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Jay Breeze’s talents extend far beyond the music scene. As a respected A&R, he has a keen eye for talent. His infectious energy on stage as a hype man and his influence on Lagos nightlife has earned him a loyal following. He’s renowned for creating immersive party experiences that keep the energy high all night long.
Born Oguntade Oluwatosin Tofunmi, Jaybreeze’s path to musical success wasn’t a straight line. His passion for music stemmed from a deep love for drumming, where at the tender age of nine, he was already pocketing a cool N200 playing at church. But a large part of his musical enthusiasm can be attributed to his father. “My dad’s music taste was vast,” Jaybreeze expresses. “He would listen to everything from Kool and the Gang to Lionel Richie, and everything in between, local and foreign, like King Sunny Ade.”
According to Jaybreeze, his greatest asset for music is his ear. This allowed him to absorb these diverse influences, refining them into a sound that fueled his desire to create music himself.
I pick up sounds from anything I hear,” he says. “I store them in my body and then one day, it just pops back up. So I felt like every single thing that I would listen to with my dad, on those road trips and early morning school drives, had a way of influencing and shaping my music taste.
Jay Breeze’s love for music wasn’t the only force that propelled him into the entertainment industry. His journey began by managing artists like Reekado Banks. This experience naturally led him to club promotions, where his infectious energy and talent for hyping the crowd blossomed. He quickly established himself as a nightlife connoisseur.
Jay Breeze possesses a combination of skills relevant to the entertainment industry. These skills include music knowledge, artist relations experience, crowd engagement techniques, and an understanding of the nightlife scene. He suggests that this combination allows him to analyze music, develop promotional strategies, and stay informed about industry trends.
While his energetic persona ignites the stage, there’s a quieter side to Jaybreeze, a creative who possesses a calmness that allows him to tap into that electrifying energy when needed. He explains that when he’s on stage, he’s completely immersed in the moment, oblivious to it. everything else.
He emphasises that to feel the infectious vibe he offers, the audience has to connect with his energy on an emotional level. Originality, he says, is key.
I could be in a room filled with the biggest celebrities in the world and I act like I don’t see any one of them when I’m on the mic,” he says. “I concentrate on what I have to do and focus on the vibe. Also, to be here this long, you have to be talented. Because after a while, the talent has to sustain you. I think the last one is solid relationships, he elaborates.
Learning from club promotions and working as a hype man became a crucial asset in Jaybreeze’s musical pursuit. He skillfully draws from each of his talents, forging a continuous connection between them.
As a nightlife enthusiast, Jaybreeze has successfully hosted two annual nightlife events titled “To The Max.” What began as a way to celebrate his birthday has transformed into a yearly event, with Tiwa Savage gracing the stage at the first edition.
To The Max, as the name implies, literally means everything on 10,” he describes the concept. “From production to sound to the DJs’ vibe and the energy from the crowd, it’s always been a ten out of ten experience.
DTF Sundays is another brainchild of Jaybreeze, a thriving weekly party in Lagos. It’s a haven for free spirits and party lovers.
“DTF Sundays is an avenue for people to just be themselves, have fun, and not worry about judgement,” explains Jaybreeze. This welcoming atmosphere, where everyone feels comfortable letting loose, perfectly reflects his personality. “You can just be yourself around me,” he emphasises.
The success of DTF Sundays isn’t a fluke. Jaybreeze curates a range of events with distinct vibes. There are rooftop R&B and hip-hop nights (Adam’s Soul Beach on Tuesdays), Lagos Love Piano events featuring live piano music, and even a bi-monthly sound festival.
Jaybreeze’s music career is the icing on the cake of his multifaceted career. The passion with which he describes how he leverages the knowledge and resources from his other skills to excel in his music is truly inspiring. From his expertise in artist relations, which allows him to dissect music in its raw form and collaborate with artists to maximize a track’s magic, to applying trends gleaned from his clubbing experiences to tailor his music for his audience, and the hypeman skills that infuse his sound with undeniable energy, Jaybreeze brings a holistic approach to his music.
Jaybreeze’s creative process is as unique as he is. He can conjure up melodies in the most unexpected places – such as a crowded dance floor. “I could be in the midst of a loud-ass party and something as quiet as an R&B event can come to my head,” These sparks of inspiration are meticulously captured by him and transformed into sonic masterpieces.
He sees himself as an artist of precision, carefully crafting soundscapes that bring his musical visions to life. Jaybreeze thinks of himself as an artist with precision, and his hate for blank shots has him carefully calculating ways to create magic thoughts in his head.
These bursts of inspiration transform into meticulously crafted plans in his head. Jaybreeze sees himself as a precise artist, with a deep aversion to wasted efforts. He meticulously calculates ways to bring his sonic visions to life.
While collaborations with big names like Bigiano and Tiwa Savage pepper his discography, Jaybreeze has a solo project simmering on the back burner. This project won’t just be music; it will be an embodiment of everything he is – his energy, his story, the pulse of Lagos, and the infectious vibes he brings to everything he touches.
“It’s going to be an embodiment of myself, energy, representation, lifestyle, the city that I’m from and then the vibes that I give, literally what I represent”.
In the Nigerian music scene, Jay Breeze bridges the gap between hypeman and artist. His captivating stage presence as a hypeman is matched by his musical creativity. A champion for defying expectations, he challenges the limitations often associated with the hypeman role. By requesting to be introduced as a hypeman first, he makes a bold statement, demonstrating his desire to break boundaries and redefine the artistic potential of the position
Jay Breeze recognizes his well-rounded skillset as a gift that fuels his passion for the entertainment industry. While navigating the complexities of managing his career, he leverages the beautiful interconnection between his various talents.
Each experience serves as a building block, informing and strengthening the others. This interconnectedness fuels his creative fire and propels him towards achieving his goals
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– BellaNaija
