Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: Yeah of course. I never really was musically gifted growing up. Fat nerdy kid. I Love anime and yugioh. All that stuff. And I actually got my first guitar because of bullying. It caused me to start in emo and hardcore music then progress to where I am now. It’s honestly weird sometimes looking back at it thinking metal music brought me to pop.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Jay Putty”?
A: I’m chronically online for better or for worse. I plan on just annoying everyone on social media until I die. So the plan is to make and post as much content as well as hopefully touring hard this fall. The message I want people to get is crying while you’re dancing. Allowing yourself to feel all the spectrum of emotions.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Right now I would have to say the most inspiring is Alex Warren currently. The way he weaves not only heavy topics into his music but does it in such a jovial way is inspiring. I find my inspiration through life. So much has happened in the last 3 years that I feel writing is just a way for me to make sense of it all
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the EP, “Mountains and Valleys.”?
A: I believe that to appreciate the high highs of life you have to know what it’s like to be in the valley. But you’re not ALWAYS having your best day or your worst day. Most of the time. Its just tuesday. And that’s what Mountains & Valleys is about.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Positive
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Mountains and Valleys”?
A: Actually yeah so many. I write and produce my own music and with this one I wanted the tracks Mountains, In Between, and Valleys to be sort of trailer-esque style tracks that tell the story of what it’s like to rise to fall and to just exist. And that was hard because I had never really done that before.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: I want people to be able to live in their grief. Share it. Own it. It’s so taboo to talk about. Because if you’ve never been in it you don’t know how to react to people in your life. And if you’ve been in it you’re overwhelmed. In 2022 I lost 4 amazing people in my life so quickly. And its carried with me. I want people to have a community to share and remember. To love. To Cry. to embrace.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Dead it would have to be freddie mercury. What a legend. An icon. A pioneer not only in music but culture. In rights. It would be amazing.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Do it because you love it. Because you need to. Because what weighs on your heart. It NEEDS to come out. Because the industry is about failing. 99% of the time. The content. The songs. Everything. You write hundreds of songs. You make thousands of videos. For the chance. Do it because you love it.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Learn to say no. No is a complete sentence. You are enough. Learn to stretch early. Pulling a hammy is no fun.
