JAMIROQUAI

Jay Kay didn’t get where he has to date - writing hit single after hit single - by being vague or slack. When he writes his songs ‘if it doesn’t sound good with just a keyboard and a voice or a guitar and a voice, drop it’.

After he turned 40 with a brand new record deal at Mercury records he is definitely all about keeping it straightforward. ‘I’m a real sucker for going ‘oh it’s not very deep, that lyric’ admits the man with a long term interest in ecology , religion, space and futurology, “But hold on a minute – some of the best songs in history are simple. Listen to some more Stevie Wonder – ‘all in love is fair, two people play the game…’ It’s not brain-wrenching stuff! But it is heart-wrenching stuff. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you’re singing, ‘the cow sat on the top of the hill’. If you deliver it right, it works. Golden rule!” he sniffs matter-of-factly.

On keeping it simple Jay kay has now made his music videos to be more like short films rather than flashing squares like his previous iconic clips. This also reflects in the sound of his voice ‘ I have been using my voice a bit differently, more laidback maybe. I’ve slowed down on it a bit. You’ve got to grow with the music.’

It is the joy of music that makes Jamiroquai one of the greatest bands with such a charismatic frontman, with awards including five MTV gongs, an Ivor Novello and a Grammy to name a few.

‘Life begins at fourty, the cliché is true, and I feel privileged and lucky to be in the game still’