Jason Kay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jason "Jay" Kay | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Jason Cheetham | |
| Born | December 30, 1969 | |
| Origin |  United Kingdom |
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| Genre(s) | Acid-jazz | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter | |
| Years active | 1992 - present | |
Jason Kay, real name Jason Cheetham and also known as Jay Kay (born on December 30, 1969 in Stretford, Manchester) is a British funk musician, based in Britain.
Kay is the principal member, songwriter, and lead singer of Jamiroquai.
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[edit] Early life
Kay grew up with his Jewish mother Karen Kay, a cabaret singer and impressionist who performed around the world, and stepfather James Royal. He did not meet his biological father, a man of Portuguese origin, until 2003. He was educated at the independent Oakham School in Rutland, and spent six months in Thailand at the age of thirteen with his stepfather.
Kay learned as a schoolboy that he had a twin brother who died at six weeks, and had a father whom he never met. Not being a schoolboy type of person, Kay found himself in trouble at school regularly, and after turning 15 he left home.[citation needed]
To support himself, Kay resorted to committing petty thievery and doing odd jobs, as he often lived on the streets. In 1989, he found himself an unused taxi depot, which he described as having holes in the roof and no electricity. During his accommodation there, Kay was involved in a fight in which he was gassed in the face and nearly stabbed, and was then accused and arrested for a robbery he was alleged to not have committed.[citation needed]
Upon returning home, he decided to change his life and began recording demos using his drum machine and some free studio time, and writing lyrics. During this time he coined the name Jamiroquai for his potential new band, based upon the name of a Native American tribe, the Iroquois, and "jam" from the word jamming, and also the distinctive Buffalo Man logo. His demos were soon spotted by the UK music label Acid Jazz, and Kay found himself signing a recording contract.
[edit] Career
Kay initially formed Jamiroquai with original members Toby Smith (Keyboards), Stuart Zender (bass), Nick Van Gelder (drums), Wallis Buchanan (Didgeridoo) and Maurizio Ravelico on percussion, together with a guest appearance of Gavin Dodds (guitar) of The Brand New Heavies, both on the band's debut album, and on their first tour.
Jamiroquai have sold over twenty million albums, and have spent a collective 162 weeks on the UK singles chart in the 14 years since 1992 with Kay's personal wealth is said to be around £40,000,000. He appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List 2004 at (joint) 950th.
After the huge success of his first single, "When You Gonna Learn," a $1.9 million, eight album deal was signed with Sony records. The band's first album Emergency on Planet Earth became a fast seller, and the unique nature of Jamiroquai soon became apparent. However, not everyone was attracted by the different style of music Jamiroquai presented.
The band's third album Travelling Without Moving soon generated international attention with the ground breaking video of Virtual Insanity which earned Jamiroquai four MTV awards. Since then, their fourth album Synkronized has done just as well, which was recorded in Kay's home studio located in the garden of his 500 year old, 11 bedroom Buckinghamshire mansion. Although the press usually focus on Kay's passion for cars, his mansion and his love life, Jason Kay is environmentally aware and has donated a large quantity of his money to Greenpeace and Friends Of The Earth, as well as charities for the homeless. The main reason that his message is conveyed strongly through his music is because of his self-made nature, in the fact that all aspects of the band's work has to be approved by him, including artwork and credits.
On the production of his fourth album, a member of his band, Stuart Zender, departed from the band for reasons unclear (many suppose that the reason for departure was either Zender's lovelife, or unsettled payments. Some fans have speculated that Zender was fired by the band's record label, as he was an influential member of the band [1]). Consequently, Kay scrapped almost a complete album worth of work to eliminate the album of all traces of Stuart Zender's playing. Kay has many years in the business yet, as he recently expressed that he would like his band to continue writing music for another 15-20 years.
It was reported in February 2007 that Kay has quit music due to a loss of inspiration[1]. This was denied on Jamiroquai`s official website the day after.
[edit] Personal life
[edit] Home
As of December 2006, Kay lives in Gairloch where he owns a house. He is regularly seen in the village.
[edit] Confrontations with media
Kay has had a hostile relationship with press photographers.
- He was charged in 2001 with assaulting a photographer and damaging his camera outside a nightclub (the charges were later dropped).
- In 2002, Kay was involved in a confrontation with another cameraman in a London street and was head-butted.
- On 12 September 2006, Jay Kay was involved in an incident with paparazzi outside a London club, punching two photographers.
[edit] Cars
Kay owns 25 cars which include a large collection of sport cars. This love of motors was expressed with the release of the album "Travelling without Moving". The album's cover featured an adaptation of the "Buffalo Man" logo and the Ferrari crest. Three of his cars appeared in the video for the song “Cosmic Girl.”
His collection includes:
- Aston Martin DB5
- Audi RS4
- Audi RS6
- Bentley GT
- Ferrari 550
- Ferrari F355
- Ferrari Mondial
- Ferrari F40
- Ferrari F50
- Enzo Ferrari
- Fiat 1000 Abarth (sport version of Fiat 600)
- Hummer H2
- Lamborghini Diablo SE30 (stripped down version of Lamborghini Diablo)
- Lamborghini Miura
- Maserati A6 GCS FRUA
- Mercedes-Benz G-Class
- Mercedes-Benz 600 (W100) a large luxury automobile of the 1960s
- Range Rover
- Rolls-Royce Phantom
"I've had a few Ferraris," declares J. The truth is that he has four to his name at the moment, including his latest toy, an Enzo. Jay has also had an F40 and F50.
"But the Enzo is the best car I have ever driven. It is like driving a slot car. It is so different from the F40. It is not so spartan and it's easier to drive. The F40 could really catch you out. What's more, this is the car of the moment.I love the fact that my music allows me to have all these fantastic cars. I couldn't choose between music and cars, but I am happiest in my cars," he says.
