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Jay Sean

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Jay Sean Talks Lil Wayne & Down

EXCLUSIVE: He tells us about hitting the US number 1…

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Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - 16:44

Last week Jay Sean’s track Down went to number one in the US Billboard Chart after being in the US Top 10 for weeks. It has sold over 1.5 million downloads Stateside and is released here later this month. 

After a stop-start career on this side of the Atlantic, West London boy Jay signed to Cash Money Records- the same label as Lil Wayne- earlier this year.
 
This week we caught up with him on the phone from the States to talk about his massive success in the US.
 
MTV: Hi Jay- where were you when you first heard you had got top number one in the US?
 
Jay Sean: I was actually in London, in Leicester Square. One of my people from America said, “you need to take this phone call”.  I could see from the look on her face that she was really excited.
 
That’s when I found out- I could barely speak.
 
Did you ever imagine that you’d get a U.S. number one?
 
No, I mean that was the first time when I really like I felt, my stomach was in knots, and my head was going like crazy, I was like, this is unreal, like this is surreal. I love this, it doesn’t happen to everybody, and you’ve really gotta thank your lucky stars.
 
What do you credit with the success- do you it was important to sign with Cash Money or do you just think its such a great song?
 
I think both, you know, I think you can have a hit song, but if you don’t have the right team to work it, it will never get heard. Cash Money is an unbelievable record label, because they are one of the few who are still amongst “it”.
 
They’re current, they are in the clubs. They travel with me, they come to my shows, and they see the reactions, they- you know what I’m saying? I’m, I’m just really really lucky that I’m with such a great label there.
 
MTV saw (fellow Cash Money artist) Lil Wayne in London recently and he was amazing! Are you friends?
 
I know him well and he’s a great guy. Wayne’s very misread, in the papers there are all the negative stories but he’s a really cool dude. He looks like a thug but he’s actually a really smiley, happy, decent guy.
 
For me to have that kind of endorsement, to have Lil Wayne saying “This kid’s aright.” I don’t think many people are gonna argue with that, you know.
 
 
Why do you think Down has done so well?
 
I wanted people to just enjoy themselves and switch off when they heard it, and just just forget about everything else. It’s up tempo and an uplifting record. The sentiment of the record is nothing heavy.
 
Are you a fan of Black Eyed Peas and how does it feel to be the artist ending their insane sixth month run at the top of the US chart?
 
You know what’s really funny is that I flipping love that record. I love I Gotta Feeling. The funny thing is my 10 best mates came over to New York to celebrate when Down went Platinum that was our anthem in the clubs. It’s hilarious
 
Is UK success still important to you and are you still sort of prepared to come back and put in the work in the UK?
 
Of course- there’s nothing like having a success in your home town. I’m born and bred in London, you know, and to have the love of the home crowd, you know, means that much more,
 
Every market is different, and music is so different in different places we never thought UK hip-hop could climb to the top of the charts, but it is. Whereas here in America you get these country artists, rising to the top, like Taylor Swift
 
So I don’t know what will happen, I’m just excited, you know.
 
When are you coming back then?
 
Down is coming out on the 26 October and I’ll be back then in November, to promote some of the album, which will be out early next year. It’s gonna have some UK artists on it, some really hot ones, can’t wait for you guys to hear that.
 
And I think we’ve got something lined up. I was talking to Cash Money the other day and I think they wanna do a whole Cash Money tour in the UK- me, Drake, Wayne, Bird man, Bow Wow, We’ll all come down.
 
By Tom Thorogood

 

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