Jay Slay; a musician, mental health advocate and an author

WORDS BY BERYL BACCHUS

Music is Not Always What it Seems

Edmonton’s Own Electronic Producer Jay Slay Showcases the Diversity of His Musical Background

Communicating with Slay fills the room immediately with a sudden positive high energy and excitement. And while some may hear a song that is electronically inspired, they may not always understand the thought and planning that goes behind it. Slay lives and breathes his obsession with music and lyrics, and can easily explain the endless possibilities and thoughts that go into producing a hit electronic song. Slay is rolling in the accolades. His hit “All Night Long” has reached 1 million+ streams across direct streaming platforms, and he has now garnered FM Radio Play across North America.

Slay has started his own record label and events’ company, Vibe Raiders, that he runs with his business partner, Edmonton rapper Thug Shells. While he continues to rise in the electronic music world, Slay does not forget where he started, sharing his time as a music educator, a musician mental health speaker, and contributing author.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY CONCERTSOCKS

You are a classically trained pianist. Was music always a passion?

Obsession really. I was that 8 year-old who actually wanted to practice piano. I knew fairly early on that it would be a big focus in my life, that it being a hobby on the side wouldn’t cut it. I was quite musically involved throughout my life in various capacities, and pursued my piano studies all the way through to a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Alberta and my Royal Conservatory Piano Performance diploma.

I absolutely loved working as a professional piano accompanist for various organizations over the years including the Edmonton Public Schools’ Music Enrichment Program, the University of Alberta’s Concert Choir and the Kokopelli choir organization’s Shumayela choir.

Tell us about some of your collaborations.

I’ve been really lucky to work with many amazing vocalists like Michelle Molineux (Edmonton), Jesse Peters (Calgary), The Sissy Fits (Edmonton), and DJ/Producer RamJamSam (Edmonton). My most successful song to date, “All Night Long”, ended up having several spinoff projects that did well. Digital Empire records hosted a competition for producers from around the globe to remix my track. When we released the remix competition winners, they achieved a #1 most added charting in the electro genre on North American Indie FM radio. We did a series of teasers and then a music video with

Edmonton’s MOBLpixl, which received a best music video award at the Indie Gathering International Film Festival. Also, it was an official selection at Indie/Children’s/Halloween film festivals around the world including Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, New York City, and more.

A year ago, after doing exclusively original productions, I decided to venture into making my own cover versions of holiday classics for my A Very Vibin’ Christmas collection. A huge highlight was working with two internationally-renowned vocalists, American Idol finalist Robbie Rosen and Los Angeles-based vocalist collective Nevve, who are one of the top-recognized and followed acts in the electro industry.

You are listed as a musician, DJ and Producer. Creatively, do you have a preference?

They all feed into each other quite nicely. The years of work as a professional musician and deep understanding of music theory give an indisputable head start. From the DJing side, it’s really handy if you can make your own edits even if you can’t make your own tracks, and from the producer side, it carries more clout if you can properly DJ and actually get invited to share what you’ve produced. It’s also a major touchpoint for connecting with your audiences. The music producing is the coolest part to me.

I love the virtually unlimited possibilities of electronic music. Digital means allowing for sharing and distribution worldwide, which has opened things up immensely for independent artists. When you break it down, electronic music means making use of any existing recorded sound you want, or synthesizing almost any sound imaginable, then layering and punctuating time with these sounds in ways that create a beautiful and cohesive whole.

What are you listening to on your playlist?

At the moment, it’s my Electro Christmas Refresh playlist that I’ll be sharing on my socials soon! It opens with my “A Very Vibin’ Christmas", then ventures into selections from my all-time electro Christmas fave, the Kaskade Christmas album, several songs from Mad Decent record label’s “A Very Decent Christmas” series, and loads of others that also tickled my eardrums during some recent Christmas music crate digging. Tell us about your mental health advocacy.

In addition to writing music, musician mental health is a little subniche I’ve been involved in as a speaker, conference panelist, panel facilitator, and even as an author. This past summer, amidst performing at other festivals, I had the chance to lead my own musician mental health workshop at Bass Coast music festival in BC, which was a huge honour as it’s one of the most respected and forward-thinking music festivals in Canada.

What’s next?

For upcoming projects, I’m planning to release another track with The Sissy Fits soon, and the next upcoming event I’m co-hosting will be Vibe Raiders’ 4th Annual Velvet & Velour Valentine’s.

WWW.JAYSLAY.COM

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Chelsea’s Christmas Castle

The holiday luxury in the modern new home of Chelsea Bird

WHEN Chelsea and Vijay were looking for the perfect place to build their dream home, they knew it had to be centrally located, but in a mature residential area where they could still feel a homey and comfortable ambiance when going out for a walk.

They found the perfect spot, nestled on a mature street with large trees and lots of greenery, but steps away from cafes, boutiques and the city-life feel. Their house is impressive from the outside, keeping with the character and style of traditional homes, and it fits wonderfully with the neighbourhood. But the real miracle is stepping inside, especially after Chelsea’s holiday makeover.

Their house is a reflection of Chelsea and Vijay’s personal style: comfortable, luxurious, bright and functional. The design was mostly done by the couple, and impressively, every inch of their home is not only aesthetically pleasing, but serves a great purpose (like the secret wall that looks like fireplace wood but is in fact, hidden storage).

Chelsea Bird is a familiar face; not only has she been a voice of local radio, but we also get to see Chelsea as the game host during all of the Edmonton Oilers’ home games. Hosting a morning show on 630 CHED means she’s up at 3 am, and during those hockey game nights, she’s working until 11 pm, making it a very long work day. However, she brings this cheerful energy to everyone around, and you don’t sense that she might be tired from all of these responsibilities. And when you add a toddler to the mix, you must wonder, how does she do it all? With a husband who is a physician and on a busy schedule as well, they must be exceptionally well organized. Everything is planned in detail, so they make it look almost easy.

Walking through their house certainly feels like we’re transported to a breathtaking showroom; the modern living room with high tech elements, the luxurious kitchen with tons of workspace, and a separate pantry closet. The dining room fenced by an indoor glass window has the most holiday feel of all the spaces; white faux fur chair covers, a beautiful tree and the charming table setting makes the room completely holiday ready.

Are there any family traditions they will follow this Christmas season? “The beauty of it is this is the first Christmas in this house, so we get to make new traditions, and we are so looking forward to doing that with our families coming to spend the holidays with us,” Bird says.

Days before the guests arrive, they will start thinking of the menu; aside from the all-time favourites and traditional holiday food, there will be some Indian flavoured cuisine added to the dinner. Vijay will be the master chef, but the menu preparation is a team effort.

As we are talking about all things Christmas, their 18 month old daughter, Layla, wakes up from her afternoon nap, and all of a sudden, toys come out from hidden drawers, baskets and wall units. Our team is amazed at how everything can look so impeccable one moment, then turn into a perfect play area for a toddler. The immaculate house, beautiful décor, a gorgeous daughter and a loving husband – is this what Chelsea imagined Christmas would look like one day? “I think this is beyond what I ever hoped for. I feel like I waited for Vijay my whole life, he’s a dream come true…I look around and think about how lucky I am. This exceeds all my expectations.”

One word to describe what Christmas means to

her? “Joy”

And you can feel it in this warm and luxurious home, filled with joy and laughter.