Jay's love of fast cars has occasionally landed him in legal trouble.
- In May 1998, Kay was caught driving at 111 mph and his license was suspended for 42 days. He said in an interview, "I should count myself lucky. I've clocked up 175 mph on a public road. If I'd been caught doing that, it would have been a prison sentence."
- In September 2004, Jay was banned from the road for 6 months. He appeared at a court in Scotland to face charges for speeding after being clocked at 105 mph in a Mercedes-Benz G-Class from his holiday home in Perthshire, Scotland, on 26 February 2004. The speed limit for the road was 70 mph.
[edit] Trivia
Jay Kay co-starred in an episode of the BBC series the Naked Chef alongside the chef Jamie Oliver. We get a glimpse at one of Jay's cars as the pair take his Rolls Royce Convertible to the local wine shop. Further in this episode we see Jay Kay's beautiful herb garden.
[edit] Relationships
Media reports about Kay often focus on his personal relationships. Kay has had a number of high-profile relationships, including Winona Ryder and Denise van Outen.
In November 2006, the tabloid press reported Kay was dating Emmerdale actress Amy Nuttall. [2]
[edit] Headgear
Kay is well known for his array of elaborate hats and headgear, which he often wears when appearing professionally (in concerts, interviews etc.). He has been referred to as "mad hatter" [3] and "the cat in the hat" for his love of headgear. It is said that he has over 50 different hats that he wears at concerts and in public. [4]
Kay's most recognizable headgear is his mirrored "feather headdress" seen on the cover of High Times: Singles 1992-2006.
[edit] Discography
Note: All dates indicate their original UK releases.
[edit] Studio albums
 Emergency on Planet Earth |
 The Return of the Space Cowboy |
 Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality (Guest appearance) |
 Travelling without Moving |
 Synkronized |
 A Funk Odyssey |
 Untitled seventh Jamiroquai studio album |
[edit] Compilation albums
 High Times: Singles 1992-2006 |
[edit] DVDs
 Live In Verona |
[edit] Singles
[edit] Remix singles
- "Space Cowboy" (2006) vinyl and download-only remix single, #71 UK
- "Deeper Underground" (2006) vinyl and download-only remix single
- "Cosmic Girl" (2006) vinyl and download-only remix single
- "Love Foolosophy" (2006) vinyl and download-only remix single, #166 UK
[edit] External links
- Jamiroquai
- Top of the Pops
- Australian website
- Funkyjay (Jamiroquai bootlegs site)
- NNDB
- Banned from driving
- Speeding on the M40
- Pleads not guilty to assault
- Jay Kay injured after premiere
[edit] References
- ^ Jay Kay quits music. Digital Spy.
| Jamiroquai |
|---|
| Members: Jason Kay | Rob Harris | Paul Turner | Matt Johnson | Derrick McKenzie | Sola Akingbola | Lorraine McIntosh | Hazel Fernandez | Sam Smith |
| Former members: Gavin Dodds | Simon Katz | Nick Fyffe | Stuart Zender | Simon Carter | Toby Smith | Nick Van Gelder | Darren Galea (DJ D-Zire) | Winston Rollins | Adrian Revell | Wallis Buchanan | Beverley Knight |
| See also: Buffalo Man | Chillington studio | Iroquois | Gig in the Sky |
| Discography |
| Studio albums |
| Emergency on Planet Earth (1993) | The Return of the Space Cowboy (1994/1995) | Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality (Guest appearance) (1995) | Travelling without Moving (1996/1997) | Synkronized (1999) | A Funk Odyssey (2001) | Dynamite (2005) |
| Compilation albums |
| Jay's Selection (1996) | In Store Jam (promo, 1997) | Late Night Tales: Jamiroquai (2003/2005) | High Times: Singles 1992-2006 (2006) |
| Box sets |
| L'Intégrale des Maxi-Singles (1994) | The Single Box (1997) | The Singles Collection (1997) | Deeper Underground (1998) | 1999 Remixes (1999) | ULBC (Fanmade) (??) |
| Unofficial live recordings (ROIOs) |
| If I Like it, I do it (1993) | BBC 528 (1993) | Stockholm '93 (1993) | Club Citta '93 (1993) | Songs for Manitú (1993) | Firenze [sic] 1993 (1993) | Funky Paradise (1994) | JAZZiroquai (1995) | ... |
| DVDs |
| Live In Verona (2002/2003) | High Times: Singles 1992-2006 (2006) |
| Singles |
| When You Gonna Learn | Too Young to Die | Blow Your Mind | Emergency on Planet Earth | Space Cowboy | Half the Man | Stillness in Time | Light Years | The Kids | Do U Know Where You're Coming From? (Guest appearance) | Virtual Insanity | Cosmic Girl | Alright | High Times | Deeper Underground | Canned Heat | Black Capricorn Day | Supersonic | King for a Day | I'm in the Mood for Love (Guest appearance) | Little L | You Give Me Something | Love Foolosophy | Corner of the Earth | Main Vein | Feels Just Like It Should | Seven Days in Sunny June | (Don't) Give Hate a Chance | Runaway |
| Promotion-only / Cancelled / White label singles |
| Revolution 1993 | If I Like It I Do It | Morning Glory | Everyday | Travelling Without Moving | Hollywood Swingin' | Soul Education | An Online Odyssey | Feel So Good | Do It Like We Used To Do | Bad Girls | Dynamite | Starchild | Electric Mistress | Time Won't Wait | Emergency on Planet Earth & Blow Your Mind remixes | Talullah (Shelter mixes) | Multiquai |
