UK R&B star Jay Sean is the latest act to sign with New Orleans label Cash Money.
Slim and Baby Williams’ Cash Money label is the hottest Indie in the US right now. The big success this year was the Lil Wayne ‘The Carter III’.Jay was the benefactor of one of the last of the big money deals when he signed to Virgin Records in 2004 for £1m.
He recorded his latest album ‘My own Way’ his own way, on his own Jayded Records, and has now signed with Cash Money for the US release of the album.
I caught up with Jay Sean for an update of his career.
PAUL CASHMERE: How did you come to be on Cash Money Records?
JAY SEAN: I was working with a production outfit called The Orange Factory. They are the guys who did three quarters of my album. I was working with them in New York where they are based and they care good friends with Slim and Baby from Cash Money. He was talking to Slim, Slim asked him what he was working on and he said “Jay Sean from London”, so Slim said send some stuff over. Literally, within a week, Slim called and said he wanted me to come to Miami and meet the family. So we talked business and signed the deal.
PAUL CASHMERE: Cash Money is an amazing success story in the music biz right now.
JAY SEAN: Incredible. Their work ethic is Work, Work, Work, Rest and you’re dead. They keep grinding. They keep working. They don’t rest of their laurels. A lot of people fall off when they have the success, they go and party and chill. Cash Money don’t. They carry on working. That is the way my philosophy is as well. I’ve been doing this for 7 years. After 7 years I get signed to a label in America, but thank-God I got signed to the biggest label I could imagine at the moment, because I hung in there.
PAUL CASHMERE: You once had a huge deal from Virgin Records.
JAY SEAN: That's right. I signed a record deal with Virgin 5 years ago. I had one album out of Virgin. Then I decided to go independent. By that time I knew exactly what kind of artist I was. I knew exactly what kind of music I wanted to make. Virgin and I weren’t getting on on that same level. It wasn’t happening. So I put some money together and put together my own record company. I put the album out and signed it all over the world. Now I’m signed to Cash Money.
PAUL CASHMERE: I heard that Virgin deal was worth I heard £1m.
JAY SEAN: Yeah, they put a lot of money towards the project. It was definitely a big, major label push, the whole thing - Billboards, TV advertising, everything. It was one of the last big deals that the music industry in England signed. Now and lot of labels are doing 360 deals where they are taking your live income, merchandise and everything.
PAUL CASHMERE: Don’t forget with the 360 deal they also take your first-born child.
JAY SEAN: (laughs) Exactly, they might as well.
PAUL CASHMERE: Tell me about recording your song ‘Tonight’ and the remix with Lil Wayne.
JAY SEAN: ‘Tonight’ is an uptempo record. It is fun. It is a club record. Wayne has a ridiculous amount of stuff on his plate, with the Grammy nominations and a tour that is about to kick off. I just want to get him in the video. That’s my thing.
PAUL CASHMERE: What is the very next thing that you will be working on?
JAY SEAN: I’m working on finishing up the US version of the album. I have recorded four new songs for that. When I come back to Miami in January I will be recording for the new album, the third album.
PAUL CASHMERE: How is 2009 looking for you?
JAY SEAN: 2009 is going to be extremely busy. It is going to be a crazy year. I’m looking forward to start working it and getting stuff done.
PAUL CASHMERE: It sounds like someone isn’t suffering the credit crisis.
JAY SEAN: (laughs) Exactly. I want to keep it like that.
Watch the video for Tonight:
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