“Whenever you work on something for a long time, you can’t see straight”: Jayda G on long production sessions
“You start wondering, ‘What is music?’”
Jayda G. Image: Nabil Elderkin
Canadian-born, London-based producer Jayda G has commented upon the struggles of long production sessions, saying that working on a track for a long time can leave you asking “What is music?”
The dance artist, whose latest album, Guy, was released in June, made the comment during in a recent interview with MusicTech.
“Whenever you work on something for a long time, you can’t see straight,” she says, comparing it to working on a thesis. “You’re so close to the material that you can’t really see the difference in it and anything; you start wondering ‘What is music?’”
Also in the chat, Jayda G – real name Jayda Guy – implores budding producers to avoid trying to sound like other artists, saying it can result in feeling as though “you’re not enough”.
“If you’re trying to sound like someone else, you’ll be chasing your tail and feel like you’re not enough”, she says, before adding that this is “probably the biggest issue within the music industry in general.
“If you can stay true to what makes you feel good and listen to that voice,” the Both Of Us producer goes on, “that’s the key to everything – and life in general.”
She’s not the only producer to have graced MusicTech with production advice recently. Similarly, TSHA said in 2022 that it’s important to step away from the screen during long sessions.
“I always like to leave my music for a little bit otherwise you can get stuck in a rut.” She says. “You could go on forever if you’re not careful. When you hear it, anyone listening to the song will not realise how you might have changed the chord progression or arrangement. Only you will know that difference.”
At Glastonbury, we spoke to Flava D, who advised taking the low ends off “unnecessary” elements of a track, as well as leaving mixing til the end of a project. On the day, Syreeta also told us, rather simply, “Don’t delete shit”.
Stream or buy Jayda G’s Guy album via her Bandcamp page.
