Pop-Culturalist.com

Singer-songwriter Jay Ham spent most of his childhood moving from place to place. When he needed a friend, he turned to his craft as a way to express himself. That led him to the path he’s on today, releasing music that has listeners saying, “Ooh la la.” Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Jay ahead of the release of his new single to learn more about him, his career, and life as a new father.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Jay: I moved around a lot as a kid. I was born and raised in Northern California for the most part, but I moved to South Dakota in my teen years and Ohio as well. When I needed an emotional filler or needed a companion, music was always there for me. It was something I grew to love. It’s always touched me on the emotional side, just by listening to it, and then as a writer, it helps me express myself.

I was an emotional kid because of all the moving, so it was nice to be able to express myself and be able to let loose on some of those emotions for me. Sooner or later, it turned into a craft that I wanted to get better and better at. I started to analyze it and break everything down: what can I get better? How can I get better? I fell in love with the whole process.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Jay: All genres from R&B to country. My biggest inspirations are J. Cole to Nipsey Hussle. I listened to a lot of good summer music in school growing up: everyone from Wiz Khalifa to Bob Marley. My producer, Tre Wright, has always made me want to do better and go further in the music game. He is somebody who produces, mixes, masters, sings, writes, and raps, so I’m always trying to get better. When I think I’ve gotten a step ahead, he’s like two steps ahead now. I feel like I’m always chasing him and motivated by him, but in a healthy way. He’s definitely one of my biggest inspirations as well.

PC: You’ve said in a previous interview that you’ve spent the last five years honing in on your sound with Tre Wright. What’s been the biggest lesson you’ve learned about yourself during that time?
Jay: That’s a great question. As cliché as this might sound, it truly is being yourself. When I first moved to LA, I would go to these events where I would meet industry cats and I’d be like, “What’s your one piece of advice for me that I can take with me?” Everybody is like, “Yo, do you. Don’t change up your craft or anything.” At first, I thought that was so cliché. I was like, “That’s the only advice you’re going to give me? I’ve waited years to meet you and that’s it?” [laughs] But it’s real. I was seventeen or eighteen at the time and I hadn’t found myself. Now I’m twenty-four going on twenty-five and I know exactly who I am and exactly what I want.

I’ve taken the time to hone in on my craft and figure out who I am. Don’t change because if you stay consistent with who you are, sooner or later people will love you more for just being you. Simply being you, your unique character, and intriguing self is enough. I’ve spent so much time trying to do different styles. In high school, I was doing funny rap, story rap, all these different things. Over time, I’ve created my own niche just because of where I’ve been and taking the time to perfect my craft.

PC: Tell us about your new single, “Ooh La La.” What inspired the song?
Jay: “Ooh La La” is one of my favorite tracks. It has a dope summer vibe. I think people will really love it. It’s like the new version of “Young, Wild & Free.” It’s the summer anthem we think will stick and be timeless with people. It’s been around for almost two and a half years. We actually started making the song in January of 2018. We were doing more of the writing side of things as we were in the pitching game for music at the time. It was supposed to go to a big name artist and he held it for quite some time and ended up not putting it into his schedule. We were like, “All right. We’re going to release it then.”

But Tre really wanted me to release it. I was like, “I don’t know about that. The production’s not there.” It’s not typical that you hold onto a song for this long. This was a first for us. We heard the song over a hundred times by the time we were releasing it. Tre was like, “We need to get this out. Let me ask and see if we can get NATIIVE on it.” I knew NATIIVE through the wind, but Tre is pretty good friends with him. We brought NATIIVE in the studio. He stripped the track a capella and created the beat from scratch all over. It gave it this new vibrant sound. It was eclectic. I’ve always wanted an EDM, festival-sounding song. That’s not necessarily the genre that is my specialty, but I’ve always loved that music. It was nice to do something like that with someone like NATIIVE, who can hit the nail on that style more than I can.

PC: You’re an artist who has been releasing music pretty consistently for the past few years. If you had to pick one song that best encompasses who you are as an artist, what would it be and why?
Jay: I just released a song earlier this year. It’s called “Backwoods & Banjos.” It’s probably one of my favorite songs that I’ve released. It is a lot of who Jay Ham is. We throw a lot of different styles on this. We’re releasing a project soon. We do the summer EDM. We do a club record. We do a pop record. We do a slow record. But “Backwoods & Banjos” is very Jay Ham. It’s like I said: I’ve lived in a lot of places. It’s got Midwest vibes, it’s got summer vibes, and it’s got California vibes. We got bass guitar on there, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, keys. It’s very cohesive. It’s very different and the more we get into it and the more that people start to dig my sound, the more we’ll dive deeper into that area of music as well.

PC: As we look ahead to the rest of 2020, what does the year hold for you?
Jay: I’m a new father. My son just turned a year old. With everything going on with coronavirus, the protests, it’s very overwhelming, especially being a new father and a musician. It shook me up a bit. It took me off my toes, and we had to reiterate our steps and figure things out. For the rest of the year, we’ll be figuring out how to improvise and do new things and give people new content that they can enjoy from their home rather than them thinking in my head, “I’d much rather be at Coachella.”

We want to give them something that they can still be interested in. I know everyone wants to go to shows right now, but while we can’t, at least we can give the people something that is very new and fresh. That’s what we’re doing. We’re giving them a lot of new, different stuff. Also, I’m still new to the dad life. I’m trying to figure out how to be a family man and balance everything in between. That’s my focus. It’s really how can I be a better person each and every day, a better man for my love, a better dad, a better musician, a better model, just trying to be better each and every day?

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Jay: Kane Brown and Florida Georgia Line.

PC: First album you bought?
Jay: Drake’s Thank Me Later.

PC: First concert you attended?
Jay: That would be Day and Night. The headliner was Kendrick Lamar. I got to see Dom Kennedy, Nipsey Hussle. It was one of the dopest days ever.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Jay: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. That was in my younger days, but it was something I started listening to older, and once I started to learn how to love and be an emotional person, it changed the way I looked at women and perceived things in a love sense.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Jay: Madison Square Garden.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Jay: Oh, cereal, cereal, cereal, cereal. I need cereal every night. Doesn’t really matter what kind of cereal. Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Honey Bunches of Oats, whatever it is. I’m just a milk guy. I really love milk. And that’s a great late-night snack for me.

To keep up with Jay, follow him on Instagram and Spotify. Pick up or stream “Ooh La La” today.