For the fifth week in a row, The Launch put a spotlight on Canadian music, and one talented music maker was given the opportunity to take their career to the next level. And it very much looks like Jayd Ink is on her way to a new level with Codes.
Scott Borchetta and his week 5 mentors, Grammy nominees, Julia Michaels and Ian Kirkpatrick, found something different in Jayd Ink, a more R&B feel than they have been used to in the series, in a singer who knew exactly who she was as an artist, and what she needed from a song she was going to record and release.
We caught up with Jayd Ink to talk about the show, the song, and what's coming next from her.
Like many of the singers on The Launch, she isn't new to the music business and this isn't the start of her career. Jayd Ink has played shows all over Toronto, and as far away as Japan, releasing her 2015 EP, Invitation Only, as well as 2016 singles, Truth Is, Deep Under, and Darkskin. But even with that experience under her belt, she admitted that the audition on The Launch was different.
She knew that she was walking into the room with a chance to do something special... and told us that the feeling she got from Borchetta, Michaels, and Kirkpatrick was really warm and receptive. She also told us that she had to get used to the room and process, working to ignore the cameras all over the place and focusing on her job as a singer and performer.
We asked Jayd Ink about making music and her favourite part of the process. As a songwriter first, it was no surprise to hear her tell us that the creation of a song is her favourite part. Creating and putting together melodies and lyrics is number one for her, followed by taking a song to the recording process, the completion and the realization of her thoughts, feelings, words, and art.
While we were on the phone with Jayd, we got her to play a round of 5 Quick Questions with us. Here we go...
5 Quick Questions with Jayd Ink
Q1) Do you remember the first song you performed?
Jayd Ink) She couldn't remember the name of the song, but it was a reggae track... and she was able to sing me a few bars on the phone.
Q2) What was the first album you bought?
Jayd Ink) The Roots
Q3) Do you have a dream collaboration partner?
Jayd Ink) Pharell Williams
We talked about Pharell's ability to evolve and work with all kinds of music dating back to N.E.R.D., and on a year-to-year basis now. It's no surprise that Jayd Ink would want to work with Williams.
Q4) Is there a City or Venue at the top of your wish list?
Jayd Ink) Air Canada Centre in Toronto and Madison Square Garden in New York City
Q5) Is there an artist that you think people should be listening to more?
Jayd Ink) Sabrina Claudio, who has a great sound and vibe, and she believes that people should be listening to her music.
We asked Jayd Ink about her music, what comes next, and what she wants people to hear. She told us that she's been working tirelessly on new music to release, making trips to New York to record, and putting a plan in place for a release. She knows that this next step is an important one, and that following up Codes with something that is fully prepared and polished and ready for the world is required to capitalize on this momentum.
She also told us that she hopes people will find and enjoy her previously released tracks, including Darkskin (September 2016) which she counts as an important, personal, and powerful record.
Have a listen...
As an independent artist, Jayd Ink is used to working closely with every single thing she does in music. It's why it was so important to her to collaborate (much like Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine did on Ain't Easy) on Codes, to make it feel like it was her song, to find the compromise between pop and R&B (which she is grateful to Ian and the team for allowing her to find).
She told us that she does feel like Codes became hers and that she really loves what they were able to do with the bridge. And as music fans, and supporters for artists, we're glad that she was able to make that happen and find that compromise on the song.
Codes was written by Meghan Kabir, Frequency, Ferras, and Jayd Ink, and produced by Ian Kirkpatrick.
