Tell us about you:
My artist name is Jay Reddicks and I’m from Portland Oregon. I’ve had a passion for music since I was a child because I grew up in a musical household, which nurtured my love for creative expression. Starting with piano, I went on to learn clarinet, saxophone, and then primarily focused on percussion and the marching arts. After graduating high school, I moved to southern California where I auditioned and was accepted into several of the world’s top drumlines. I went on to win two Winter Guard International World Championships with RCC Indoor Percussion Ensemble in 2015 and 2018. Along with winning the Drum Corps International World Championship in 2017 with the Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps.
After finishing my career in drumline, I moved onto writing and recording my own music. I quickly realized that using my voice felt much more vulnerable than standing behind a drum. Throughout this journey, music has helped me become a better version of myself. Writing lyrics has forced me to dive deep into my own life, past decisions, and plans for the future. This process has been like therapy, helping me become a better human that’s more self-aware, empathetic, and grateful for the opportunity to experience life.
What makes me different as a music artist is that I’m truly being myself and not trying to put on a persona. My story is unique to me and I’m the only person that can tell it. I don’t allow my music to be put in a box, which is why I experiment with blending genres of Hip-Hop, R&B, Pop, Funk, and Jazz.
I see myself in five years being able to make a living off what I love to do which is making great music, getting to work with people I love, and traveling the world providing entertainment to every part of the globe. I also see myself becoming a mentor for younger artists, helping them develop into amazing acts that will go onto inspire all of their listeners.
Being a musical artist with a voice, is an extremely powerful position to be in. With that power I would hope that I could help people with my music. I know for me personally, in the worst times of my life when I felt alone and had no one to turn to, there was always music. Artists were there for me when no one else was and if I could be that voice for any listeners, that would be one of the greatest things I could accomplish in this life. I work hard not only for myself, but to be able to put my loved ones in a position to do what they want with their lives. If I can accomplish that, everything else will be frosting on the cake.
I bring a genuine soul to the music world, someone who makes music solely for the love of the game. Connecting with people and building relationships is one of the most important things we can do in this life. That’s why I love music because it brings people together. This is why I make music that has both a light and dark atmosphere to it because that’s what we feel as humans on our journey through life.
We can all connect to both sides and that relatability is what I want to bring to the music world. When it’s all said and done, I want to be remembered as a kind, reliable person who took life into their own hands. Someone who helped people, was compassionate, and strove for greatness every step of the way.