Creator to Creators S6 Ep 88 Jay Anthony

Jay Anthony is an R&B/Pop singer with a large Gospel influence throughout all his music. Whether it be the spiritual angle of his subject matter, the way he sings, or the way the music is arranged, he keeps God first in all things. His latest single, “Worth Living” from his EP Music & Me was written from a very vulnerable place and offers encouragement and motivation to anyone going through something. Jay explained that he actually began writing the song in 2021 and after going through the loss of his Grandmother, depression and therapy, was able to complete the song this year. He shared that losing her was what caused the depression which led to him temporarily losing his love of music. Since he grew up with multiple musically inclined family members and lives a family centric life, losing her was like losing a piece of the love that was in his heart. But, by completing this song he found the motivation to compose the rest of the EP.

“When I finished writing this song, I cried. When I heard the finished version, I cried. When my Mother – who didn’t know about all of my crying – heard it for the first time, she cried. I knew if it had that effect on us, I had no choice but to share it with the world. The song gave me hope to continue. I knew I had to finish this project and I knew He [God] didn’t give me these words just for me to keep them to myself.”
Jay purposely released this song during this time of year because of how depression affects so many people around the holidays. He wants people to know that it’s okay to not be okay and to get the therapy they need and keep living. All the music Jay writes is made with intentionality like this. For him, every song he writes is like a child which means they all need love and nurturing from him. And because of that love within them, he believes the music will resonate with people today and with people 20-40 years from now. He knows the music will be timeless because the lyrics within them and how they reached him are timeless. 
“It’s spiritual for me. The Most High gives me these lyrics and I’m just a vessel for Him.”
The spiritual perspective of the music creation comes directly from Jay’s background in the church. And with him, he’s found that all music comes from gospel. Whether it’s chords or melodies – all of it goes back to gospel. By learning this, he was able to apply techniques from that world to a plethora of other aspects of music. His Grandmother reinforced this perspective by teaching him that the key to it all is singing from the heart. 
“When you sing from the heart, you’re going to touch people.” 

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