Jayani

Meet Hong Kong-born UK Open Mic performer Jayani:

Jayani

Hi Jayani, thanks for joining us! Let’s get into it:

Do you play solo only, or also in a group?

Solo

How old are you?

Where were you born?

Hong Kong

Where did you grow up?

Hong Kong

How did that place influence your music? (if at all!)

It opened me up to listen to popular music in other languages (like Canto-pop, which is popular in Hong Kong).

Where are you based now, and why?

New York City – I went to University in NYC and stayed there. I’m travelling and performing around the world this summer as part of a tour I’ve been planning for a while and I’m so excited to be in London now.

What got you into making music in the first place?

Moving from Hong Kong to America for boarding school, that moment of transition across the planet and letting go of everything I knew – it was a poignant time and led me to write a song about the experience “Moondrops” on my Spotify. I continued writing in High School to cope with losing a friend and it also just became a great passion of mine. I’m still writing and performing today.

What instrument/s do you play?

Singing
Guitar
Guitar
Piano

Who would be in your top 10 musical influences, and why?

Ed Sheeran, Keshi, Eloise, PJ Morton, Bruno Mars, Shawn Mendes, Sam Kim, Official HIGE DANdism, Arijit Singh, Dhruv ~ just my favourite artists.

Do you write your own songs?

Yes

How many years have you been writing songs for?

What process, or processes, do you often find yourself using when you write songs?

I like to sing the lyrics in my head formulating a melody at the same time that feels like it best fits and captures the emotion I’m going for ~ edits/revisions can happen as the process occurs.

How long have you been playing open mic nights?

Why did you get into playing them in the first place?

To share my music!

What advice would you give new performers who are just starting out playing their first open mics?

Feel prepared to be confident, and then don’t be nervous!! Get comfortable on stage and deliver the best, most vulnerable performance you can.

What’s the hardest thing, for you, about playing open mics?

Potentially not knowing anyone in the venue ~ not sure if people will like your song.

What’s the most bizarre, or fun, open mic, or gig, you’ve ever played, and why?

One in Tokyo! I didn’t know anyone – it was in Shibuya, and I was amazed to see the strong and beautiful community coming together around music there. A lot of international people, so I’m not sure if it reflected the true local music scene, but it was so much fun to make new friends and encourage the artistry of people I’d only just met.