Posted:
Jay Sean Interview - A Bad Boy or Mummy's Boy?
'Yo bitch, squeeze me some OJ before I double deuce juice your ass,' says the rudeboy rapper. 'Get in the kitchen and make me some daal before I kick your bund back to the pind,' barks the typical Asian idiot.
Combine the two and you're left with the Asian rapper, the embodiment of all that we hate about testosterone-fuelled, nonsense-spouting ego warriors. Someone who can only warrant one reaction from the modern British Asian woman: 'oh shut up and go away.'You wouldn't say that to Jay Sean.
For one, he doesn't rap about guns, hos or gangsters. Nor has the suave 22-year-old soul saviour ever been photographed fashioning his fingers in those spooky gestures that other hip-hop artists seem to believe defines prowess. 'You don't have to pretend to be a gangster just because you're Black and you don't have to pretend to be Black to be a rapper,' he proclaims. 'People who succumb to those stereotypes are fools.
'I've had people ask me: "why are you singing English songs? Shouldn't you be singing bhangra?" Maybe they wouldn't ask that if I wore Sean John tracksuits and cocked my baseball cap sideways. But then why should I care about people who say I shouldn't do things just because I don't conform to some tired old clich?'
No prizes, then, for guessing whether he falls into the 'typical Asian' bracket or not. Born Kamaljit Sidhoo, he grew up responding to the nickname Jay, as you do, while Sean is derived from 'shaan', a term of endearment used by his folks. He won't pretend having an English sounding name hasn't helped his career ('you'll be surprised by just how much prejudice still goes on in the business'), but laughs off any suggestion he's in any way ashamed of his roots: 'I could change my name to Montgomery Cuthbert, but my mates will still see me as Jay and I'll still be this foreign bloke to White people.'
He's never been a member of a feared gang, never got involved in a fight. He sees no point in pretending. BY the same token, don't be so into who you are that you alienate others. 'You can take being proud of your roots too far; every mela I go to I see Muslims dissing Hindus, Hindus getting into a ruck with Sikhs – all fighting it out to prove they're the best. At the end of the day, in the White man's eyes, we're all Pakis. I don't think I'm better than anyone else and I definitely don't wish I was something else – I'm just proud of who I am.'
And for that, he thanks his mum and dad, who – he's happy to admit – he still lives with. Not exactly the sort of thing hip-hop artists say to pump up their street cred, but then there's not much about Jay Sean that seeks kudos from fake labels.
'Did I have a typical Asian upbringing? I don't know. I wouldn't say my folks aren't traditional Asian parents but then what defines a traditional Asian parent? People ask me if my parents were distraught when I ditched the idea of being a doctor to be a singer and I tell them, no. They didn't mind. They want to see me happy doing what I want to do. Is that really such an unusual thing to expect from a traditional Asian parent?'
The guidance from his family, combined with his own experiences growing up around women, has ruled out any chance of him adopting dissin' da bitches as his mantra, unlike so many of his compatriots who feel obliged to put the female of the species in their place – namely the backseat of their motor and the kitchen.
'Yeah, my mum makes the dinner,' he admits, 'but my dad stands there making her laugh while she does the cooking, then they do the washing up together. I've never been taught to see women as inferior beings. I don't have any sisters but I've got plenty of cousins and friends who are female – strong, independent, cool women – and I wouldn't want to see any of them spoken to or about in a disrespectful way. I find it ridiculous that a guy can think he'll be seen as something special if he puts a woman down. I don't dig that shit, man. I respect women.'
Better still, he loves women. His highly anticipated debut album Me Against Myself is brimming to the full with odes to the wonderment of womankind. And with two top-ten hits under his belt, a regular slot on Kiss FM and smouldering looks that make onlookers sizzle in his wake, there are plenty of women willing to take up the offer. So why still single, Jay?
'You mean why aren't I sleeping with anything that moves? For the same reason I don't let any of the attention I'm getting in the press or from fans get to my head. I'm young, I'm hungry and it seems like the world's at my feet right now – if I don't keep my ego in check, I'll be in danger of losing myself like I've seen so many people do. Whether they're rap or bhangra stars, hugely famous or just think they are – some people decide it's all about sex and drugs. Like everyone's going to think he's a hotshot just because he's taken some drugged-up chick to the back of his car. It's just so pathetic. Girls like being seen with famous guys, just like guys love being around female celebrities, but people who take advantage of that aren't cool, man. They're creeps.'
