Guy
by Jayda G
— Released 9th June 2023
Jayda G, the Grammy-nominated writer, producer, DJ, environmental toxicologist, campaigner and broadcaster, is set to return with her new full length album ‘Guy’. Co-produced with Jack Peñate (who has previously worked with the likes of SAULT, David Byrne and Adele), with contributions from Lisa-Kaindé Diaz (of Ibeyi), Ed Thomas (Stormzy, Nia Archives, Jorja Smith) and more.
The album arrives on the back of a busy few years that have seen her Grammy-nominated (for her mid-pa...
Jayda G, the Grammy-nominated writer, producer, DJ, environmental toxicologist, campaigner and broadcaster, is set to return with her new full length album ‘Guy’. Co-produced with Jack Peñate (who has previously worked with the likes of SAULT, David Byrne and Adele), with contributions from Lisa-Kaindé Diaz (of Ibeyi), Ed Thomas (Stormzy, Nia Archives, Jorja Smith) and more.
The album arrives on the back of a busy few years that have seen her Grammy-nominated (for her mid-pandemic single “Both Of Us”, created with producer Fred again..); release a trove of high-profile remixes for the likes of Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa; tour the worlds biggest festival and stages including Glastonbury and Coachella; release a compilation for the renowned DJ Kicks series and highly praised collaboration with Aluna; appear as a guest judge on BBC’s ‘Glow Up’; marry her childhood sweetheart in her hometown of Grand Forks, BC (in the same house her parents got married decades earlier); and contribute to the immersive installation ‘Undercurrent’ (New York, June ‘21) which focussed on the Climate Crisis, alongside artists like Khruangbin, Nosaj Thing, Mount Kimbie and Bon Iver.
The new album ‘Guy’ brings Jayda’s own voice and words more prominently into focus than ever before, across 13 tracks that draw on her House, Disco, RnB and Soul roots while emphasizing her pop songwriting sensibilities, interspersed with archival recordings of her late father, the eponymous William Richard Guy.
Those recordings — of which there are more than 11 hours, made shortly before he passed away when Jayda was just 10 years old — form the bedrock of the album’s narrative, capturing a small snapshot of the American experience, told through the eyes of a young African American man. Through a combination of direct quotes and Jayda’s deeply personal lyrics she paints a picture of his life: growing up in a rough Kansas neighborhood and his various interactions with neighborhood bullies, the police and local authorities (“Scars”, “Circle Back Around”); from being married and enlisted in the Vietnam War by the age of 18 and returning to find his wife with another man (“Heads Or Tails”, “Lonely Back In O”); moving to Washington DC where he had a side-hustle as a nighttime radio DJ only to be inadvertently caught up in the 1968 race riots (“Blue Lights”); and finally his new life in Canada where he married Jayda’s mother and sought to better not just his own life but those of his children and community too (“Meant To Be”). The album also pays tribute to Jayda’s Grandmother, and the resilience of and strength of Black women (“When She Dance”), and takes in several more reflective turns, examining not just the grief of her father’s passing (“15 Foot”, the title a reference to something Jayda’s mother wrote to describe the her own relationship with grief) but also what researching his life and listening to these tapes posthumously has meant to Jayda (“Your Thoughts”, “Sapphires Of Gold”).
“I wanted the album to be a blend of storytelling, about the African American experience, death, grief, and understanding,” explains Jayda. “It's about my dad and his story, and naturally in part my story, too, but it’s also about so many people who wanted more for themselves and went on a search to find that. This album is just so much for people who have been oppressed and who have not had easy lives.”
Despite the at times somber nature of the source material, the album ultimately proves to be an uplifting and positive experience, both musically and from the message it delivers.
“I think the biggest thing that really drove me to understand more of his life is that my dad, just a few years before he was diagnosed, had worked so hard on himself. He went back to school to become a social worker, examining himself and his own demons, and really working on himself in the process. And I think it's just a testament that it's never too late to look at yourself and try to understand why you are the way you are, and strive to be better. Understanding the Black man's experience, Black people's experience in terms of America, and rising above what society tells you you're supposed to be.”
