Interview with Rising Indie Artist Jay Elle hosted by Qween$Ching

My name is Jay Elle. I am a singer, songwriter, and guitar player. I write pop songs, most often appearing under the label “singer-songwriter.” The songs are a bit on the mellow side for the most parts these days. Since it’s only my guitar and myself at the moment you might say that the overall sound could also fit in the urban-folk category. I play a nylon string Ovation guitar which gives me a fairly unique sound. Think of it as a reprieve from the digital world for a moment, a vacation island for your ears.

I live in New York City. The city that never sleeps and where music doesn’t sleep either, not even for a catnap.

I admire anyone who writes well-crafted songs from Cole Porter to many contemporary writers you hear on the radio today, in all genre. Of course, I have my preferences, writers who combine lyrics and music in a very unique way, and happen to be amazing musicians and singers, some of which are now classics: Billy Joel, Freddie Mercury, Paul McCartney, Sting..

I am a big fan of Billy Idol, Katy Perry, Elvis Presley, Pink, Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Pat Benatar, Eric Clapton, Jay Z, Beyonce, etc... Add to that great composers like Bach, Chopin and Listz, to name only a few, and the linfluences and inspiration becomes endless. 

There is always a struggle as the industry folks, all of us really, have picked up rules along the way, such as “the title of the song should be repeated often,” or “lyrics should be relatable by as many people as possible.”.

In the case of “Twelve on Sunday,” my first single, the song voices a father’s concerns about his twelve year old daughter out there, by herself, on the streets. I understand how it might not appeal to a large audience by the rules I mentioned earlier, but it is more interesting to me, as a rarer subject matter, than a guy who’s girlfriend just left him.