So young, so wise. Perhaps if he'd landed the million pound deal with Virgin Records out of the blue, he may well be doing the whoopee on cushions of cocaine with supermodels on his D in the back of his beemer, but he's been in this game for many, many years. I first spoke to him during my stint as the music editor of Eastern Eye newspaper many moons ago when he rang up asking us to plug his hip-hop band Compulsive Disorder, and then met him in person when he came to pick up a model he was dating at the end of a fashion shoot with another Asian women's magazine. In both instances, he pretty much went ignored. It's the sort of thing that's made him stronger.
'I've had plenty of knockbacks in my career. I've been trying to make a living out of music for the past ten years and I know the media is one big game. Sure, they're saying brilliant things about me right now, but I know they like building someone up just to knock them down. I've decided not to play the game. All I can be is straight up. I could sit here telling you I don't call girls bitches, but then my phone might ring and you'll overhear me telling some chick whatchoo talkin' 'bout bitch and you'll know I'm full of shit. Everything comes out in the end, so you may as well be real to yourself.
Needless to say, the single if not carefree Jay's ideal lady will be someone who can appreciate the real him but also not be daunted by the image, because like it or not, the real Jay Sean now comes in a glitzy package. The difficulty in reconciling the two is what ended the long relationship between Jay and the aforementioned model.
'We'd been going out since the start of our A-levels. It was deep. Family and all that got involved, so it was pretty serious. We grew up together as kids and, you know, it's hard to see someone like that walk out of your life. But when something this big happens, your life flips around 180 degrees…'He looks uncomfortable. While he can pour his heart out about his aches in verse, it's a different matter when trying to do the same to a stranger over a bowl of salad. 'See, my life's changing, there's no two ways about that, but I'm not. I'm still the same and she's still the same. It's just that everyone around us changed. The way they perceive me, the way they act towards me – I realise I'm living a parallel life, not because I'm suddenly better looking or because I got game, but because of what I'm doing right now. But it wasn't easy for her to separate the two existences I have to live right now. We'd be out having dinner with our mates and girls would come over and go all gushy around me. It was hard for her to handle.'
The sadness at the loss of his childhood sweetheart will pass. After all, there's nothing better to cheer up a heartbroken bloke than a date with Bollywood bombshell Bipasha Basu, exactly what he got treated to just the other day shooting for the video to his new single Stolen. 'Now that,' he beams, instantly perking up, 'was cool!'
'She's like a different class of woman. It was great because she saw me on a professional level, not like the usual desperate blokes she must get following her around, and yeah, we clicked. I took her round Covent Garden and you had to love it! One second she'd be stopped for an autograph, next it would be someone stopping me. I'm not much of a big headed person but yeah, sure, I thought to myself: back of a limo with Bipasha Basu. That's pretty cool, Jay…'
He's getting used to it, the fame thing. He treated himself to a BMW convertible after the success of Eyes On You because he felt he deserved it. Not one for false modesty, he's fully aware he's riding the crest of a new wave for the British Asian movement ('it's definitely the beginning of a movement, I wouldn't call it a revolution just yet, revolution takes more people, but I see that time coming') and is proud to be seen as a pioneering force pushing it forward. Why not? He has, after all, been working towards this pretty much all his life.
'The other day someone asked me how I felt being the first Asian r&b artist to break into the charts and I thought: really? I can't believe it hasn't happened before. I mean how long have Asian people been into r&b? Come forward people!'Before an army of contenders follow his lead in the battle to dominate the mainstream charts, he's in good company. Unlike other artists of his calibre who thrive on putting down the competition, he has nothing but love for his fellow chart crusaders: Rishi Rich, Juggy D, Raghav, Panjabi Hit Squad, Bobby Friction & Nihal…
'We're all in a good place right now,' he reflects. 'But I'm still in the process of establishing myself. Who knows where any of us will be in five years time? There was a time not so long ago that I didn't believe any of this was going to happen, I'm sure the other guys felt that way at some point or another. I thought I would become a doctor, settle down, get married and forget about all of this. It seems like just the other day I was doing a course in counselling psychology. There I was, talking to schizophrenics and rapists and feeling so depressed about it. So I'm not taking where I am lightly. Even though there's a long way to go, I'm loving every minute leading up to it.'
The last I saw Jay Sean, he was walking down the corridors of the Royal Albert Hall moments before going on stage and wowing the masses at the Mobo Awards, singing to himself. He tends to do that, burst out in song. During his guest appearance on CD:UK recently, he broke into a impromptu rap. During pauses in our interview, I catch him merrily humming to himself. This is a sign of madness. It could also be a behaviour associated with someone who can't help but show off in public. Or it could be the act of a man who is so passionate about music – he just can't help himself. I think you've read enough to figure out which of the above applies to Jay Sean.
