[Simon Jay] is a songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Los Angeles, CA. His client list has included Olivia Rodrigo, Madonna, Richard Carpenter, Paul Anka, Tayler Holder, Leona Lewis, Sheléa, Ai Bendr, Jena Rose, and Gabbie Hanna. Simon’s work has also appeared in many film/TV projects, such as the Emmy Awards, the Grammy Awards, HBO’s “Euphoria”, Hulu’s “Only Murders In The Building”, Netflix’s “The Princess Switch 3”, ABC’s “Good Morning America 3”, and Disney+’s “Rogue Trip”. Most recently, he has a song in Netflix’s “The Man From Toronto” featuring Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson. He also has been producing and serving as musical director for Tayler Holder, who recently performed in Nashville’s famous CMA Fest, as well as a sold-out performance with Parker McCollum in Dallas for over 25,000 people.
Where are you based?
I’m based in LA. I’ve lived here for a little over 10 years now.
How long have you been making music?
I started making music when I was 4 years old. I started playing piano and guitar. And then I started writing and producing music about 12 years ago. It’s been a long journey that has changed shapes many times in my life, but making music has always been a constant in my life.
What genre would you consider your music to be?
I’m definitely a pop producer. There are many different genres that we produce, but it is always through the lens of pop music. Pop music has very specific intuitions and sounds and I’ve always resonated with that.
What inspired you to pursue a career in music?
When I was really little, my parents put me in piano lessons and I’ve always liked writing songs and melodies. I think it was one of the ways that I made sense of the world around me, so whenever things were rough, or really good, I always turned to music.
What are your biggest musical influences?
I’ve always been an emo kid. I loved pop-punk as well. What I’ve always loved about those genres is how simple they are. It’s not about how many things you can cram into a song, it’s about the quality of the few things you add into a song. It really makes you think about what you’re trying to say and if you’re saying it in a really clear way.
Are you signed to a label or are you an independent artist?
Usually producers and songwriters don’t get signed to a label unless they’re also an artist. But producers and songwriters usually sign publishing deals or songs deals with the labels. I’ve had some offers from some of both, but I can’t say I’ve found the right fit for me yet. If I’m going to sign a deal, I’d really want to make sure that the company I’m working with understands me as an artist and can really take my catalog to the next level. But I’m always happy to work with anyone who is also trying to tell stories at the highest level possible!
What have been the biggest challenges in your music career?
Honestly, the biggest challenge in my career has been staying relevant. One of the greatest challenges is getting into the music industry, but one of the only things harder than that is staying in the music industry. I always challenge myself to make sure what I am doing is unique in some way, keeping it fresh, and making sure I don’t get in the rut of doing the same thing over and over.
How many songs or albums have you released to date?
Oh man hahaha, probably close to 200. Outside of that, probably about another 300-400 pieces of music in film/TV.
Can you tell us a few things about your latest release?
The latest release is “I Hope” by Tayler Holder. It’s about a girl that he loved that was still in love with her ex. At the end, she went back to her ex and the song is almost like a letter to her that Tayler hopes that he can love her in all of the ways he doesn’t.
Any plans for new music or upcoming projects we should know about?
One of my favorite artist’s Faime is dropping a new single on July 22nd. It was written with this amazing writer named Lev Freedman and Lucas Szulansky from 88Rising and of course my producing partner, Luke Shrestha. It’s about a girl that Faime was seeing that basically left him out of nowhere. The whole song is about their relationship ending without a warning, so a lot of the sounds and lyrics come out of nowhere because we wanted to imitate the feeling that he had when she left, almost like a “crash!”.
