Check Out Jay Long’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay Long.

Jay, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Music has always been my passion. I just that I didn’t choose it, it chose me; however, when I go into detail about my story, it seems it really has chosen me.

I do quite a lot within the world of music. By day, I am an elementary music school teacher. By night, I am a queer performer, mental health advocate, songwriter/producer, multi-instrumentalist, community builder, and host!

On the weekends, I work within/around Queer Nightlife and have been building an organization called “Queer Moment” with some of my friends and collaborators. Great creation, and music, to me are surrounded by community. I believe in supporting and working around my communities as much as I can.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When it comes to building anything, there will be bumps and snags along the way. I don’t plan on doing anything in life perfectly, but I hope to do it with as much tact and grace as I can.

Within a world of more and more demanding social empathetic culture, there’s a lot of pressure to please and represent everyone. To make sure every person is heard and represented in everything you do; however, it is not humanly possible to please every single person…all the time. You’re going to make mistakes, and you’re going to fail at trying to make everyone happy with what you do.

I am learning more and more about the voices of others, and how to listen to and grow from them. If you are to ever take on positions of power in this world, this is an important skill to learn and develop.

I find it challenging to consider all things, with such cross-curricular work in my life. Working with children, queer adult nightlife, and being a genuine artist for myself, I have an incredibly difficult time navigating the social constructs around what I do.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a music artist. I live in the world of nightlife, and it is incredibly important to me that a real community exists around/ behind what you do as an artist. I strive to create music that tells real stories, that walks people through things that can maybe help them into a state of love: Love for themselves, love for the people around them, and love for how far they’ve come. I often call my tunes “mindful music,” and I hope to walk my listeners through a journey of finding love and beauty in the world.

I think what sets me apart from others is my striving and love for this community behind what I’m doing. This is also what I’m most proud of. My music is not just about me, and listening to me… it’s about the interesting individuals who come to the show. The folks who support and make it possible for me to even do this. The community of creative individuals inspires me on a weekly basis.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Something that I wish to share with readers: there is a special intersection in my life that shows up in many different facets. My father is a preacher, and I am blessed to be loved and supported by him and my religious family. I end up “preaching” a lot in my work, and it has helped me become who I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Jaylongofficial
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaylongofficial/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/c/jaylong

Image Credits
Greg Driscoll