Jay Portal came across our radar as many artists do, having to dig around the dirt to find gems and start supporting their growth as an artist. Jay had just dropped the' I'm not afraid of heights ' EP, which featured a mix of musical styles within a five-track EP. Standouts for me are 'Heights & Solitary mess.' The EP got me excited for whatever was to follow such a solid EP, and he has since released 'Trouble, Ghosts, and Target.' As for the song of the month 'Trouble,' do not let the happy ukulele chords fool you; this song slaps harder than Russian slap champion "The dumpling." The song details the only person who might beat him at his game, being standoffish and not wanting to commit again for fear of getting his heartbroken. The contrast of the happy chords and the distorted drums, paired with the dumpling slap snares, make for a song like no other. When the distortion enters the chat, it's like Jay truly realizes just how in over his head he is with this person.
"I thought it would be funny to have a really upbeat ukulele with a really heavy drop. As well as sad lyrics."
"I had enough/ she could see straight through my poker face/ way that she calling my bluff/ You know/ you can be the one that/ beats me at my own little fu***d up game."
Jay Portal has quickly become one of my favourite artists to listen to of late; we had the opportunity to ask Jay a little about life and also how the song came to be:
D: "What are some things you had to unlearn in 2021?"
J: "I think one of the biggest things I had to unlearn was that I don’t have to make music for other people. I used to think I couldn’t be successful in music unless I made music like other artists. I started to realize that if I genuinely enjoy it then others will as well. Throughout the year I had to remind myself of that during the creative process."
D: "What did you learn in 2021 that you want to take with you in 2022?"
J: "I think I learned that everything comes, goes and is just a continuous cycle. So even though a good feeling might be gone it’ll come back, and vice versa. Also remember to be grateful."
D: "Favourite drink? Alcoholic or not"
J: "Probably water and Coors Light. Maybe orange juice."
D: "Can you take us through the creative process of how the song came to be?"
J: "I thought it would be funny to have a really upbeat ukulele with a really heavy drop. As well as sad lyrics. The idea of the juxtaposition intrigued me so that’s what I went for. I also saw a Billy Corgan interview where he said the best songs are the ones that sound happy but when you take a closer look it’s actually a lot deeper and sad, so I took that into consideration."
D: "What life mystery do you wish you had the answer to?"
J: "I would say death but I feel like if I knew I wouldn’t have a reason to keep living. The mystery is what keeps me scared enough to keep living. So probably what’s going on in the Bermuda Triangle or something."
An artist to keep an eye out for in the new year, follow Jay Portal and stream his music in the Chill Rose Radio Essentials v4 playlist. I appreciate and love you if you made it this far, don't forget to drink more water.
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