Melina Mae Cortez Duterte (born March 25, 1994), better known by her stage name Jay Som, is an American,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
-based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and mixing engineer. Her debut record ''
Everybody Works'' was released on
Double Denim Records
Double Denim Records is an English independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized ...
(UK & Japan) &
Polyvinyl Records
In polymer chemistry, vinyl polymers are a group of polymers derived from substituted vinyl () monomers. Their backbone is an extended alkane chain . In popular usage, "vinyl" refers only to polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Examples
Vinyl polymers ar ...
(Rest of the world) in March 2017, which was preceded by ''
Turn Into
"Turn Into" is the second single that released from '' Show Your Bones'', the second LP by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Track listing
#"Turn Into"
#"Turn Into" (Nick Zinner remix)
#"Maps
A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships bet ...
'', a collection of songs that first gained her attention as a singer-songwriter.
The follow-up to ''Everybody Works'' and Jay Som's second home studio album, ''
Anak Ko'', was released on August 23, 2019 via Polyvinyl, Lucky Number and Inertia.
Early life
Duterte was born in
Walnut Creek, California
Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about east of the city of Oakland. With a total population of 70,127 per the 2020 census, Walnut Creek s ...
and raised in
Brentwood, California. She is the daughter of
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
immigrants, and cites her parents' immigrant background and cultural customs as major influences.
Duterte grew up playing the trumpet and guitar, and began writing and recording music at the age of 12.
She originally intended to attend a conservatory program for jazz but instead decided to focus on songwriting. After enrolling in community college and studying music production and recording, she began recording in her bedroom studio and self-released music under the moniker Jay Som, which was created from an online baby name generator and means "Victory Moon".
Career
In November 2015, Duterte released nine tracks on her
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...
page under the name ''Untitled''. They began to receive attention online despite the fact that they were intended to be demos, and were eventually re-released twice as ''
Turn Into
"Turn Into" is the second single that released from '' Show Your Bones'', the second LP by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Track listing
#"Turn Into"
#"Turn Into" (Nick Zinner remix)
#"Maps
A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships bet ...
'', first under
Topshelf Records
Topshelf Records is an American independent record label started in Peabody, Massachusetts and as of 2015 is now based in San Diego, California.
Topshelf Records has been profiled in the ''Pittsburgh City Paper'', ''San Diego Reader'', ''San D ...
and then
Polyvinyl Records
In polymer chemistry, vinyl polymers are a group of polymers derived from substituted vinyl () monomers. Their backbone is an extended alkane chain . In popular usage, "vinyl" refers only to polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Examples
Vinyl polymers ar ...
in 2016. Following ''Turn Into'', Duterte opened for
Peter Bjorn and John
Peter Bjorn and John are a Swedish indie pop/ rock band formed in Stockholm in 1999, named after the first names of the band's members: Peter Morén (vocals, guitar and harmonica), Björn Yttling (bass guitar, keyboards and vocals) and John Erik ...
,
Mitski
Mitski Miyawaki (born Mitsuki Laycock; September 27, 1990), known professionally by the mononym Mitski, is a Japanese-born American singer-songwriter. Mitski self-released her first two albums, '' Lush'' (2012) and '' Retired from Sad, New Caree ...
and
Japanese Breakfast
Japanese Breakfast is an indie pop band headed by Korean-American musician Michelle Zauner.
Zauner started the band as a side project in 2013, when she was leading the Philadelphia-based emo group Little Big League. She has said that she name ...
.
''
Everybody Works,'' Duterte's first proper album as Jay Som, was released March 10, 2017 under Polyvinyl and
Double Denim Records
Double Denim Records is an English independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized ...
.
It was preceded by the song "1 Billion Dogs" in February.
Duterte has said that the album's sound was influenced by
Tame Impala
Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. In the recording studio, Parker writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. As a touring act, Tame Impala consists of Parke ...
,
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I have her") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James M ...
, the
Pixies
A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...
and
Carly Rae Jepsen's ''
E•MO•TION.'' ''Everybody Works'' landed on Best of 2017 lists from Pitchfork, NPR, Stereogum, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Billboard and others.
In January 2018, Duterte released "Pirouette" and "O.K., Meet Me Underwater," singles that were recorded during the same sessions as ''Everybody Works'' but did not end up on the final track list. In June 2018, Duterte toured with
The National in Dublin, Ireland. They also recently toured with the
Alternative Rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...
band
Paramore, and was their opening act for the second half of Tour 5.
In September 2018, Duterte released a split EP ''Nothing's Changed'' with singer/songwriter Justus Proffit. The EP consists of 5 tracks, all recorded in her home recording studio - where she also recorded ''Everybody Works''.
The follow-up to ''Everybody Works'', ''
Anak Ko'', was released on August 23, 2019 via Polyvinyl.
On October 28, 2020, Duterte announced a new project Routine with
Chastity Belt bassist Annie Truscott by releasing their first single "Cady Road". Routine's debut EP ''And Other Things'' is set for release on November 20 via Friends Of/
Dead Oceans
Dead Oceans is an American independent record label formed in 2007 and based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Dead Oceans is part of Secretly Group, which also ...
.
Musical style and reception
Duterte performs all the music on her recordings, and records in a makeshift studio in her bedroom.
She describes her style as "headphone music".
Joe Coscarelli of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' described Jay Som's music as "
D.I.Y.
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, wikt:modification, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individual ...
bedroom pop
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...
" and noted its intimate,
lo-fi
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...
aesthetic.
Liz Pelly of
''Time Out New York'' called her sound "mesmerizing and multidimensional
dream pop
Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
that favors reality over escapism, drawing from classic
pop and
funk".
Pelly also described Duterte's singing as "low and languid".
''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' has compared Jay Som's intimate sound and vulnerability to the music of
Phil Elverum
Philip Whitman Elverum (; born May 23, 1978) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and visual artist, best known for his musical projects The Microphones and Mount Eerie. Based in Anacortes, Washington, in the mid-2000s he began ...
and
Carly Rae Jepsen, and Duterte has stated that Elverum's music has had a profound impact on her own.
Karaoke
Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music i ...
singing and listening to
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I have her") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James M ...
and
My Bloody Valentine also have influenced Duterte's vocal style.
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Guest appearances
Music videos
References
{{Reflist
External links
Jay Somat
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...
1994 births
21st-century American women musicians
American musicians of Filipino descent
Dream pop musical groups
LGBT people from California
American LGBT singers
American LGBT people of Asian descent
Musicians from Oakland, California
Polyvinyl Record Co. artists
Living people
Feminist musicians
Asian American music