Jay-A named his EP Quick7 to signal urgency. With more than 2.4 million cumulative streams across digital platforms, the Miami-based Jamaican artiste now has numbers to match his ambition.
The project debuted at No. 3 on the U.S. iTunes Reggae chart, and Jay-A says his analytics show listeners tuning in from Europe, North America and Africa.
“When I check my analytics, a lot of my streams come from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Germany and France. I get streams from African countries like Kenya, Malawi and Ghana,” he said.
Leading the tally is “Pain”, his collaboration with Dexta Daps and Mavado, which accounts for 2,281,253 streams. “House and Beast” follows with 123,085, while “Ambition”, featuring Dexta Daps, has 36,101 and “Deep Emotions” has 15,535.
Those are all-time figures, but Jay-A is focused on the next move. His team is preparing “Ray Charles” as the EP’s second single and video.
“It’s a great look. My team is gearing up to release Ray Charles, the second video and single from the EP. We had a very successful roll out and we’re going to turn this up to the next level,” he said.
The project brings together producers Justus, Spongmusic, iamwav and Starzplus, with Jay-A also taking a turn behind the boards. For the artiste born Tarik Morris, Quick7 captures a moment of sharpened ambition and spiritual grounding.
“The ‘Quick’ represents the urgency. It means I’m ready right now,” he explained.
That readiness has been years in the making. Raised between Montego Bay, St Elizabeth and Kingston,
Jay-A drew his earliest musical inspiration from his father, entertainer Peter St Patrick.
He later joined the Gullyside movement alongside Mavado, learning within one of dancehall’s influential camps. Now, those lessons are feeding a career he is determined to define on his own terms.
With an international audience taking shape and another video on the way, Jay-A is keeping his declaration brief.
“Now is my time,” he said.
