Up and coming reggae singer Joby Jay seeks to empower women with music
Reggae music has always been known for how it uplifts diverse groups of people across the world; a genre that the soulful Jo Benée ‘Joby Jay’ Morris is using to inspire her audience.
Joby Jay is an up and coming reggae artiste, songwriter and photographer with a passion for empowering women through her music. From songs such as ‘Big Girl Ting’, ‘Queen’, ‘Headache’, ‘Mood’ and more, Joby Jay has been releasing anthems for females.
“I always knew that somehow I would do music. I’ve been singing ever since I knew myself. I did not just get up and randomly say that I’m going to be an artiste. I’ve done a lot of thinking and self-introspection,” Joby Jay told OBSERVER ONLINE. This deep appreciation and respect for music naturally led her to this industry.
Although primarily a reggae singer, her music is also heavily influenced by jazz, neo soul and afro-beats.
“I love the sounds that come out of Africa, when I listen to afro-beats, how they arrange their music and how African people sing, it feels like home so this is definitely something that will be coming out more in my future projects and singles,” expressed Joby Jay.
Joby Jay’s lyrical content stems from her life experiences, passions and contemplations that have particularly been found to be more relatable for women. The lyrics for her first single Big Girl Ting flowed naturally as a women’s empowerment anthem since Joby Jay prides herself on being a women’s advocate.
“I am very passionate about how I feel about women in terms of us being so special, valuable and worth it, so it automatically comes out in my music. I don’t try to do it, it just happens naturally,” explained Joby Jay.
Currently, her discography revolves primarily around women’s issues, love and social issues. Beyond being a talented vocalist, she also writes most of her songs and hopes to collaborate with other songwriters, producers and artistes in the future.
Her dream collaboration includes working with Jah9 who she really respects as a woman in the industry and has great adoration for her writing style, musicality and what she stands for. Joby Jay also hopes that one day she can collaborate with Mortimer and Royal Blu.
Joby Jay is also working towards becoming a more dynamic performer. To date, she has graced stages with the likes of Kabaka Pyramid, Chronixx, Beenie Man, Richie Spice, Judy Mowatt and Nadine Sutherland.
“I think my favourite performance has definitely been an all-female show for Jahria which was really amazing because I’m all about girl power,” said Joby Jay.
More music revolving the good and bad aspects of love is in the pipeline for Joby Jay who revealed that she is excited because she identifies as a hopeless romantic.
Fans of this up and coming reggae artiste can also look out for songs about pursuing your dreams, questioning the things around you, racial issues and more social commentary.
“I should be releasing an EP this year. I think it is gonna give people a deeper understanding of who I am and a more vulnerable, playful and sexual side of Joby Jay. My music is me, it’s not a front,” said Joby Jay.
As she continues to make a name for herself in the Jamaican music industry, Joby Jay strives to remain authentic.
“I want to be authentic and very intentional with the music I put out. Music is very powerful and with that knowledge, I don’t want to just say anything. It is also a very spiritual thing because you can listen to a song and it can change your entire mood,” she said.