Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay Steel.
Jay, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Honestly, ever since I was a kid, I’ve always felt really comfortable in front of a camera because of my dad. My dad always took pictures and videos ever since I was born. Not only to save them for memories but would use his creativity to make documentaries, mini-movies, and highlight reels from what he captured behind the lens. My Mom was a model when she was 18 and did a lot of runway shows but I was blessed enough to have both my parents in the entertainment industry for over 15 years. My Dad used to work for Universal Records and my Mom used to work for Paramount Pictures. So I was around the industry almost all my life but I never really paid any mind to it because all I wanted to do was skateboard and play basketball.
I was born and raised in LA for 16 years but in 2014, we made a huge move to Houston, TX to be closer to my dad’s family. We stayed in a city called Missouri City and spent 4 of my formative years there (sophomore, junior, and senior year especially). At the time basketball was more than a passion of mine, it was a lifestyle and all I wanted to do was play in college. With all my hard work, I was blessed with an opportunity to come back LA to pursue a basketball dream.
So I took the giant leap! Bought an 80 dollar one way ticket back home and moved back to LA by myself. I was going to junior college at the time and was staying with a lady that caters to out of state players that wanted to be on the team. At the time, I was going out to eat everyday and buying groceries because she didn’t feed us, I didn’t have a car so I was taking an Uber to school everyday, and on top of that had to balance school, basketball, and rent!! I was spending money everyday till unfortunately, I went broke. I had to drop out of school, drop out of basketball and move out of the house I was staying in. But while all this was happening, I started modeling and making music!!
Modeling literally saved my life! That’s when my whole life changed. Going broke and dropping out made me find a new passion but also one of my best friends saved my life too. Jarrick Wenslow is a professional photographer out of North Hollywood who took a chance on me and took the time out to really help me find a new passion. I fell in love with being in front of the camera and realized that I am very photogenic, so I started taking it more seriously. It brought me nothing but amazing opportunities, friends, and culture to my life that I wouldn’t change for the world.
While I was staying with my teammates, my homie Andre would always make beats on his laptop whenever we got home from practice. He’s been making beats for years and I was always interested in how beats were made because I’m a huge music junky. So we would sometimes stay up for hours at the computer coming up with beats, melodies and hooks. As he showed me how to break down a beat and find the right melodies, I started to fall in love with making music. Later on that year, I met one of the illest music engineers named Yung Cj Sounds who invited me to his studio and as soon as I started recording, I thought it was the most therapeutic thing I’ve ever experienced!! That’s When JAY STEEL was born.
My parents set the blueprint for me. I just had to figure out the signs.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Truthfully, when you’re working on achieving your dreams, it’s never smooth. Everything happens for a reason and I really feel like God wanted me to go through the trials n tribulations. There’s always beauty in the struggle and sometimes you have to fail to really understand your purpose in life! I’ve encountered so many struggles whether that be me sleeping from couch to couch or facing periods of time where I’m flat broke, it’s always worth it to me! I would rather struggle pursuing something I love and am passionate about than doing something that I’m “supposed to do”.
Being an artist, let alone a person in this day and age, is really tough. Putting your passion out on full display for everyone to see is really scary, especially since I dedicate my life to these things. I caught myself for the longest time, not releasing anything because I was afraid that people wouldn’t appreciate it or that it wasn’t good enough.
Luckily I’m so blessed to have a solid group of friends who I call brothers, who always support and push me to break barriers every opportunity I get.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
The one thing that really sets me apart from others is that I’M MORE THAN A MUSIC ARTIST AND A MODEL!! My life goal is to be a renaissance man like Kanye West, Travis Scott, Will Smith, Jamie Foxx! I know you’ve heard the saying “The Sky Is The Limit” Well, I never want to limit myself with anything I do in my life because once I do that. I won’t be as successful as I want to be! Where I’m from, you have to go past the sky! You have to shoot for the stars and aim for the moon!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I’m currently constructing my EP right now called “FAVORED” coming in 2021 where Houston trap meets LA R&B. I’ve had this concept for over a year now and I just can’t wait till it comes out cause this is just the beginning. I’m looking forward to more life, more opportunities, more of my dreams accomplished and elevating not just as a person, but as JAY STEEL.
Contact Info:
- Website: jarrickwenslowvisuals.com
- Email: Jaysteelmusic@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jxysteel/
Image Credit:
Jarrick Wenslow
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