local storiesJuly 15, 2025

Check Out Jayden Davis’s Story

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jayden Davis.

Hi Jayden , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Oakland, California, and raised in South Berkeley ever since the age of three. I attended Malcolm X Elementary School, which was full of artistic students with many different talents. When I was around nine years old, I attended the annual talent show, watching my friend play the piano inspired me to do the same.

Not too long after my parents signed me up for lessons and I began playing by ear. Throughout middle school, I played the clarinet in the jazz & classical band. I soon realized I liked playing ideas from my mind rather than performing written pieces. I quit the band in 7th grade, focusing on becoming a DJ.

Creating my first persona inspired by Deadmau5 & Marshmello. I hosted many dances at Longfellow as an amateur DJ, producing my music with the Novation app on my phone. Donning my DJ 9.5 name. The 9.5 stands for being halfway to being a perfect 10, so I am halfway there, but am perfectly myself. Then in 2017, I attended a music summer camp hosted by Dwayne Wiggins, where I learned the basics of music production, participated in live recording sessions, and set up live shows.

Since then, I’ve been researching music production, creating, and releasing multiple projects under different personas. When the pandemic hit, it gave me more than enough time to build my craft. Later in 2022, I began releasing music under my J.A.A.D persona, which stands for just another average day. It represents the forever-changing artistic style as a multifaceted creative and the many voices I have as an artist.

DJ 9.5 is channeled through my beat production. Anytime you hear the “Oh my 9.5” on any of my songs, it’s a beat I’m extremely proud of. Right now, my vision is to express myself through as many creative ways as possible. These past three years, I’ve fallen in love with fashion and learned how to style myself. And I am proud to say I am very comfortable with who I have become as an artist.

What most people don’t know is that behind all these sounds and personas is a deeper story. As a kid, I experienced absence seizures and was eventually prescribed Keppra. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what was happening to me, but I knew something felt off. The medication affected my memory, my energy, and over time contributed to a heavy fog of depression & suicidal ideation. I felt like I was losing pieces of myself, trying to function in a world that didn’t feel real.

Music became my lifeline. It was the one space where I could reclaim my voice, my identity, and my emotional truth. Even when I felt disconnected or misunderstood, I could turn to my creative process and feel whole again. The layered personas I created were different channels for separate emotions. J.A.A.D. allowed me to express the heaviness of everyday life, and DJ 9.5 was a reminder that I’m still growing, still evolving, and still worthy, even if I’m only halfway to “perfect.”

These challenges made me who I am. I’ve learned to transform my pain into sound, style, and story. Right now, my vision is to express myself through as many creative ways as possible, music, fashion, storytelling, all of it rooted in healing and honesty. I’m proud of the person I’ve become, not just as an artist, but as someone who found clarity and power through adversity.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been extremely challenging having to learn how to balance my own mental health and well-being while creating raw art. For many years I would only share my music in small circles with my family and friends. Dealing with social anxiety criplled me a little when it came to sharing my music. I eventually figured out how to become more confident through self-love and sharing my passion with others who have similar interests during my first year of college at Cal State Dominguez Hills

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
First and foremost, I am a music producer and vocalist. I sing, rap, produce, and edit my work. Secondly, I am a digital photographer, video editor, and graphic designer. I had taken a summer internship to learn graphic design and screen printing the following summer. In that same summer, I was doing deep research on style & multi-media artists, studying Takashi Murakami, Virgil Abloh, and Tyler the Creator, giving me a deeper understanding of style.
What sets me apart from others is my understanding of myself; I am me and no one else, and it shows through my style as an artist. I am truly unique. I don’t like to copy others fully because I would lose my creative originality, which would be the death of my spirit. You could look in a crowd at a concert and easily pick me out.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I always take risks every day. I don’t like the way our society is set up because it doesn’t support creative risk-taking. I have been taught to stay within the safe zone, get a degree, and get a safe job, and retire when that time comes. I am watching my parents struggle with that right now and it stresses them to the bone marrow. Having to deal with the social pressure of being an adult.

I have always done my best to find creative jobs or communities that align with my creative identity, rather than applying to McDonald’s or a fast food restaurant for a stable job. I spend all my money on my passions( fashion & music ) while also being experimental with naturally sourced drugs and exploring spiritual endeavors. I would rather give everything, my all, and pour my soul into art and music. I will never do anything else.

Pricing:

Mixing: $35 per song *PRICES Negotiable*
Music production: $50 per beat
Graphic design: $25 per image *PRICES Negotiable*
Styling $35 per session or $20 per hour

Contact Info:

Image Credits
The photo with Dwayne Wiggins was taken by my mom.

The Japanese garden at California State University Dominguez Hills, photo( blue camo) was taken by my friend Alberto

All other photos were taken by me

Suggest a Story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.