded on the Berlin-based online audio distribution platform last year.

How was yesterday?
It was great. Played “Soul Glitch” for people. It was exciting. It was the first time that I kind of played it for the public, or whatever. It was just cool.

Were people feeling it?
Yeah, a lot of people were digging it. It’s coming out on Monday so that’ll be tight as well but yeah, a lot people was feeling it. For me, it’s just a relief to finally get something out that I’ve been working on.

So, the name Daye Jack — [Pronounced “Day Jack”]

Daye Jack. [Pronounced correctly.]

Daye?

Yeah.

Oh, interesting. Daye Jack. Okay, got that. Is that your first name?

Yeah, that’s my first name and my last name is Jack.

I wasn’t sure. Okay, so that’s amazing. Where are you originally come from?

I grew up in Atlanta but I was born in Nigeria.

Oh, nice, Yoruba or Igbo?

Hm?

Yoruba?

No.

Which tribe are you from?

[Thinks] Rivers State.

Like, but what tribe? Do you know what tribe you are?

[Thinks]

It was the oddest thing I’d experience in a while, especially that week so I decided to keep the flow of the interview going by implementing a little about me.

I ask because I’m Liberian, and my mom married a man from Benin, near Nigeria. Well, you grew up in Atlanta and your parents are from Nigeria.

And I was born there.

Oh, you were born there? In Nigeria?

Like, the first six years there and then, I moved to Atlanta, and that’s where I grew up.

Do you think that you pull in any influences, sonically, from your Nigerian culture at all?

[Thinks] My dad was into Reggae when I was growing up so I kind of heard that but I don’t really pull from that. A lot of stuff that I pull from sonically, especially on “Soul Glitch” is completely from living out of New York for a minute, and being in the harsh, angst New York environment and then, just sort of getting into more Electronic things because I was out here, you know? And just like being into more things that are dirty because New York is kind of that. It’s kind of like that, pushing forward, angst feeling.

This project — who influenced it, who are some of the people that are featured on it. Are there any producers in particular that you enjoyed working with more? Were you in-studio with these people when you were making this music or was it strictly emails? How was it, the process?

I wrote a lot of it in New York. I recorded it in Atlanta. A lot of people I worked on it with, I met via the Internet and it was just kind of like pulling things and people, and hitting people up and also, people sending me things. Like, I just had a sound in mind and for me, it was just like, finding people who catch that sound, and work with them. I did some stuff out in California. I worked with some producers out there. I worked with a lot of different people. They were all kind of just catching the sound and bringing it all together.

So, they didn’t necessarily craft a beat for you in-studio with you or did they make something according to the sound?

A lot of it was me finding — When I wrote “Soul Glitch”, it was all me. I wasn’t able to like “I wanna work with this person and go in with them and pull that out. I was kind of just on my own, very –with a sound in mind and it was just me trying to find people and trying to hit up different people. I couldn’t just walk into any studio that I wanted to. Now, you know, I’m starting to really pull, you know? Really push things where I want them to go, in that sense, of getting in with any producer or whatever but for that… I’m really stoked that’s how I made “Soul Glitch”. Very minimal, very trying-to-link-with-people-via-the-Internet. Gems. Finding underground and unknown, producer type things and bringing that into my world, making something very special with that. Just trying to do it with a bunch of different producers. A lot of producers on “Soul Glitch” are actually European, and for me, it was synth-heavy, a dirty electronic sound. You know, there are a lot of dudes out here as well that worked on it.

Are you shooting any new music videos?

Yes, more videos coming for “Soul Glitch”. I’m working on a video right now for… I just put out the “Easy” video the other day that I’m really excited about. I’m working on more visuals for it. Yeah.

Atlanta — specifically — do you enjoy what’s coming out of Atlanta currently?

It’s super exciting right now. When I was living out there, I was young. I never really got into the scene. But when I moved out, looking in, I just saw how special Atlanta is. There’s some really dope things happening there. Makonnen is tight, just a good feeling. Raury is doing his thing.

Raury and Makonnen are amazing. I like the diversity that’s in Atlanta, and it seems to be a camaraderie that happens in Atlanta that I don’t necessarily see elsewhere, so I think that that’s great. Especially for that region.

Yeah, I mean. For me, personally, I think Atlanta is one of those places. I didn’t grow up inside of the city. I grew up in Metro Atlanta but it’s the type of place that has a lot of soul and a lot of different feelings. I do what I do but I love hearing the different things that come out of Atlanta. Inspired by the same things but sound completely different, you know?

What excites you most about music? Whether you’re making it or it’s something else that you hear, what do you think excites you most?

Excites me most?

Yeah.

[Thinks] I’m most excited when I catch a feeling. When I make a song and listen back, and I can really feel it. For me, it’s all emotion and that’s what drives — that’s what I can connect to when I listen to something and that’s all I try to push into the music so whenever I listen to something that I made, that I feel, that’s what excites me.

How’s your home at Warner? Are you satisfied with the position that you’re in right now, for so many ears to hear your music, you form of expression? Is it all that you’ve dreamed of?

Yeah, I’m extremely excited. For me, it’s adding a lot of people to the team. Adding more fuel to the fire. Still making my music but getting to a point where more people will be able to hear it. I’m really excited about it. Yeah.

Any fears when it comes to being successful?

Fears? [Thinks] You hear in the song “Save My Soul”, which I put out a week ago, the sort of fear of being extremely passionate and because of that, being disconnected from friends and family, and almost creating your own loneliness because you want to be passionate and you want to create. That’s something I kind of battle with sometimes, and I touch on it. That’s like the only fear I have when it comes to making music.

Yeah, I feel the same way.

But it’s not really a fear though. It’s more of just a reality thing — whenever you’re in that zone and you’re creating something. Especially when it’s special, you lose yourself and in turn, you lose other people as well.

Totally, totally. Who are some of your favourite artists to listen to?

[Thinks]

Like, what does Daye turn up to?

I’ll turn up to Future. I think, yeah, that stuff is heavy.

[Laughing]

Yeah, Future is very talented. I love Future. “Commas” is amazing.

Photos: Nico Marks