Jay Nebula

Artists often cite a certain time or place as being pivotal to their musical development - be it a scene they’ve become immersed in, a course they’ve decided to take or simply an individual in their lives who has proved influential. For Jay Nebula, a stint in a young offenders’ institute was the unlikely trigger for his musical journey.

Spending time there after getting caught up in the 2012 London Riots, Jay was assigned to a music production workshop that he insists changed his life completely. “I would ask the teacher to teach me a new scale on the piano every time I went,” he explains. Jay would then draw a piano on a piece of paper and relentlessly practice the scale back in his cell. “So by the time I was able to sit down at a real piano I already knew all of my scales and stuff.”

Far from being his first foray into music, Jay had previous experience with virtual DJ software - cutting his teeth making trap and bass flavoured bootlegs and making a name for himself on Soundcloud under the moniker Eljay.

Fast-forward to 2020 and Jay is now signed to OUTCRY, the label run by Nathan Duvall of platinum-selling UK trio Disciples, marking a significant new chapter in his musical journey. Citing the likes of Skrillex, Mura Masa and Diplo as inspiration, his sound is at the intersection of pop and R&B, with emotional debut single ‘Fool For You’ pairing Jay’s exciting, futuristic production with the soaring vocals of fellow London artist Kaleem Taylor.