JayWhit is a Virginia R&B singer that aims to provide listeners soulful transparency and confidence. Jaywhit released his first single in 2020, T.F.Y.C., and dropped his first full-length album Dating Diaries last year. The sixteen-track album debuted at number five on Apple Music's R&B Charts due to its relatable themes of confronting lying partners, love, lust, and being one with proper intentions. On May 27, JayWhit will perform with fellow The Collectiv3 members Mo and JaiBean at Brambly Park for an outdoor brewery show. The Collectiv3 is a group of singers that has profound chemistry with each other and the On The Spot Band. As JayWhit acheived quick success in music, he strives to sustain that success and plans to keep it going.
JG: What influenced your feature choices for Dating Diaries? It has features from artists such as Skuzii, MO, Del Ro'yale, and Unix.
JayWhit: I’m a big believer in putting my fellow artists and musicians on! It’s always better to go together than by yourself you know? I have a relationship with each and every feature you hear and I truly believe in their creative craft. Each of them brought a unique thing to my album like I knew they would. This is not even half of the talent we have in VA!
JG: How was the recording process of Games featuring Skuzii? It's a highlight of Dating Diaries as the sound resembles the 2000s R&B sound. I instantly felt a blend of Jamie Foxx's vocals and the production ear of mid to late 2000s Usher.
JayWhit: Honestly, I wrote games for total fun. I have a friend that randomly texted me and asked me to write a song about a guy playing games in a relationship. So I literally went into my studio and wrote the song. Just talking some good shit and who’s a better shit taller than Skuzii! The man can literally rap on anything! He’s definitely one of my favorite rappers. I wanted to have that 2000s R&B/Hip-Hop feel we used to hear as kids. You don’t see too many singers and rappers' R&B hits anymore, especially in the male leagues.
JG: I appreciated the skits in Dating Diaries. Some of the skits discussed interesting topics such as the importance of sex in relationships and how important the mind-body connection is when establishing the perception of a situation.
One song that I do believe expands on those topics greatly is Intentions. That song starts off with being hesitant to physical intimacy as you express a greater interest in learning about someone. You rather fall in love with someone rather than fall in lust with someone. Intentions are big in relationships. When a relationship of any kind begins, do you believe intentions have to be made right away, or can you go with the flow up to a certain point in time?
JayWhit: I believe it depends on the connection you have with the person. You have to be careful with most people because not all people do everything with good intent. This is what we’re saying in the song, “tell me what you wanna do..." Be straight up with what you’re asking or wanting.
JG: What is the greatest love song to you and why?
JayWhit: The Lady In My Life by Michael Jackson, hands down. The feeling, the vocals, the musicality of it all. Michael is the GOAT.
JG: If you had to compare where you're at now with your music versus when you began, what has changed about the man behind the art?
JayWhit: Wow. This is a great question. I would say my confidence in who I am as an artist. I would have never imagined being in the top five in R&B on Apple Music when I dropped this. Not to say I didn’t believe in myself, but you know there are a lot of artists in the world but to just start in the game and I was top five…. it's unbelievable. God is great man! I plan on taking over R&B. People will know JayWhit soon enough! I just can’t wait for the rest of the world to catch on. These past two years have been nothing but manifestation and prayers coming to fruition!
JG: You performed last month at The Beacon Hill Center in Chesterfield. It featured a mix of harmonious sounds with singers such as Bri Shavelle, Taylor G, and Jai Bean alongside you captivating the venue with soulful vocals. What did performing at the Beacon Hill Center mean to you?
JayWhit: Man, without my guys in On The Spot Band, it wouldn’t have happened. A special shout out to my main man Jeremy “Stix” Evans and Anthony McCray for helping me with the music production and behind-the-scenes work for the show. The Beacon Hill Center was a much bigger space for my own personal show than it was last year at Sunday Service Soul Food so I was very excited as I planned to do a bigger show this year and continue to book bigger each year! The energy was eclectic in there man! Honestly, you just had to be in the room and it was a night full of love and music! Definitely one for the books as far as starting my music career!
JG: What was the best no that you have ever received and why?
JayWhit: The best no I’ve received thus far was for a collaboration with one of my favorite artists happened. Without putting him under the bus, I contacted a well-known R&B artist to collab with Joyride but unfortunately was declined. He didn’t give any feedback. He just said it didn’t fit him. It surprised me because I would think listening to his music, he would have definitely felt the vibe. All in all, he made me go back and challenge myself lyrically and vocally. Then I asked my boy Unïx to hop on it and it turned into a masterpiece. Joyride is my favorite song on Dating Diaries.
JG: Who are some indie artists that you would want to shout out?
JayWhit: Del Ro’Yale, Jai Bean, Mo, ShaelaSoul, Taylor G, & On The Spot Band.
He can be found on all social media @jaywhitmusic . Listen to Dating Diaries on Apple Music. Buy tickets for the Brambly Park show.
Written by: Jay Guevara. @justinhisprime on all social media.