We had to show this one off in as many ways as possible, so a few days before the release, Jai kindly came in and let us ask some silly questions.. This is edited. It had to be. Otherwise you would have had to read ten more pages of badly transcribed banter, though we had to leave the initial kerfuffle about coffee in but otherwise it’s the bare bones. Check it, below
Matt: Did you order the coffees yet?
Cormac: Nope, did you want me to?
Matt: No no..
Cormac: No, I’ll order them!
Matt: Mate you’re taking too long, we’ve been talking about it for the last half an hour, do your interview, i’ll order coffees… Hey siri, open sherwood
Cormac: f***s sake.. Alright, for some reason I’ve been asking people this, what did you have for breakfast?
Jai: What did I have for breakfast? You’re looking at it.. Coffee! Hah, this is all I ever have for breakfast.
Cormac: Ahh that’s it?
Jai: I used to have iced lattes..
Matt: What do you have now?
Jai: Just a Cappuccino
Matt: Healthier option I see..
Jai: It’s good, it wakes me up
Matt: Something about an iced latte with cream and ice cream.. I couldn’t do it. I’d be so sick..
Jai: (Laughs) I love an iced latte!
Cormac: I had coffee from a bag this morning
Matt: (groans)
Jai: What?
Cormac: It was like a single origin one from this company called St. Ali, they have this little contraption you put over your cup like a pourover thing.
Matt: Oh that’s better than what I was thinking..
Cormac: Nah it sucked..
Jai: My brother’s in Bali, and they just tried poop coffee.
Matt: (groans)
Jai: Yeah I would never.. Absolutely not..
Cormac: Is that where they feed a weasel coffee beans and wait till it sh*ts it out then they brew coffee with it?
Matt: (groans again, yells) F**k that!
Cormac: It’s a delicacy…
Matt: What is wrong with people? (laughs)
Jai: Anyway.. (laughs)
Cormac: Did you play any gigs over the weekend?
Jai: I did, I had three.. I played Sea Breeze..
Matt: Ahh *sebwreeease*
Jai: I had (pauses), ugh this always happens.. I had two other ones but I forgot them right now.
Cormac: (laughs)
Jai: Should I look it up? Yeah I’m gonna look it up because this is gonna annoy me!
Cormac: It’s just work, it’s fine.
(Awkward Silence.. )
Jai: Am I looking it up or what?
Cormac: If you like? Idk
At this point the conversation goes into a bit of shop talk about drunk crowds, venues and how we all need a pay rise (except for Cormac).
Cormac: Well, congratulations on finishing your song. I may have had a little sneak-peak at it.
Jai: How do you feel about it? Do you like it?
Cormac: I feel great about it, I reckon it’s sick!
Jai: It’s a bit different hey?
Cormac: So I know you had two tunes in the bag ready to go..
Jai: Yes..
Cormac: But this new one is coming out first?
Jai: Yes, it was a last minute decision.. I hadn’t even written the song yet and had this other release planned. But I’ve been out of the game for nearly a year now so I thought I best release something before *unreleased track* comes out. A little while ago I watched Euphoria and I just got this vibe from this certain scene.. So I quickly wrote something down to see what I could come up with.
Cormac: So it was one of those spur of the moment songs, one that takes half an hour kind of thing?
Jai: Yep, just bang it all out in one go. It was along the lines of something I’ve been through so I found it really easy to get it down. So yes a bit of a last minute decision, but I just called up Matt to lock in a session and then yeah..
Cormac: I heard it came together very quickly..
Jai: Yeah I’m pretty sure Matt had the whole instrumental down in the first session, it was insane!
Cormac: Oh, dude.. It’s always so nice when sessions go smoothly. I do think it’s a testament to the song. If you’re fumbling over the song it’s just a drag, you lose motivation..
Jai: Yeah definitely, I think it’s much easier when you find more of your sound, I remember the first song I did I was very much struggling with finding my own unique sound, but the second tune we did I knew exactly what I wanted.
Cormac: So that was ‘If Loving You Was Easy’ and ‘Teenage Runaway’?
Jai: Yes
Cormac: If you were putting these songs together would it be kind of Ep-ish or Album-ish? Is there a bit of a concept or undercurrent that ties them all together?
Jai: So the first three songs, including ‘Don’t Let Anybody Know’, I wouldn’t put them together.. But the next song *unreleased song* is the start of an EP.
Cormac: OOOOhhh
Jai: Yes, hot topic (laughing), Get excited Matt!
Matt: OK! I wasn’t listening but WOOOO
(Laughter)
Cormac: Do you have someone that inspires you vocally? Because you have very distinct vocal chops, it’s very impressive..
Jai: Thank you.. Well there is a certain singer..
Matt: (interrupts) is it me?
Jai: It is not Matt unfortunately… (laughing) But there is a singer, not many people seem to know about her and it upsets me, Tori Kelly.
Matt: Ahhhh she’s so good!
Jai: I know! I remember the first time I saw her sing, it was on the Ellen show and she did this song, acoustically, called ‘Dear No One’. I think I was fifteen or sixteen years old at the time and I just sat on my coffee table staring at her like ‘holy shit’. I was instantly obsessed!
Cormac: Should we be expecting a live original show anytime soon from Jai Jai?
Jai: Yes
Cormac: Yes?
Jai: Yesss. Before I release my EP thats in the making, I will do an acoustic original show. I love acoustic shows.
Matt: I’ll play bassoon.
The rest of the conversation is yet again riddled with inaudible banter about exotic instruments, tik tok and other random tangents. Long story short, go check out Jai Jai and her incredible music, there are some links below…