Guy
by Jayda G
— Released 9th June 2023
Physical |
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LP + T-Shirt (ZENBUNDLE287-2-S)
*PLEASE NOTE THE VINYL & T-SHIRT SHIP SEPARATELY & WILL ARRIVE IN DIFFERENT DELIVERIES* Includes: 1 x - [ZEN287] Limited colour 1LP made from recycled vinyl records and offcuts. **DISCLAIMER - FINAL VINYL COLOUR AND APPEARANCE WILL VARY FROM MOCKUP** Housed in an FSC certified gatefold sleeve and printed inner sleeve. Mixed by Marta Salogni. Mastered by Heba Kadry. Cover photography by Nabil Elderkin. Download code included. To offset the production of the vinyl, proceeds from the sales of the album will be donated to various climate initiatives that Jayda visited during the filming of 'Blue Carbon' - a film uncovering the untold stories of local/indigenous communities working to protect fragile seagrass, mangrove and tidal marsh ecosystems. 1 x - [ZEN287TEE] Certified Organic Cotton t-shirt. Wash cool, hang dry. GM free. Not tested on animals. Does not contain animal-derived products. Printed in the UK with low waste printing tech. Made in a renewable energy powered factory audited for a wide range of social and sustainability criteria. |
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LP + T-Shirt (ZENBUNDLE287-2-M)
Medium T-shirt *PLEASE NOTE THE VINYL & T-SHIRT SHIP SEPARATELY & WILL ARRIVE IN DIFFERENT DELIVERIES* Includes: 1 x - [ZEN287] Limited colour 1LP made from recycled vinyl records and offcuts. **DISCLAIMER - FINAL VINYL COLOUR AND APPEARANCE WILL VARY FROM MOCKUP** Housed in an FSC certified gatefold sleeve and printed inner sleeve. Mixed by Marta Salogni. Mastered by Heba Kadry. Cover photography by Nabil Elderkin. Download code included. To offset the production of the vinyl, proceeds from the sales of the album will be donated to various climate initiatives that Jayda visited during the filming of 'Blue Carbon' - a film uncovering the untold stories of local/indigenous communities working to protect fragile seagrass, mangrove and tidal marsh ecosystems. 1 x - [ZEN287TEE] Certified Organic Cotton t-shirt. Wash cool, hang dry. GM free. Not tested on animals. Does not contain animal-derived products. Printed in the UK with low waste printing tech. Made in a renewable energy powered factory audited for a wide range of social and sustainability criteria. |
|
LP + T-Shirt (ZENBUNDLE287-2-L)
Large T-shirt *PLEASE NOTE THE VINYL & T-SHIRT SHIP SEPARATELY & WILL ARRIVE IN DIFFERENT DELIVERIES* Includes: 1 x - [ZEN287] Limited colour 1LP made from recycled vinyl records and offcuts. **DISCLAIMER - FINAL VINYL COLOUR AND APPEARANCE WILL VARY FROM MOCKUP** Housed in an FSC certified gatefold sleeve and printed inner sleeve. Mixed by Marta Salogni. Mastered by Heba Kadry. Cover photography by Nabil Elderkin. Download code included. To offset the production of the vinyl, proceeds from the sales of the album will be donated to various climate initiatives that Jayda visited during the filming of 'Blue Carbon' - a film uncovering the untold stories of local/indigenous communities working to protect fragile seagrass, mangrove and tidal marsh ecosystems. 1 x - [ZEN287TEE] Certified Organic Cotton t-shirt. Wash cool, hang dry. GM free. Not tested on animals. Does not contain animal-derived products. Printed in the UK with low waste printing tech. Made in a renewable energy powered factory audited for a wide range of social and sustainability criteria. |
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LP + T-Shirt (ZENBUNDLE287-2-XL)
