Xavier Jay - 6 am to 6 pm

Embark on a musical voyage with Cornwall's indie sensation, Xavier Jay. His thoughtful strums and lyrical honesty paint a portrait of youth and yearning in his thematic album "Is It Just a Thought?". Our insightful episode journeys through Xavier Jay's formative years, where music festivals and melodic parents struck the chords of his artistry. He unpacks the tapestry of jazz, alternative rock, and folk that defines his sound, inviting us into the intimate space of growth and the echoes of unrequited love that resonate within. As a multi-instrumentalist and a visual artist, Xavier Jay elucidates his process of forging auditory and visual storytelling while poised on the precipice of university life and new beginnings.

In the realm of indie music, we confront the enigma of artificial intelligence and its dual role as a muse and a maze for creatives like Xavier Jay. The discussion untangles the threads of AI in music production, the Extended Project Qualification focusing on AI-generated music, and the eclectic strategies indie artists employ for visibility in the digital landscape. Xavier Jay and I engage in a passionate dialogue about the significance of radio play, the intricacies of self-producing, and the evolving canvas that indie artists master with each note. Through our exchange, we celebrate curiosity and the unyielding pursuit of refinement, underpinning the narrative with our shared zeal for music and the boundless genres that shape our artistic identities.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hi and welcome to the R2RB Indie Artist Podcast Series. Today I have Xavier J from the UK with me. And Xavier J, thank you so much for joining me. How are you?

Speaker 2: 0:11

Good, thank you. Thank you for having me on.

Speaker 1: 0:13

Oh, you're welcome. What part of the UK are you from? I'm from Cornwall in England, which is like the southwest part Okay, and we were talking about the weather before we got started. You have the wind and not so nice weather, and I have lots of pouring rain coming down here in the states yeah right, all right. So I'd like to ask two questions to get us warmed up. Um, if you could have any superpower, which one would you have?

Speaker 2: 0:42

um, I think I would like to be able to freeze time. Um, yeah I think it'd be good to kind of have like be able to freeze time to do like the boring admin sort of stuff. So then, when I can unfreeze time, be able to like enjoy myself oh, I like that.

Speaker 1: 1:02

I like that perspective. I'm gonna have to think about that one myself. What's your favorite app on your phone and why?

Speaker 2: 1:09

um, I think I'd have to say youtube. Um, just because of the sheer range of stuff there is on there, because like I've used it for like learning music theory, but also for kind of comedy, but also learning like science stuff, it's just there's just a lot on there so there is a lot on there.

Speaker 1: 1:29

You're right, and and I I do the same thing too. Um so, who is xavier jay?

Speaker 2: 1:35

I'm 17, from the uk. Um, I'm a bit of an introvert. I guess the main thing that you need to know about me is that I'm just very passionate about creativity and kind of like expressing myself, and a lot of that's through music, but also through like visual art as well, so that's kind of my main thing.

Speaker 1: 1:58

I guess yeah, no, absolutely. So what first got you into music?

Speaker 2: 2:03

um, well, I've kind of music's been a part of my life since I was basically a baby, because my parents are both very much musicians, very musical, and so I was kind of brought up around a good range of music and I went to a lot of music festivals. I think my first one was when I was like six months old. So it's just always been a part of my life, I think.

Speaker 1: 2:27

Oh wow, so are both your parents musicians, you said, or just in general, both musicians, okay.

Speaker 2: 2:33

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 2:34

Oh, wow.

Speaker 2: 2:35

Not by trade, but they both have music degrees. Oh wow.

Speaker 1: 2:39

Oh, that's cool. And do you play an instrument? Do you play an instrument? Do you play the guitar?

Speaker 2: 2:44

Yeah, so I play guitar and bass and a bit of keyboard as well, but yeah, I also sing, so that's kind of my main thing.

Speaker 1: 2:55

Well, here in the States it's high school. Where are you in your schooling?

Speaker 2: 3:00

So I'm in sixth form. I did do a bit of research beforehand and I looked at what it is in the US and I think at the moment I'm in the equivalent of grade 12, which is year 13 in the UK. Ok, yeah. I'm just about to finish.

Speaker 1: 3:17

Oh nice, and so will you be going off to university. Yeah yeah, I've got a place to study music, so I'm really looking forward to it, oh it, oh very cool. Is it in the UK or are you going somewhere in the UK? Yeah, oh nice. Oh my gosh, that's great. So who's inspired you to make your music?

Speaker 2: 3:34

well, I think it's. I've got a bit of a bit of a story going on there, um, because obviously I've grown up around music but I didn't, for some reason it didn't really click in my head that it could be something that I do with my life, I guess. Um, and it was. I started listening to a lot of like sort of the soul scene in the UK and I really got into this artist called Leanne La Havas and her. She plays guitar and she sings and her style of guitar playing was really new to me and that's kind of what got me into playing guitar initially and then kind of led me down that path of right. I'm going to write my own music and try and make my own kind of expression and have my own journey.

Speaker 1: 4:22

And that you've had.

Speaker 2: 4:23

Now you have six releases right yeah yeah, and so tell us about the six releases and in the inspiration for those um well, they're all songs off this album that I'm working on called is it just a thought? And they're all kind of they sit in this sort of, I guess, jazz tinged sort of vibe, but then I like to kind of experiment with incorporating other genres into that. So, um, so like 6pm, for example, has kind of there's more like alt rock elements in there yeah and then I've also got like rain, which has got a bit more of a folk influence.

Speaker 2: 5:06

So I think a lot of my works kind of centers around like jazz, harmony and like sort of I guess, soul influences as well. But then I like to experiment with other genres as well in there.

Speaker 1: 5:17

Yeah, when I first listened to you, I had to go back and listen to you and then I had to put all the pieces together and so, yeah, there's that jazzy, folksy rock, all those undertones, into your music, and I thoroughly enjoy it. So do your songs tell a story?

Speaker 2: 5:41

Yeah, so the album itself has it's kind of like a running theme of like. The theme was kind of centered around like the summer, I guess, and it's like following a day so like 6am 6pm, and there's definitely a story there with it's kind of following my experiences from like age 16 to 17, um, and a lot of it's kind of struggling with growing up, and then also there's elements of like an unrequited love in there as well. It's kind of those are like the two main themes, I guess, and it's just very it feels quite it feels quite like teenage angst in a way oh my gosh, exactly.

Speaker 1: 6:30

And yet, and you have this platform to be able to express those feelings. And you know there's there's always somebody else that has been where you are and their story's going to be different, but it's always nice for you to be able to connect with those other people yeah, definitely yeah and so what's your writing process like then? Do you write do the music, do the music right, do both um, it tends to start with a guitar line.

Speaker 2: 7:00

Um, usually I'm like I'm not ready for how, but it's kind of like starline sort happens and I kind of play around with it a bit and have some sort of structure and then at some point it will just kind of click and all these like lyrics will come out and all the emotions will suddenly be there and I'm like, oh, this is a song now, all of a sudden. But yeah, it tends to start with a guitar line and then kind of I find the meaning and the structure and the lyrics.

Speaker 1: 7:28

Along the way have you found yourself in a peculiar place, and all these thoughts are running through your head and you just have to like find a place to sit and write yeah, so it tends to be.

Speaker 2: 7:39

I don't. I think most of literally all of my songs have been written just from my bedroom, just because it's like. It's like I just kind of get home like de-stress and then it's just kind of all like pours out your sanctuary yeah, pretty much yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 7:55

And so what do you have? What are you working on now?

Speaker 2: 7:58

um, so I'm just finishing. The last kind of touches of the album is pretty much there, um, and then I've also got some other stuff on the side which I'm trying not to focus too much on because I want to get the album finished. But I've got some more electronic stuff in the pipeline, um, and then some more kind of similar sort of vibe to the album, but I don't know when that's okay, if that'll go anywhere, but it's just kind of on the long on the side cool, very cool um.

Speaker 1: 8:30

Who does the artwork?

Speaker 2: 8:32

uh, I do, um, I I always do. I've kind of been a bit of a painter and a drawer as well from a young age and it was kind of the only other thing I considered pursuing other than music, um, so yeah, 6 am and 6 pm, that was a painting I did, and then the cover for the other ones are just kind of pictures I've taken and sometimes like edited and played around with. But yeah, I do oh, awesome.

Speaker 1: 9:04

yeah, I was looking at that as well and I was wondering if it might be you who did the artwork. I like them a lot, absolutely. Thank you, welcome. Let me ask you this because this is a question I've been asking a lot of my guests about how do you feel about the music industries these days, especially how streaming has affected indie music, artists and also ai, artificial intelligence? Um, a good thing or a bad thing, or we need to learn how to incorporate it the correct way. That was a lot, no worries.

Speaker 2: 9:39

Um, I think, in terms of streaming, I think there needs to be a shift in how artists are paid, particularly, and kind of how indie artists are supported, because I mean, I've found particularly like obviously I'm not making any sort of money off of my music, but like there's just such a low pay rate and it's so hard for indie artists to get in there. I think there needs to be some sort of shift in the streaming platforms. Um, and then in terms of AI, that's kind of I've got. This is a bit of a special area for me because, um, alongside my A-levels, I did this thing called an extended project qualification, which is like worth half an a level, which is like a UK thing.

Speaker 2: 10:30

Um, and I did mine on AI generated music oh wow, um, and from what I gather, I don't think in terms of AI generated music, I don't think there's much of a threat there just because it's not very good. It's still quite lacking. But I would say, in terms of the way like chat GPT can be used, I think if it's used correctly, it can be a great tool, but then it can also be a bit of a threat in terms of how much it can do in terms of, like, retaining knowledge and yeah, I think it. If it could be, if it's used right, it could be a fantastic tool, but it's a bit scary yeah, I agree and and other people have said the same thing.

Speaker 1: 11:19

as long as the AI is used in to the right way to help other people, then it will be a good thing, but of course there's always the bad side of everything, right?

Speaker 2: 11:30

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 11:31

Always, oh my gosh. And then the streaming With the indie artists. It's such a hard uphill battle with making any type of money from streaming and the platforms of money from streaming and the platforms the other platform that I find interesting that some of the indie artists have said to me and perhaps something you can look into as well is now getting onto radio shows, either terrestrial or online that that's helping them also to maybe not so much to make them, you know, make money from that, but to get out there more to be heard to help them in their endeavors as well.

Speaker 1: 12:12

So yeah, it's a tough industry yeah, it's not like it used to be and everybody works so hard and so passionate about. You know what you all do with your music and artwork apps. You know it's. It's a shame that it's come to this, but hopefully that shift is coming yeah, I hope so yeah, absolutely, you know, especially for somebody you know young, like you. And well, do you want to do?

Speaker 2: 12:35

you do your music full-time um, I thought I would love to. Um, I think I think that's part of the reason why I've tried so hard to get started now rather than later, because I want to. I do want to take it somewhere and I'm hoping that if I start now, at like age 17, then hopefully when I get to that point where I'm a bit more grown up, it might be sustainable, hopefully yeah, I mean, you know, as you know, they'll say you do the work and it will show in the end.

Speaker 1: 13:08

So you know, starting out where you are and putting so much of your desire to succeed at it, you will Thank you I hope so you will. What famous musicians do you admire or who's your influencer? Anybody.

Speaker 2: 13:25

Oh, I think I could think of so many artists. I mean, I try to listen to as much music as I can because I think I find sometimes there's an element from a completely different genre that I'm like, oh, this would really fit here, break those genre barriers. So like artists like Radiohead or like Bjork or I guess, leanne La Havas, um, but yeah, I try to take as inspiration from as many artists I can really yeah, I I'm very eclectic in my music as well.

Speaker 1: 14:03

I'll listen to any genre, because otherwise you don't, you might miss somebody yeah, you know, in each genre, you genre, you will find something you like. I follow Santel and he was the one who had put that post up. Don't not listen to a genre because you think you're not going to like it, and that includes rap and all the way to classical music.

Speaker 2: 14:27

Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 1: 14:28

Right, there's always something good. So what's the best advice someone has given you?

Speaker 2: 14:35

um well, I can't remember who gave me this advice particularly, and it's really simple advice, but I think the best advice I've had is just uh to ask um to do stuff. Because I think like a great example would be like I didn't think I could do music tech as an A-level subject because I hadn't had the GCSE in music, which is the other qualification in the UK. But I asked and I could, and if I hadn't asked I wouldn't have taken it and then I wouldn't have, uh, started learning how to use, how to produce music and record music and then I wouldn't have started, like releasing my own music. So I think asking is just such an important thing to do because no one's going to assume that you like know what's going on, I think. So just ask absolutely.

