On August 30, the Philippines’ King of R&B Jay-R recounted his 20 years in the music industry.
At the media gathering with his wife, Mica Javier, which LionhearTV covered, Jay-R described his journey in the music industry of the Philippines as a ‘rollercoaster of the good and the bad.’
“If I were to describe my 20 years sa industry, I would [definitely] say it’s a rollercoaster. It’s a rollercoaster of good and [bad.] I’ve learned so much from the bad. There’s so much [bad]–this industry is very cutthroat, in any business naman, it’s very cutthroat, but for some reason this business, music, and entertainment industry, it’s different, it’s in the forefront, in front of the camera.
“There’s a lot of people who want to step on your toes, they want to be ahead of you, they want to get better than you, and there’s competition. But all of that, I welcome it because it’s what really makes me strong.”
He then shared his insights with other artists about remaining positive despite the competitive nature of the PH music scene.
“And I want to preach [this] to any artists watching now [that] it’s [fine] to have a competition, pero don’t think na you have to step over somebody because you have your own lane, there’s something [that you can] do. There’s enough for us, so don’t worry about that. [Just] [make sure] to stay positive– and don’t dwell in the negativity of trying to get better than somebody.”
He also discussed the changes he observed with the digitalization of Pinoy music.
“Just the CDs and tapes dati, nagsa-sign kami ng mga CDs and tapes. Ngayon, it’s digital now. And anyone can release music [na.] On a daily basis, it’s thousands-ten of thousands of songs that are [being released[every day.
“So now, you really have to make-litaw. Paano ka lilitaw sa lahat ng mga kantang ito no. And I think with my 20 years of experience, I put everything together in the music, and that’s how I really kind of shine from the rest.”
As for his projects, Jay-R will release his new single ‘Blessed’ from his 20th anniversary album.
He also has a concert event with the Queen of PH R&B, Kyla, titled ‘Back in Time’ on September 2.
