Jay Alan
Jay Alan is kicking off the new year with a new banger titled “Got Feelings”. With the help of friend and collaborator Travis Heidelman, Alan created a brilliant and colorful pop record inspired by a past relationship.
“Got Feelings” has been on repeat ever since I heard it for the first time. The production is brilliant, Jay’s vocals are smooth and the chorus is catchy as hell. “Got Feelings” is a smash and it gets better each listen :)
I’m super excited to get to feature Jay and this new single. He’s definitely an artist I will keep an eye on.
“Got Feelings” is now available worldwide.
Photo credit: Robert Frashure
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
I was born and raised in Lafayette, Indiana, and from a very young age knew I was gay and wanted to be a musician. Being from the midwest, I struggled for many years to figure out how to actually make that dream become reality. It truly takes a village, and I was blessed to meet some incredible mentors in middle and high school that could help me find my path. My first songwriting teacher and producer were both Berklee alums, and that’s how I got my eyes set on actually coming to Berklee. In my first semester as a student, I met Travis Heidelman and immediately hit it off. Our sounds as musicians meshed so perfectly, and with him also being gay, we were able to see each other’s art from the same perspective. I’ve been consistently releasing music since my senior year of high school, and have known for many years that my next big step as an artist was to release an EP. I still have “pinch-me moments” that I’m so close to reaching that goal, and I often wonder what younger Jay would think about how far I’ve come. I know he would be really proud.
What did you grow up listening to?
My dad was usually the one to drive me to and from school, and he actually listened to 90s R&B the most. I think it’s pretty funny that I turned out to be a gay pop artist, but I often wonder how the R&B helped to shape my sound. Both of my parents were also huge fans of Ben Folds and went to his concerts every time he was nearby. He was a big reason I fell in love with the piano, and definitely inspired the way I see songs as stories.
When did you start singing and writing songs?
My parents always say I was singing as soon as I could speak, but I didn’t start taking voice lessons until I was about 13. Before then, I guess I didn’t think that a gay kid from Indiana could actually make a career in the music industry. Around then is when I also started posting covers on my YouTube channel, and after a year or two of singing other people’s songs, I wanted to sing my own. I’ve written short melodies and lyrics ever since I was small—and have some pretty embarrassing videos of it—but actually finishing a song is an entirely different beast. I happened to live next to a Berklee Alum who had a degree in songwriting, and taking lessons with her throughout high school definitely helped me to hone in my skills.
At what point did you know you had to be an artist and release your original music?
I released my first single as a senior in high school, and I think it was just a natural progression of events. After taking voice lessons for years and finding some success on YouTube, the songwriting teacher I mentioned before helped me connect with a Berklee Alum producer in LA. I definitely didn’t know what I was doing at the time, but I’d written some songs I really loved that I wanted the world to hear. I didn’t even care how many streams my first single would get, partly because I saw how views worked on Youtube and didn’t want to expect too much. However, to my surprise, it passed 100k streams in the first two weeks, and now has more than 1.3 million on Spotify. With that being my first song, it definitely affirmed that this is the correct path for me, and also helped me to focus more on my actual music than the numbers.
Who was the first person to ever believe in you?
Definitely my mom and dad equally. My parents have both completely supported me my entire life, and that really goes a long way when you’re gay and also trying to be a musician. They always encouraged me to do what makes me happy, but I know they’re also genuine fans of my music. It makes my heart happy to see them always get so excited for my new releases, and they’re both absolute rocks for me when I get overwhelmed with my career and the industry.
What biggest lessons have you learned since the beginning of your career?
I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned is to just let things happen when they should and trust the process. Especially when I was living in Indiana, I put a lot of pressure and blame on myself to be more successful or further along in my career. I have a tendency to compare myself to other artists my age and go to school with, and it’s still a struggle for me to just focus on the “now.” Sometimes I just have to remind myself why I started singing and writing music in the first place, and it was never about numbers or record deals or money; it was for me.
"Got Feelings" is your new single - what's the story behind this new single?
“Got Feelings” actually began as a story about Travis’s ex. Travis was a huge part of this song and EP, and I was so ecstatic to finish this story with him. What’s interesting about this song is I just lost a best friend to his own unrequited love for me, and this release seems somewhat ironic now. What was written from my perspective about an ex, I now see through his eyes about me. This song is an interesting one for me, and I already know people will be able to relate to the narrative.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this single? How was it like to work with Travis Heidelman on this song?
This song was actually the first that Travis and I both wrote and recorded remotely. Because of the pandemic, we faced a lot of obstacles as an artist and producer, the biggest being that I couldn’t just go in-person to the studio. Thankfully, I already had a nice microphone, and was able to set up a little home studio in my apartment closet. He has a program called “AudioMovers” that allows him to remotely take control of my laptop and record me in real-time. There was a little bit of a learning curve for the both of us, but it actually turned out to be a really convenient and efficient way to create music together, even being across the country. We actually still used this method occasionally when we were working on the EP in Boston, and I’m sure we’ll continue down this path since he’s graduated and back in LA now.
