Singer/songwriter, Jay Saint has helped pen hits for artists such as Danity Kane, Fergie, and Sean Kingston, but with the release of his album ExCommitted, he’s steadily cementing himself as a force in the new wave of R&B artists. We caught up with Jay to talk about the release of the music video for his latest single Stick N Move, his recent engagement, creating during the pandemic, and what we can expect next.
CONGRATS on your recent engagement! I can’t think of many Black, gay, and male R&B artist who share that part of their lives so openly. Is that something you’re intentional about as an artist?
I think that being open and honest about who you are fuels you as a creative. The only way for people to understand you is for you to be honest and open. That hasn’t necessarily been the easiest thing to do all my life, but right now I feel absolutely untouchable because Love has found me.
Does being in love affect your creativity? Are we going to get a lot more love songs from Jay Saint?
Being in love actually fuels my creativity. As a songwriter, I’m able to write about things that I’ve never really experienced before. There’s also many trials in being in a loving, committed relationship because everything isn’t necessarily perfect all the time. I found myself writing about my imperfections in my relationship as well and how in that moment I wasn’t able to navigate out of being upset. Relationships are a lot of work. Although love has found me, I still think you’ll get a little bit of everything with me creatively. It’s just my nature as a writer to write and sing about situations that aren’t just mine.
You just released the visual for your latest single Stick N Move. Tell us about the song and visual.
Stick N Move was written during a time in my life where I needed to remind myself of my self-worth. It speaks on empowerment and self-validation. For the visuals, I wanted to incorporate the boxing theme – hence the title of the song, but also incorporate fashion and art as well. I teamed up with Lewis Beilharz of Beilharz Official for styling and custom wearable art designs. I also wore designs from LouisJean Desravines. The visual was created by the incomparable guys of OneiPhotography, Richard “Parlay” Copier and Jay Suarez. It definitely won’t be my last time working with these guys! The visual was beyond my expectations. This is my favorite video yet!
I’m a big fan of your ExCommitted album! I noticed you don’t have features on the album. Was that a conscious decision? Are there any artists out there you want to collaborate with?
Thank you! It was a conscious decision not to have any features on my last project. I wanted for people to understand me and my journey through love. In the future, I would love to work with world-renowned producers and artists I like that are dominating our industry. The one artist for years I’ve always wanted to work with was RiRi!! Her and I on a record would be phenomenal.
Being an artist during the pandemic must have its challenges. How are you adjusting?
The pandemic is showing me that music is most definitely my first love. My love for music kept my creativity stronger and my imagination broader. I’ve never felt more lifted and centered in creativity than I do now. It’s definitely a curse for those who were lost during this pandemic, but a blessing for people who use this time to reflect and find themselves.
What can we expect from you when the world opens up again?
You can expect major performances, creative and stunning visuals, and more and more and more music.
