Rachel Dempster
Australian recording artist and social media sensation Jai Waetford has gone from strength to strength since bursting onto the music scene several years ago, whereby he finished third on the fifth season of the Australian ‘X Factor.’ Since then, he has gone on to a release of multitude of tracks and several EP’s, also securing a recurring role in ‘Neighbours.’
He has supported artists such as Little Mix and Selena Gomez and has also ventured out on his own headline tour around his home country of Australia. His new tracks inevitably mark a continually maturing music sound, with the tracks unveiling his vulnerabilities.
The talented young musician has recently released his new EP ‘Figure It Out’ via Sony Music Australia, which features five new tracks, along with a film to mark the EP’s release.
“This EP is a body of work that came together through a bunch of sessions with my producer, James. It’s the first solid work we’ve done together and it was really just a lot of experimenting and getting to know each other. It’s a step into this new direction and has a couple more urban tracks on there, and a couple of straighter pop vibes.”
Here at CelebMix, we had the opportunity to exclusively speak with Jai Waetford about the release of his new EP, stand-out moments in his career thus far and much more. Keep reading to check out our exclusive interview!
You have recently unveiled your new EP, titled ‘Figure It Out.’ How does it feel to have new music released?
“Amazing! There’s nothing like putting in hours of work and finally getting to share it with the world. I am super happy with how it turned out!”
Do you have a personal favourite track from the EP? If so, what track is it and why?
“‘Running Cold’ is my current favourite. I really dug deep for the lyrics and was super honest about myself and my relationship at the time. I feel like people really connect to it because of that.”
You also released an EP film. What was that like to record?
“Super fun! We shot it over two days, so it was super fast, but I feel like it was necessary to have a visual that could follow the songs lyrically. Visuals are so important now, so I felt like it was appropriate to do so.”
When writing, do you draw on past experiences and use them in your song-writing?
“For sure! I think it can be a mix of current and past stuff. Being young, it’s hard sometimes with the amount of songs I write not to repeat myself, so sometimes I draw ideas from other people in the room and get them to explain a situation to me or how they’re feeling and write to that.”
Going back to your musical roots, how did you discover your love for music?
“It was always a passion for me, but to think I could do it for a living as a fourteen year old was insane. It was really only after I competed on ‘The X Factor’ that I realised I could make something of it – and I’ve been trying my best ever since!”
You’ve had many achievements within such a short space of time – both in your music career and including you featuring in ‘Neighbours.’ Has there been a stand-out moment for you so far?
“Being able to tour the world with my music is definitely a highlight. I am from a small town in Sydney, so when I started travelling the world, it was super eye-opening how big this could all be.”
Who are your musical influences?
“In terms of music, Bryson Tiller, Travis Scott and XXXTentacion. I also think anyone who’s worked hard enough to succeed in this industry is an inspiration to me, because I know how hard you have to work and how hard it can be.”
Is there anything in particular you would most like to achieve in your music career?
“I just want to keep playing shows and keep making music. As long as I’m doing that, I’ll be happy.”
What have you got lined up music-wise for the remainder of the year?
“I’m about to start the next EP, so that’s exciting and hopefully just putting out as much as I can and keeping my sound relevant and giving people what they want!”
Finally, do you have a message for your fans?
“Thank you to everyone who’s paid attention thus far. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do, so thank you!”
If you haven’t already, you can purchase Jai Waetford’s ‘Figure It Out’ EP from iTunes by clicking here. The EP can also be purchased on Spotify through the link below and is additionally available to purchase and stream through other responsible music purchasing and streaming outlets.