What made you want to release "Got Feelings" as a single?
When we began working on “Got Feelings,” I think both me and Travis felt like this was really the record of the EP. Some of the other songs have a more stripped, laid-back vibe, and we really wanted to go big with this one. The session ended up having 170 tracks in total—Travis’s biggest session to date—and with vibrant vocoders and even a key change at the end, “Got Feelings” just naturally became our single. We wanted to be loud and impactful, and this song seemed like it would preface the EP wonderfully.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
This artwork was actually shot when I was living in LA during the pandemic by a photographer named Robert Frashure (AKA Bob of Scotland). He also shot the artwork for my last single “End of the Chapter,” and it felt cohesive to have another colorful, distorted visual to lead into the EP. The venue was in DTLA, and was actually a really interesting setup; it was basically just a big, open room with specific areas color blocked with every color of the rainbow. Orange is my favorite color, and it felt correct for the spirit of this song to be represented in that way.
What can you tell us about your upcoming EP?
I can’t even begin to explain how excited I am for everyone to hear this new EP. Travis and I have worked on this project for upwards of two years, and we can’t believe it’s finally about to be out in the world. When I first started moving into the pop realm of music a couple years ago, I never really knew how to express what I wanted my sound to be. Travis even joked with me that I’m not great at telling him what I want, but I’m really good at saying no and what I don’t like. He’s a really great mind-reader, because when we finished this project, I sat back and thought, “Damn, this is the music I’ve always wanted to make.” Even typing this now I get chills because it really has been a long time coming, and I can’t believe this music is mine.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
I think the music industry as a whole is flawed, but the biggest thing I would change right now is how songwriters are paid. Streaming services like Spotify basically have a monopoly on the industry, and largely help determine what is successful and how musicians are compensated. I remember seeing a statistic that songwriters are paid $0.003-0.005 per stream, and that’s usually not even enough to pay rent, even if you write a smash hit song. I’m very much under the thought that lyrics come first, then vocals and production can follow, and it just isn’t fair that songwriters—the bones of music—are being taken advantage of.
Do you remember a specific time in your life where music made a huge impact?
Maybe it’s cliché to say, but music makes a huge impact in my life every single day. Music is the air I breathe, and I think about it and my career the majority of my waking hours. This industry is cutthroat, and you can’t become successful nowadays by just kind of wanting it—you have to live it and really NEED to make it because it’s just what you do. Maybe I can err on the obsessive side, but that’s just how my brain is hardwired and I know it’ll take me all the way.
What advice would you give to artists?
Especially to songwriters, but all artists in general, my best advice is to stay true to you. When I was first starting out, I noticed that I was making music based on what I thought people wanted to hear, rather than what I needed to say. At the end of the day, it does no good to make music that another artist is already making, because someone else is already doing it. It’s better to write YOUR words in YOUR sound, even if you have door after door closed on you, because that’s what makes you unique and special. One day, the right person will hear you and think it’s the best thing ever, and you can’t do that if you’re just a copycat of someone else.
What biggest life lesson have you learned these past few years?
I think the biggest life lesson I’ve learned is that you can’t define your happiness or self-worth by “making it.” Sometimes I get into the habit of thinking if I could just have a song go viral or get signed to a major label, then I’ll be happier and finally stop worrying about my career. I guess in some ways that stability would bring me some peace, but I’ll always want more—more streams, more fans, more money... there’s really no final destination to reach. Because of that, I’ve learned (and am still learning) to try and just enjoy the process and focus on creating and releasing the most authentic music for me in the present.
What are the things you are proud of?
When it comes to my music, I’m not really sure what I’m proud of. I could sit here and name off the amount of streams I’ve had and venues I’ve sold out, but I don’t think that actually matters in the long run. Rather, I’m proud of myself and how unapologetically I stand for the LGBTQ+ community. I’m proud that I sing love songs with he/him pronouns, and don’t feel the need to hide my sexuality. When I was growing up, I didn’t really have any gay pop culture icons to look up to, or even just be exposed to. I came out at 13, and I know that’s pretty young, but I struggled so much even thinking being gay was normal. Artists like Lil Nas X, are helping to smash a barrier between the LGBTQ+ community and the general population, and I hope one day I can have a similarly profound effect on queer youth.
What message do you want to deliver to the LGBTQ+ community?
First and foremost, I see you, and I love you. Be unapologetic. Be loud. Be PROUD. You are perfect exactly as you are, and there is so much strength to be had when we stand together in this community. I hope my music can help create a space for especially queer youth to feel represented and understood. Being gay is normal. Being trans is normal. Being non-binary is normal. Sexuality and gender is NOT black and white, and thinking of it as a binary is NOT NORMAL. They’re both spectrums, and no matter where you fall on that spectrum, you are created exactly how you were meant to be.
Connect with Jay: