We had the good fortune of connecting with Amy Jay and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amy, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
Being an independent musician is like pioneering into a new land – there is no template that can guarantee a result, and so much of the career is out of your control. The work you put in does not necessarily equal the financial or even emotional return. Besides that, the time and money resources it takes to pursue music all fall on the artist’s shoulders. Because no one person can do the job of a whole team, it requires serious prioritization and intentionality, and you will need to choose which balls that are okay to be dropped. This makes it hard to balance with life’s demands and also complicates answering big life questions like where to live, what work to do to supplement music, and what family looks like. Focusing on the things you can control, redefining your definition of success, pursuing support and not letting your career rule you are critical.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is an outflow of my brain’s chaos formed into melodic pieces of clarity. Songs have always been the way I’ve navigated through life, and it’s through music that I hope the common human experience resonates with others. This is the first year that I’ve gone fully freelance and it has been both a challenge and a gift. The stability is something I am still finding, and it took a while to make the jump since I had a comfortable office job but I needed the flexibility to devote to the craft. I knew to make the jump when I felt the pull clear as day. Right now I am learning to listen to my body and establish a new rhythm and routine. But I am happy to say that songs are still pouring out and I have found this year to be nourishing in so many ways I didn’t expect.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For a week long trip, and given that it is spring right now, I would recommend morning walks in Morningside or Central Park with coffees (or teas for me) in hand. One day after that we would go get a bagel from Bo’s nearby in Harlem and thrift our way through the city, ending up in Brooklyn where we would snack at all the amazing spots around and then catch a show at music hall, or my new favorite the sultan room. During the week we would likely stop by the galleries in Chelsea and walk the highline, go to the met, soho, west village, and really explore everything by foot as we go. There’s too many places to list here and too many neighborhoods to check out, so we would likely meander through and pop into places that catch our eye.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My sister has been such a support to me and we’ve been able to hold each other up through each pursuing our own businesses. Besides helping me with actual music career tasks, we’ve been able to process through all the stages of our life and careers up to this point. I think it is already a gift to have a sister, and the fact that she’s an entrepreneur too makes it all the sweeter.

Website: amyjaymusic.com

Instagram: instagram.com/amyjaymusic

Facebook: facebook.com/amyjaymusic

Youtube: youtube.com/amyjaymusic

Other: tiktok.com/@amyjaymusic

Image Credits
@bettycansnap @derymusic

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