Jay Malakhi chats about Renault adverts, being played in Burger King and flying the flag for Kent

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Hailing from Strood in Medway, Jay Malakhi has become one of the go-to artists of the UK rap scene.

With his debut album The Great Escape having amassed more than two million listens, Jay has already earned a ‘one to watch’ tag for his unique storytelling, relatable rhymes and fresh outlook on life. We got in touch to find out more.

Congratulations on your EP, it’s great. How did you put it together?

For the EP, that was predominantly done at home, to be honest. The first few songs, the beats were from YouTube. So it was literally just buying the stems and then just recording it. The final three songs were all beats that were sent from producers I’d been working with and the final song was made in the studio - we made that live in a session.

You’ve been building up for a little while now, but the numbers you’re pulling on Spotify have gone to a new level. Have you seen a difference since this album’s come out?

I would say, since the roll-out began for this project, 1,000%, you know. Space was like a game-changer - it just took it to a whole different level. I think it really put us on the map - and then Money Trees, the music videos, social media just absolutely loved it. Shout-out to Kensho Films - he made that video sensational. It’s done more than I could have imagined and we’re approaching two million streams on the project already. So, yeah, just super-grateful.

And this has all been done by you and your compatriots – there’s no label?

No, literally just me and the team. Me, my manager, my creative director Kensho and our tech guy. In general, I think I’ve always been quite well supported by friends and family as well. You know, I’ve always felt like I’ve had a really strong support unit around me. It’s just been about grafting away.

As a project, has it already surpassed what you thought it would do?

Ultimately, I try not to put too much pressure on the music. The most important thing I can do is just make sure I make the best music that I possibly can and the message of the music is clear, and it’s there for people. Obviously, there are a couple of tracks on there that I was hoping that would do well, but to say I was thinking I would have two million streams on my debut EP, nah. I definitely didn’t have that on the mood boards

For a debut album, the EP felt slick and professional - for people who haven’t heard it yet, how would you describe it?

I would say it’s definitely got hints of nostalgia in it. I would say very, very honest, very relatable. And the project really was about those elements. It was about being vulnerable. It was about being very human and just showing the different layers that come with being a human. You know, we have moments where we feel happy and joyful and excited and motivated, and we have moments where we are just a little bit low and struggle to find an inspirational motivation to do anything.

From the videos to the EP artwork, it feels very thought about. It’s not just your generic rap album. It’s very representative of Kent as well.

With the live elements, a lot of that came from being inspired by being in Kent because, as everyone knows, there’s a lot of greenery, there’s a lot of scenery in Kent and I feel like I kind of translated that with the live instrumentation because I feel like that’s raw, that’s nature that was given to us by God. And I wanted that to create a relationship between the two.

All the cover arts, all the singles, they’re all in nature. I specifically wanted to shoot the cover out in Dover on the cliffs because I just felt that it signified being at the top, you know. Obviously, you have to get there, so start from the bottom and make your way up. I wanted us to try to reflect that journey through the music and through the art.

And you’re from Medway, right?

Strood, Rochester. I went to Gordon Juniors primary school, then the Hundred of Hoo, Strood Academy and did sixth form at Chatham Grammar.

There are some amazing artists coming out of Medway.

There’s a lot of artists from America and the UK who really represent the area they’re from and I really wanted that to be my thing as well and wave that flag from Medway.

When you think of Manchester you think of Aitch or Bugzy Malone, or you think of Birmingham you think of JK. I really wanted it to be a thing of when you think of Medway, you think of Kent, like you think of Jay Malakhi. Where I’m from is everything and what I believe, what makes me special as an artist, it’s what differentiates me. I’m sure you hear it in the music as well. There’s always constant references, whether it’s the buses or the names of roads, I’m constantly referring to the hometown.

Have you had a ‘Wow!’ moment yet?

There’s been so many. I’ve heard my song was played in Burger King in Paris, there’s been some crazy, crazy stuff. One of my songs got used in a Renault advert out in France as well. We just got reached out to by an agency in France, who really liked this song and said ‘We think it fits the campaign we’re going for’. That was dope. I had a songwriters’ camp as well. I went to Amsterdam for it literally last week and I was getting prepared to leave to get to the station. I just had a weird moment of reflection, like I can’t believe I’m actually here in Amsterdam, having back-to-back studio sessions and working with some of the best artists in Europe. It’s crazy to feel like this.

Has it always been the dream that you just wanted to make music?

No, no. Like most boys from Kent, I wanted to be a footballer. But that wasn’t meant to be. I only started music in 2019, just rapping with my friends back at university.

Initially, I started off as a producer. I wasn’t very good at that and then me and the boys would just freestyle over beats that my friends would make. When you’re rapping with the boys, there’s a level of competition and you don’t want to be the worst. So I just kept pushing myself. I’d go home, write bars, come back and have some stuff ready and after a while you just end up being pretty decent.

What’s the plan for the rest of the year?

There’s so many different plans. I’m on so many different projects. I’ve been helping a lot of other artists out with their music. There’s a couple more singles out there for me to drop this summer. There’s a couple of shows lined up, but I want to promote this to the EP and encourage everybody who has the chance to give it a listen because it is a journey.

I think anybody who’s had any projects or, you know, low or high moments can probably relate quite closely to a lot of the songs on there. I just hope everyone enjoys it, man.

INSTA: @jaymalakhi