Discover... Jaydonclover
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Image Credit: Ashleigh Charles aka @96.chsa
We first heard about Jaydonclover when she featured in Guap Mag’s “UK R&B: Where Is The Noise?”; a documentary on the lack of coverage about UK R&B. The conversation around R&B (made by Black artists) is rarely ever sustained or even acknowledged in the mainstream however, this isn’t to say good music isn’t being made. This applies to past WFA Alumni like Joe Budden co-signed Emmavie and Kadeem Tyrell who have been releasing consistently great R&B over the past few years.
The same can be said for Jaydonclover; an artist whose voice glides over any melody with ease, regardless of whether she’s talking about the not-so-sweet ending of relationships.
We got to talk more about her music career so far, the music industry in her native Birmingham and how being in lockdown impacted her.
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Finish the sentence: “Jaydonclover is…..”?
...coming for your fourth and fifth rib — which is the quickest way to a man’s heart.
When did you realise you wanted to pursue music as a career?
Forever. It just took me finding my balls to actually do it, which was in 2017 with my first official release London at Dawn.
The music industry in the UK is very London-focused. Tell us a bit more about the music scene in Birmingham. (First, generally and then more specifically on R&B).
The music scene in Birmingham I’m aware of is the Lofi/Hip-Hop side with the likes of Franklin Armstrong, and dylantheinfamous. The originality, work ethic and inclusivity is inspiring and extremely welcoming. More recently, I’ve been introduced to the R&B side with KayFaraway, ROMderful, Kea and Katus Myles; this side of the scene mirrors the Lofi scene and opens the genre to alternative R&B, house, trap and elements of drill.
Your track “ I Wish You”, is one of the most beautiful tracks we’ve heard in a long time. Take us through how that song came together, from lyrics to melody to production.
I began writing I Wish You after a “Mr. Nice Guy” revealed his true colours and I knew I wanted to write something really cheeky but subtle; and along came the hook. From there I built on the story and Dylan, the producer, loved the concept so I carried on.
The video for it is as dreamy as the song and was released just as Lockdown in the UK was announced. How has your creativity been impacted during this time?
To be honest, quarantine allowed me to take a well deserved break from music and recoup, and prepare for the next run of my musical journey. I have had a few periods of writer's block but I like to ride it out and explore other hobbies, like drawing and binge watching season after season on Netflix.
You released an EP earlier this year called “Recovering Lover”, what was the inspiration for the project?
The main inspiration was my love for creating stories, especially ones that revolve around a hopeless romantic. Growing up listening to the likes of Erykah Badu, Destiny’s Child and Aaliyah who would often sing about men leaving them heartbroken and “playing” them also played a huge part in the writing and piecing together Recovering Lover.
Also, mid-2019 Dylan had sent me a batch of beats, and when I receive a batch of beats I like to try and write to them all, and I always start with a hook. Every hook on the EP came together within the space of a month, and all the beats but one were used for the EP.
Looking around at your peers or even influences, who would you most like to work with on creating a track? And even a collaborative project?
RADA, Bel Cobain, Etta Bond and definitely a collaborative project [with] Orion Sun - that would be a dream.
And finally, as an artist, when do you feel like you would have reached success? Is it something tangible in this industry?
When I’m happy; when I know I’ve reached my final form and I’m able to fulfil my purpose both as an artist and as a black woman. The industry would play a big part, but it’s all dependent on how I continue my career.
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Huge thanks to Jaydonclover for giving us an insight into her artistry. Be sure to keep up with her on socials below:
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