A Quick Chat with Jay Zayat

"Pray4Peace" marks your 7th single this year. What has motivated you to be so prolific, and how do you maintain your creative momentum?

I honestly can't stand sitting on music for too long. I get a little bit annoyed when I dont drop the music I've made because I genuinely love it all and wanna share it with everyone. I'm always making something new and music has always been my passion and outlet so it's basically second nature now and a lot of these songs don't take me too long to make so it stacks up real quick.

Your new single explores both sides of struggle, including money issues and family history. Can you share how these themes are reflected in the music and what you hope listeners take away from it?

It's definitely mostly found in my lyrics; I want to do more stuff in my visuals soon to express it more for sure. I've mentioned a few small things over the years in my music about my struggles and upbringing but lately I want to express myself more and be an open book to my fans.

My goal in music was to always connect with people so I'm gonna use the thing's that I went through to help others feel like they're not alone in their own struggles. That's what drew me to music in the first place when I was younger.

You've been compared to artists like Cash Cobain and Nemzzz. How do you feel about these comparisons, and what do you think sets your music apart from others in the hip-hop scene?

'pray4peace' is definitely very reminiscent of those two artists, I think they're great personally and good to see them making waves at the moment. I've never really been able to look at a specific artist and say "yeah, I sound like them overall" which has always been a weird thing for me. I think what sets me apart is how many avenues and lanes I can operate in and still put out high quality sounding music. The way I perceive and write music makes it so I can fit into a lot of different pockets. Not sure if that's a blessing or a curse yet haha.

The high-tempo and hard-hitting instrumental of "Pray4Peace" is a standout feature. Can you talk about the production process and how you crafted the song's distinctive sound?

The song is just a type beat on YouTube I found one night. I had taken some time away from making music to focus on marketing and promo for my last release '925'. I was honestly just warming up when I found the beat and just used it to get some reps in haha, it probably took around 30 mins. I thought it was fire so I posted it to my IG and Tiktok and people seemed to love it so we had to let it fly.

Performing at large venues like the Melbourne Showgrounds is a significant accomplishment. What was that experience like, and how do live performances influence your artistry?

Haha thank you so much. Showgrounds was a great experience for me, it was definitely a venue on the bucket list so glad to have ticked it off this early in my career, I was mad excited when I got the email. Live performing for me is like when you tick something off on a to-do list you know? It's like, you've worked so hard to make this product and now you get to share it with all the energy and heart you want. It's that dopamine and adrenaline that makes those late nights worth it. It definitely keeps the creative momentum going when you step off stage from a good performance.

Your success on the Australian iTunes Hip/Hop and Rap charts shows growing recognition. What strategies or approaches have you found effective in gaining traction and reaching a wider audience?

Yeah charting for the first time in my career was massive. Being an independent artist for my entire journey; it's crazy when things like that happen. For me it's always been about consistency and actually getting out in your scene. Be consistent in your drops and constantly give people content and good music along with performing. Go show everyone the energy you emit because that's when the audience feels you as opposed to just hearing what you're saying. When people see you perform a song, they get more personally attached to it and you.

Looking ahead, what are some goals or milestones you hope to achieve in your career, and are there any upcoming projects or collaborations you’re particularly excited about?

I'm looking at taking my career to the next level in terms of my team. Looking for some really good people to help me grow and connect me with the next tier of my artistry so managers are definitely on the horizon. I'll always be dropping music basically monthly and might put together a project in the next year too.