Joby Jay’s star rises - Singer ready to light up stage at Live and Direc
Reggae-Fusion singer Joby Jay is gearing up for a major career moment as she prepares to share stage with R&B legends Dru Hill and Brian McKnight at this weekend's Live and Direc concert at Constant Spring Golf Club in St Andrew.
"It feels great," she said, adding that she plans to leave a lasting impression on stage.
"I'm truly honoured to be one of the few local acts on the show. Sharing the stage with artistes I've looked up to is surreal. I'm really excited to go out there, give a great performance and make some new fans," the Big Girl Ting singer shared.
Known for her soulful voice and vibrant stage presence, Joby Jay plans to deliver a set filled with smooth vocals, magnetic energy, and a few musical surprises. With a mix of original tracks and crowd-pleasing favourites, her goal is to connect with a diverse audience -- especially those with a deep love for R&B.
"I want to create a moment people will remember," she said.
Joby Jay's musical style -- a fusion of reggae, jazz, and Afrobeat -- has been shaped by her admiration for icons like Jah9, Nina Simone, and Lauryn Hill. But rather than sticking to strict genre rules, Joby Jay is guided by her emotions.
"Deciding which genres to blend is hardly ever planned. When producers send me instrumentals, I'll naturally be drawn to the ones with sounds and vibe I like. If a riddim is being created from scratch for a song, it's really about what sounds and feels right," she shared.
Her songwriting process is deeply intuitive.
"My creative process usually starts with whatever emotion I'm feeling. I ask myself what I really want to say in the moment, and then I build the vibe around that, if I'm not writing to an already-existing instrumental. Even though I may pull from different genres, there's always a Jamaican flavour. I try not to limit myself to boxes, but I make sure the energy still feels true to who I am as a Jamaican."
For Joby Jay, music is more than entertainment -- it's a reflection of life and society.
"I think social commentary is very important. Art should reflect the times, as Nina Simone once said. So much is happening in the world, at any given moment it can be very overstimulating and discouraging, so I try to be very intentional with making music that can uplift people. But I also want to tap into more social commentary, and add my voice to some of the things happening in the world that really strike a chord with me," she added.