• Me Against Myself by Jay Sean is out now on 2Point9/Relentless Records.
another one from http://www.asianamag.com/magazine.asp?section=22&aID=19
'Yo bitch, squeeze me some OJ before I double deuce juice your ass,' says the rudeboy rapper. 'Get in the kitchen and make me some daal before I kick your bund back to the pind,' barks the typical Asian idiot.
Combine the two and you're left with the Asian rapper, the embodiment of all that we hate about testosterone-fuelled, nonsense-spouting ego warriors. Someone who can only warrant one reaction from the modern British Asian woman: 'oh shut up and go away.'You wouldn't say that to Jay Sean.
For one, he doesn't rap about guns, hos or gangsters. Nor has the suave 22-year-old soul saviour ever been photographed fashioning his fingers in those spooky gestures that other hip-hop artists seem to believe defines prowess. 'You don't have to pretend to be a gangster just because you're Black and you don't have to pretend to be Black to be a rapper,' he proclaims. 'People who succumb to those stereotypes are fools.
'I've had people ask me: "why are you singing English songs? Shouldn't you be singing bhangra?" Maybe they wouldn't ask that if I wore Sean John tracksuits and cocked my baseball cap sideways. But then why should I care about people who say I shouldn't do things just because I don't conform to some tired old clich?'
No prizes, then, for guessing whether he falls into the 'typical Asian' bracket or not. Born Kamaljit Sidhoo, he grew up responding to the nickname Jay, as you do, while Sean is derived from 'shaan', a term of endearment used by his folks. He won't pretend having an English sounding name hasn't helped his career ('you'll be surprised by just how much prejudice still goes on in the business'), but laughs off any suggestion he's in any way ashamed of his roots: 'I could change my name to Montgomery Cuthbert, but my mates will still see me as Jay and I'll still be this foreign bloke to White people.'
He's never been a member of a feared gang, never got involved in a fight. He sees no point in pretending. BY the same token, don't be so into who you are that you alienate others. 'You can take being proud of your roots too far; every mela I go to I see Muslims dissing Hindus, Hindus getting into a ruck with Sikhs – all fighting it out to prove they're the best. At the end of the day, in the White man's eyes, we're all Pakis. I don't think I'm better than anyone else and I definitely don't wish I was something else – I'm just proud of who I am.'
And for that, he thanks his mum and dad, who – he's happy to admit – he still lives with. Not exactly the sort of thing hip-hop artists say to pump up their street cred, but then there's not much about Jay Sean that seeks kudos from fake labels.
'Did I have a typical Asian upbringing? I don't know. I wouldn't say my folks aren't traditional Asian parents but then what defines a traditional Asian parent? People ask me if my parents were distraught when I ditched the idea of being a doctor to be a singer and I tell them, no. They didn't mind. They want to see me happy doing what I want to do. Is that really such an unusual thing to expect from a traditional Asian parent?'
The guidance from his family, combined with his own experiences growing up around women, has ruled out any chance of him adopting dissin' da bitches as his mantra, unlike so many of his compatriots who feel obliged to put the female of the species in their place – namely the backseat of their motor and the kitchen.
'Yeah, my mum makes the dinner,' he admits, 'but my dad stands there making her laugh while she does the cooking, then they do the washing up together. I've never been taught to see women as inferior beings. I don't have any sisters but I've got plenty of cousins and friends who are female – strong, independent, cool women – and I wouldn't want to see any of them spoken to or about in a disrespectful way. I find it ridiculous that a guy can think he'll be seen as something special if he puts a woman down. I don't dig that shit, man. I respect women.'
Better still, he loves women. His highly anticipated debut album Me Against Myself is brimming to the full with odes to the wonderment of womankind. And with two top-ten hits under his belt, a regular slot on Kiss FM and smouldering looks that make onlookers sizzle in his wake, there are plenty of women willing to take up the offer. So why still single, Jay?
'You mean why aren't I sleeping with anything that moves? For the same reason I don't let any of the attention I'm getting in the press or from fans get to my head. I'm young, I'm hungry and it seems like the world's at my feet right now – if I don't keep my ego in check, I'll be in danger of losing myself like I've seen so many people do. Whether they're rap or bhangra stars, hugely famous or just think they are – some people decide it's all about sex and drugs. Like everyone's going to think he's a hotshot just because he's taken some drugged-up chick to the back of his car. It's just so pathetic. Girls like being seen with famous guys, just like guys love being around female celebrities, but people who take advantage of that aren't cool, man. They're creeps.'
So young, so wise. Perhaps if he'd landed the million pound deal with Virgin Records out of the blue, he may well be doing the whoopee on cushions of cocaine with supermodels on his D in the back of his beemer, but he's been in this game for many, many years. I first spoke to him during my stint as the music editor of Eastern Eye newspaper many moons ago when he rang up asking us to plug his hip-hop band Compulsive Disorder, and then met him in person when he came to pick up a model he was dating at the end of a fashion shoot with another Asian women's magazine. In both instances, he pretty much went ignored. It's the sort of thing that's made him stronger.
