Growing up surrounded by music, senior Jackson, or Jay Irvine, now utilizes his passion to create his own songs for the world. “It goes back to when I was a little kid. It probably started with my parents just showing me music. Eventually, it was just something I ended up wanting to do,” said Irvine.
Irvine “inherited a bunch of” his skill from his dad who used to play the drums and guitar, but he credits his music taste to his mom. In middle school, Irvine discovered a deeper interest in making music. He said he wanted to make “something that people resonated with.”
Irvine has released 22 songs beginning with “All For Me”, a single, in early 2020. His “first full-length project” was released in July of 2020, called “305”. For Irvine, it’s impossible to pick a favorite song. Although cliche, he said, “It’s like a parent choosing their favorite kid.”
He has come a long way from creating “underground mixtapes,” now reaching over 30,000 streams on Spotify for his song, “Blue”. It was released on June 4 and reached 1,000 streams after the first month. “I felt like it was going to do really well because I had this feeling in my chest, so it wasn’t super surprising but it was still super exciting,” said Irvine.
Irvine released his latest single “Miss U” on September 10. After one week, the song has over 1,000 streams on Spotify.
Irvine is currently working on an album expected to release sometime next year. He also has several songs underway.
Irvine tries not to determine his music by a specific style or genre because he “fuses a lot of different elements together.” However, his knowledge of music genres influences his style. Irvine often finds himself listening to rap, indie rock and alternative rock.
Inspiration comes from emotion for Irvine, who no longer writes his music before heading to the studio. “I try not to have a closed mind. I just let out whatever emotions I’m feeling at that time, what I’m feeling at that moment. I don’t even choose what I’m going to put out as far as what I’m going to sing or write until the production is done. It’s kind of just my workflow,” said Irvine.
Irvine’s favorite part about creating music is the energy and feelings he gets “not even just while making it but while listening to it because there’s so many different emotions you can feel, it’s pretty crazy,” said Irvine. He said “it’s a therapeutic thing, a vent” for himself.
Irvine knows that he will continue with music in his future. “My music means everything to me. It’s how I express how I feel because I’m not super good about talking about my feelings. Music’s the best way that I can do that,” said Irvine.
His music can be found on multiple platforms including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud and Deezer by searching Jay Irvine.