Jay Kay
Born on 30 December 1969 in Stretford, Jason Kay — known as Jay Kay — is a singer, songwriter, and musician who holds United Kingdom citizenship and has built a career spanning several distinct musical genres.
Kay attended Oakham School before going on to study at the University of West London. As a musician, he has worked in English across a notably varied range of styles. His output draws on acid jazz, house music, pop, contemporary R&B, and dance-pop, a combination that places him across both club-oriented and more mainstream pop territory. That range of genre associations sets him apart from artists who work within a single, clearly defined sound.
The acid jazz connection is a particularly notable part of Kay's profile as a musician. Acid jazz, house, and dance-pop pull in a more rhythm-driven direction, while contemporary R&B and pop round out the picture. Working across all five of these genres rather than anchoring to just one has been a consistent feature of his career as a singer and songwriter based in the United Kingdom.
Kay's dual credits as both singer and songwriter reflect the two sides of his work as a musician — one performative, one compositional. His association with acid jazz in particular places him within a specific strand of British music, and his connections to house, pop, R&B, and dance-pop show the breadth of what he has engaged with as a UK-based artist. Those five genre associations, taken together, represent the documented scope of his career.
Quotes by Jay Kay
I'm very used to stages and dressing rooms. And dare I say it, much as I like being at home, I love the buzz of a new hotel room. It never quite loses its thing.
I think it is easy for people to build up an image of what I’m about. I consider myself quite a nice chappy really. I’m decent to people, I stay in and listen to Radio 4.
I’m very used to stages and dressing rooms. And dare I say it, much as I like being at home, I love the buzz of a new hotel room.
I’m not gonna give the British Government the joy of keeping taxing me. They don’t tax art. And all my cars are just a collection of art.
I have to thank my mum for kicking me out at 16 and making me stand on my own two feet – that’s how I got here.
I wanted to use a totally different part of my brain. It’s quite scary at times. I went for learning to fly because it was most difficult of all. The insurance man just sat there and licked his lips when I told him.
I’m 41 now and the right knee has got a bit of a twinge in it. I get about the stage a little less now.
I love being able to go on local flights when the weather is right. I’ve popped to the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and been mountain flying in Wales. When I got my licence I was over the moon, it was one of the greatest days of my life – it took two years to get!
The mid-life crisis is just those times when you’re not so into the things you were when you were younger.
