Sometimes pain unlocks the potential in people and sets them on unimaginable paths. That’s the story of Lily Jay, an upcoming music artist from New Jersey. A few years ago, Lily’s biggest dream was to one day go to medical school and later become a pediatrician. Unknown to her, life had other plans waiting for her.
Lily knew she could carry a tune when she was very young. She started singing at church when she was three years old and living with her grandmother. Every time they went for choir practice, Lily would sit quietly in the pews and listen. She’d then repeat the songs to her grandmother later when they went home and she never got them wrong.
When Lily was 14, her grandmother had a stroke, and life as the duo had known it changed. Lily had to go into foster care, which was an awful experience. The formerly happy and ambitious girl became depressed and angry. And then, when she thought life could not get worse, her grandmother passed away.
The dark cloud that had descended on Lily only seemed to clear when she was singing the songs she’d sang in church with her grandmother. She started writing more songs, describing her loss and grief in her young life.
Right after high school, Lily moved to Miami, Florida, to pursue her music career. For the next year, she worked as wait staff in a café during the day and then spent the evenings in a popular nightclub. At first, all she wanted was to be around other people, but the pull of music proved too strong.
Throughout 2019, she performed live in the club twice a week and perfected her style. Lily draws inspiration from the 90’s R&B and pop legends to create her music. Her favorite artists include Stevie Wonder, Shania Twain, Toni Braxton, and Madonna.
For a while, Lily mostly did covers of her favorite artists’ songs but sometimes played one of her original compositions. Gradually, she perfected her vocals and started looking for more gigs. That’s when she met up-and-coming music producer Master G, who helped her with her first song, “When The Lights Went Out.”
The song was Lily’s tribute to her grandmother and the life lessons she’d picked along the way since her death. Lily’s impeccable song-writing skills and powerful vocals blend beautifully with Master G’s top-notch production skills to create a soulful masterpiece that evokes lots of emotions.
“When The Lights Went Out” debuted on Lily’s YouTube channel in December 2019. Within a week, it attracted 55K views and gained Lily 10K subscribers. People left encouraging messages in the comment section, many of them saying how the song resonated with them.
When the pandemic struck, Lily took her live performances to social media and established a strong presence. Every Friday, she held a 90-minute session where she played her audience’s favorite songs. The session was simulcast across YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
Although these sessions didn’t give her any monetary rewards, Lily says she has no regrets. “I will take any chance I can get to ease someone’s loneliness.” She also gained fans and followers who have helped her improve her craft. She now boasts 400k+ followers across different platforms and viewership of 2M+.
Right now, Lily is working on her debut album, as an independent artist, which will drop in early 2022. She calls it her coming of age album and promises it will be hot. She says, “It will be life- the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
hoodcriticmagazine.com 