Speaker 1: 15:30

I like that. And what's the worst that they're going to say is no, and then you just move on to the next right yeah, yeah, absolutely yeah, and, and so one of the questions I was going to ask you, you know, do you record, you produce, you engineer, you master, you do all, the all the work yourself?

Speaker 2: 15:47

yeah, I mean it's probably a bit rough around the edges.

Speaker 1: 15:53

You're doing it, thank you, yeah, you're doing it and, as you said, being you know where you are in your career. You're just and you're going to learn and it's we're, believe me, I'm still learning. So it's always that continual learning process and asking questions. I mean that's two great attributes to have.

Speaker 2: 16:16

Yeah, Thank you. Yeah, I'm still learning.

Speaker 1: 16:22

Yeah, don't worry, you'll be learning all along the way, you and me, right Until you're ready to retire and if I didn't keep asking questions and keep learning, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing at this stage of my life. So, yeah, never stop reinventing or redoing or whatever you love doing. I just love this conversation with you because, when I had said in the beginning, when you popped up on History Feed, it's like oh, who is this young man? And let me listen, because I believe, and let me ask you this question um, do you feel that the indie artists all over support each other in a big way?

Speaker 2: 17:04

yeah, I mean I'm I'm pretty terrible at um, keeping up to date with social media, which is not great, but from the stuff that I have seen, it's been so supportive and everyone's so nice and gone like this is like welcome to this really cool community that's really supportive of each other. So, yeah, definitely.

Speaker 1: 17:28

Yeah, I find that the indie artists are are the biggest supporters, supporters of each other. So what else do you like to do besides your music? I know you're really busy with school and your music, and do you have any other outside interests besides those two, or do do those two things consume you right now?

Speaker 2: 17:46

I mean at the moment, yeah, but um, when I have more time, I do really like, uh, drawing and painting, um, and I think I like to kind of express myself visually and by hearing, I guess both ways, yeah, um, I also I think I'm quite interested in just the world itself. I like I wish I had more time to just kind of experience everything in life have you done it?

Speaker 1: 18:22

have you done any traveling yet out of the UK?

Speaker 2: 18:25

no, I'm in the process right now of trying to get my passport application through and my photo keeps getting. Photos keep getting rejected, so really yeah, it's really annoying. I keep on taking new ones and I spent like uh like six pounds on like a proper like photo booth one and that got rejected too are they telling you?

Speaker 1: 18:46

what are they why?

Speaker 2: 18:48

uh, the first time it was like my picture was too blurry, and then the second time it was like I wasn't looking at the camera, even though I was. But yeah, hopefully.

Speaker 1: 19:01

I can get it sorted so I can have a bit of an explore. Well, Xavier, Jay, well, tell everybody where they can find you, where they can find your music.

Speaker 2: 19:11

Well, I'm on most major streaming platforms, platforms, um. Find me on bandcamp as well, and then I'm on facebook, instagram, tiktok and youtube, as like xavier j music, or just xavier j, I think.

Speaker 1: 19:25

Um, yeah, just most platforms pretty much yep, I found you on bandcamp, so so follow him. Like him. Comment share, because all the indie artists that just helps them, uh, get bumped around and seen by everybody. Um, xavier j, thank you so much for sitting down with me and talking about you, and I look forward to following your career thank you, yeah, thank you for having me on here nice to speak to you, thank you.

Speaker 1: 19:59

Yep, I'll have to check in with you and and honestly, uh, keep tabs on you. Thank you. Is there anything else you'd like to share that we haven't touched on?

Speaker 2: 20:06

uh, no, keep an eye out for when I get my album release sorted. Um, yeah, do you have an idea? I'll be soon okay, you do.

Speaker 1: 20:15

It is going to be soon. All right, cool, I'll keep everybody updated on r2rb as well and thank you, if you let me know we can do some promotion for you prior to the release, so I have fun doing that, um thank you yeah, yeah. Well, thank you all right, xavier, I'm going to let you enjoy the rest of your day and, uh, we will talk soon yeah, thank you you're welcome, thank you.