'I've had plenty of knockbacks in my career. I've been trying to make a living out of music for the past ten years and I know the media is one big game. Sure, they're saying brilliant things about me right now, but I know they like building someone up just to knock them down. I've decided not to play the game. All I can be is straight up. I could sit here telling you I don't call girls bitches, but then my phone might ring and you'll overhear me telling some chick whatchoo talkin' 'bout bitch and you'll know I'm full of shit. Everything comes out in the end, so you may as well be real to yourself.
Needless to say, the single if not carefree Jay's ideal lady will be someone who can appreciate the real him but also not be daunted by the image, because like it or not, the real Jay Sean now comes in a glitzy package. The difficulty in reconciling the two is what ended the long relationship between Jay and the aforementioned model.
'We'd been going out since the start of our A-levels. It was deep. Family and all that got involved, so it was pretty serious. We grew up together as kids and, you know, it's hard to see someone like that walk out of your life. But when something this big happens, your life flips around 180 degrees…'He looks uncomfortable. While he can pour his heart out about his aches in verse, it's a different matter when trying to do the same to a stranger over a bowl of salad. 'See, my life's changing, there's no two ways about that, but I'm not. I'm still the same and she's still the same. It's just that everyone around us changed. The way they perceive me, the way they act towards me – I realise I'm living a parallel life, not because I'm suddenly better looking or because I got game, but because of what I'm doing right now. But it wasn't easy for her to separate the two existences I have to live right now. We'd be out having dinner with our mates and girls would come over and go all gushy around me. It was hard for her to handle.'
The sadness at the loss of his childhood sweetheart will pass. After all, there's nothing better to cheer up a heartbroken bloke than a date with Bollywood bombshell Bipasha Basu, exactly what he got treated to just the other day shooting for the video to his new single Stolen. 'Now that,' he beams, instantly perking up, 'was cool!'
'She's like a different class of woman. It was great because she saw me on a professional level, not like the usual desperate blokes she must get following her around, and yeah, we clicked. I took her round Covent Garden and you had to love it! One second she'd be stopped for an autograph, next it would be someone stopping me. I'm not much of a big headed person but yeah, sure, I thought to myself: back of a limo with Bipasha Basu. That's pretty cool, Jay…'
He's getting used to it, the fame thing. He treated himself to a BMW convertible after the success of Eyes On You because he felt he deserved it. Not one for false modesty, he's fully aware he's riding the crest of a new wave for the British Asian movement ('it's definitely the beginning of a movement, I wouldn't call it a revolution just yet, revolution takes more people, but I see that time coming') and is proud to be seen as a pioneering force pushing it forward. Why not? He has, after all, been working towards this pretty much all his life.
'The other day someone asked me how I felt being the first Asian r&b artist to break into the charts and I thought: really? I can't believe it hasn't happened before. I mean how long have Asian people been into r&b? Come forward people!'Before an army of contenders follow his lead in the battle to dominate the mainstream charts, he's in good company. Unlike other artists of his calibre who thrive on putting down the competition, he has nothing but love for his fellow chart crusaders: Rishi Rich, Juggy D, Raghav, Panjabi Hit Squad, Bobby Friction & Nihal…
'We're all in a good place right now,' he reflects. 'But I'm still in the process of establishing myself. Who knows where any of us will be in five years time? There was a time not so long ago that I didn't believe any of this was going to happen, I'm sure the other guys felt that way at some point or another. I thought I would become a doctor, settle down, get married and forget about all of this. It seems like just the other day I was doing a course in counselling psychology. There I was, talking to schizophrenics and rapists and feeling so depressed about it. So I'm not taking where I am lightly. Even though there's a long way to go, I'm loving every minute leading up to it.'
The last I saw Jay Sean, he was walking down the corridors of the Royal Albert Hall moments before going on stage and wowing the masses at the Mobo Awards, singing to himself. He tends to do that, burst out in song. During his guest appearance on CD:UK recently, he broke into a impromptu rap. During pauses in our interview, I catch him merrily humming to himself. This is a sign of madness. It could also be a behaviour associated with someone who can't help but show off in public. Or it could be the act of a man who is so passionate about music – he just can't help himself. I think you've read enough to figure out which of the above applies to Jay Sean.
• Me Against Myself by Jay Sean is out now on 2Point9/Relentless Records.
another one from http://www.asianamag.com/magazine.asp?section=22&aID=19
comment:
p_commentcount