Who: JayWood
Indie Alternative
JayWood is the enigmatic, artistic outlet for boundary-pushing musician and singer-songwriter Jeremy Haywood-Smith. JayWood fluidly navigates the blurred lines between genres such as Alternative, Hip-Hop, Indie, and Neo-Soul—all territory where he feels completely at home. This is evident in his self-produced Polaris Music Prize nominated album “Slingshot” (2022) and the follow-up EP “Grow On” (2023), released via Captured Tracks and Royal Mountain Records. As displayed on the recently released, genre-blending singles “BIG TINGS” feat. Art-pop duo Tune-Yards and “UNTITLED (Swirl),” JayWood can’t be pigeonholed, and his upcoming single “ASSUMPTIONS” is no exception to that rule. As trippy and in-your-face as the forthcoming album LEO NEGRO (out now), the hip-hop production here is laced with psychedelic flourishes and braggadocious, neo-soul energy, owing as much to Tyler, the Creator as it does Stereolab and indie darlings Men I Trust.