From Diamond Records to New Beats: Jay Sean’s Enduring Legacy and the Release of ‘Body’

When “Down” broke through the airwaves and music channels all around back in 2019, It was the beginning of a fruitful career journey for Jay Sean. The infectious song, which featured a verse from Lil Wayne and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number three on the UK Single Charts, became the song which broke the British South Asian singer into the mainstream. Now, almost two decades later, Jay is still basking in all that he has been able to achieve so far since then. The song, which was recently certified Diamond by the RIAA in the United States, is one of many milestones he has achieved in his career thus far.

With no signs of slowing down, he is back with his second release of the year, ‘Body’. The Afrobeats-inspired track is made for the end-of-day vibes and continues the slate of new music he has on the horizon. As someone who has always been able to diversify his musical talents, he is still delivering and has no plans to slow down.

Speaking to Jay Sean, we spoke about everything from the legacy of “Down”, the new single, his longevity, maintaining his creativity and everything he has in store for the future.

Hi Jay, Congrats on the release of your new single “Body”. Can you tell us about what inspired this song and how it came about?

I think with this one I just wanted to make something that felt good. I’ve always been drawn to melody and records that make you feel something, but this was really about taking that and putting it over something that makes you want to move. It came together naturally.   There wasn’t too much overthinking; it was just about catching a vibe.

The vibe of the song feels great for summer as it is coming to an end. What was the headspace and vibe you were in when making it?

Honestly, exactly that - summer, good energy, being around people you love, being somewhere warm and just enjoying life. I wanted something you could hear at a beach club, in the car, on holiday, wherever - and it instantly puts you in a better mood. Sometimes music doesn’t need to be that complicated!

The song has an Afrobeats feel and vibe. What drew you towards that influence?

I’ve loved what’s been happening with African music for a long time because there’s such an incredible sense of rhythm and melody to it. And those are two things I’ve always naturally gravitated towards in my own music. So it never felt like, “Right, now I’m going to make an Afrobeats record.” It was more about taking those influences and blending them with what I naturally do melodically and as a pop R&B artist.

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You’ve already released “All We Know”, and this is the second single we’ve gotten from you this year. What can we expect from the music you’ve been working on?

I think this year I’m deliberately keeping the energy up. All We Know had that Afrohouse energy, and this record continues that feel-good, uptempo direction. I’ve done plenty of heartbreak and slow jams over the years! Right now I’m enjoying making music that makes people want to dance, go out, travel, live a little. So there’s definitely more of that coming.

Your single “Down” went Diamond, which is a significant achievement. As you are now in your career, what does this moment mean for you, and how do you feel about the song as you look back to that particular time when you made the song? 

The incredible thing about writing a song is that you never really know its destiny. You can believe in it, you can feel like you’ve made something special, but once you release it into the world, it almost takes on a life of its own. To think back to being in the studio simply trying to write the best song I could, and then see that same record go on to break records, make history and still connect with people all these years later is quite surreal. Those are things you could never plan for or manufacture. I think with experience you learn just how rare those moments are, so more than anything, I look back on it with a huge amount of gratitude.

You’ve always represented South Asian artists in the music space. What has that representation meant to you, and how have you seen it change?

When I started, there really wasn’t a blueprint for someone who looked like me doing mainstream Western pop and R&B. So initially I was trying to get through the door myself. But as my career grew, I realised that every door you open hopefully stays a little wider for the person coming behind you. Now I look at the amount of South Asian talent coming through globally, and it’s amazing. There’s still work to do, but compared to when I started, the conversation has changed massively.

What does being a “cultivator” mean to you and building the career you’ve had?

For me, cultivating something is about building it over time. A career like mine wasn’t one moment or one song - it’s been over 20 years of learning, adapting, taking risks, getting things wrong, getting some things right and continuing to grow. And now part of that is hopefully helping cultivate the next generation too. Success means a lot more when you can use what you’ve learned to help somebody else. 

What fuels or inspires your creativity at this current moment?

Life, more than anything. At this stage I’m not chasing what I think I’m supposed to sound like. I’ve been fortunate enough to have already achieved things I never imagined I would, so creatively there’s a freedom in that. If something excites me, I follow it. And weirdly, that freedom has probably made me more creative than ever. 

 How has your process and outlook on creativity shifted throughout the years?

I think I trust my instincts much more now. When you’re younger, you can get caught up in what’s happening, what radio wants, what the industry wants, what everyone else is doing. These days I know myself as an artist much better. If it feels good, I trust that.

You went on tour in 2024. How did that experience feel compared to previous tours?

I’m constantly doing shows - I tend to keep them to weekends now wherever I can. At this stage of my life, I prefer not to spend months away from my family. I absolutely love performing, and that will always be a huge part of who I am, but I also want to be present as a dad. My kids are growing up ridiculously fast, and these are precious years that you don’t get back. So it’s really about finding that balance - I still get to travel the world and perform, which is my favourite part of what I do, but hopefully without missing too much of what matters most at home.

After all these years, what is still your favourite part of making music?

That moment when you know you’ve got something. You can be sitting in a studio with absolutely nothing, and a few hours later there’s a song that didn’t exist before. After all these years, that still feels like magic to me. And then eventually hearing thousands of people sing something back to you that started as an idea in your head; I don’t think that ever gets old.

What would you say has been a highlight moment in your career?

There have been so many moments I’m grateful for, but performing at Madison Square Garden will always be up there. Growing up in Britain, you hear about these iconic American venues, and MSG is almost mythical. So to come from where I came from, cross the Atlantic and eventually stand on that stage performing my own music was one of those moments where I genuinely thought, “How did I end up here?” That one will always stay with me.

You’ve got some exciting things coming up. What can you tell us about them?

A lot is happening. Obviously, there’s more music coming, and I’m really enjoying this new run of records and the sound I’m exploring. But I’m also developing some things outside of music that I’m really excited about -particularly in the TV and podcast space. I’ve spent most of my life telling stories through three-minute songs, so I’m enjoying finding completely different ways to tell stories now too.

At this stage in your career, what does this particular time feel like and what are you most excited about?

It feels like a really nice chapter because I’m not trying to prove anything anymore. I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve achieved, but I’m also still hungry creatively- just in a different way. I get to make music because I genuinely love making music, explore new ideas, help other artists and still walk onstage and do what I’ve loved doing for over 20 years. There’s a freedom in this stage of the journey that I’m really enjoying.

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