X-Large T-shirt *PLEASE NOTE THE VINYL & T-SHIRT SHIP SEPARATELY & WILL ARRIVE IN DIFFERENT DELIVERIES* Includes: 1 x - [ZEN287] Limited colour 1LP made from recycled vinyl records and offcuts. **DISCLAIMER - FINAL VINYL COLOUR AND APPEARANCE WILL VARY FROM MOCKUP** Housed in an FSC certified gatefold sleeve and printed inner sleeve. Mixed by Marta Salogni. Mastered by Heba Kadry. Cover photography by Nabil Elderkin. Download code included. To offset the production of the vinyl, proceeds from the sales of the album will be donated to various climate initiatives that Jayda visited during the filming of 'Blue Carbon' - a film uncovering the untold stories of local/indigenous communities working to protect fragile seagrass, mangrove and tidal marsh ecosystems. 1 x - [ZEN287TEE] Certified Organic Cotton t-shirt. Wash cool, hang dry. GM free. Not tested on animals. Does not contain animal-derived products. Printed in the UK with low waste printing tech. Made in a renewable energy powered factory audited for a wide range of social and sustainability criteria. |
|
LP (ZEN287)
Limited colour 1LP made from recycled vinyl records and offcuts. **DISCLAIMER - FINAL VINYL COLOUR AND APPEARANCE WILL VARY FROM MOCKUP** Housed in an FSC certified gatefold sleeve and printed inner sleeve. Mixed by Marta Salogni. Mastered by Heba Kadry. Cover photography by Nabil Elderkin. Download code included. To offset the production of the vinyl, proceeds from the sales of the album will be donated to various climate initiatives that Jayda visited during the filming of 'Blue Carbon' - a film uncovering the untold stories of local/indigenous communities working to protect fragile seagrass, mangrove and tidal marsh ecosystems. |
|
CD (ZENCD287)
CD housed in an FSC certified gatefold card wallet. Mixed by Marta Salogni. Mastered by Heba Kadry. Cover photography by Nabil Elderkin. To offset the production of the CD, proceeds from the sales of the album will be donated to various climate initiatives that Jayda visited during the filming of 'Blue Carbon' - a film uncovering the untold stories of local/indigenous communities working to protect fragile seagrass, mangrove and tidal marsh ecosystems. |
Bundles |
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Physical |
Digital |
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LP + T-Shirt (ZENBUNDLE287-2-S)
*PLEASE NOTE THE VINYL & T-SHIRT SHIP SEPARATELY & WILL ARRIVE IN DIFFERENT DELIVERIES* Includes: 1 x - [ZEN287] Limited colour 1LP made from recycled vinyl records and offcuts. **DISCLAIMER - FINAL VINYL COLOUR AND APPEARANCE WILL VARY FROM MOCKUP** Housed in an FSC certified gatefold sleeve and printed inner sleeve. Mixed by Marta Salogni. Mastered by Heba Kadry. Cover photography by Nabil Elderkin. Download code included. To offset the production of the vinyl, proceeds from the sales of the album will be donated to various climate initiatives that Jayda visited during the filming of 'Blue Carbon' - a film uncovering the untold stories of local/indigenous communities working to protect fragile seagrass, mangrove and tidal marsh ecosystems. 1 x - [ZEN287TEE] Certified Organic Cotton t-shirt. Wash cool, hang dry. GM free. Not tested on animals. Does not contain animal-derived products. Printed in the UK with low waste printing tech. Made in a renewable energy powered factory audited for a wide range of social and sustainability criteria. |
MP3 (ZENDNL287) | ||
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LP + T-Shirt (ZENBUNDLE287-2-M)
Medium T-shirt *PLEASE NOTE THE VINYL & T-SHIRT SHIP SEPARATELY & WILL ARRIVE IN DIFFERENT DELIVERIES* Includes: 1 x - [ZEN287] Limited colour 1LP made from recycled vinyl records and offcuts. **DISCLAIMER - FINAL VINYL COLOUR AND APPEARANCE WILL VARY FROM MOCKUP** Housed in an FSC certified gatefold sleeve and printed inner sleeve. Mixed by Marta Salogni. Mastered by Heba Kadry. Cover photography by Nabil Elderkin. Download code included. To offset the production of the vinyl, proceeds from the sales of the album will be donated to various climate initiatives that Jayda visited during the filming of 'Blue Carbon' - a film uncovering the untold stories of local/indigenous communities working to protect fragile seagrass, mangrove and tidal marsh ecosystems. 1 x - [ZEN287TEE] Certified Organic Cotton t-shirt. Wash cool, hang dry. GM free. Not tested on animals. Does not contain animal-derived products. Printed in the UK with low waste printing tech. Made in a renewable energy powered factory audited for a wide range of social and sustainability criteria. |
16-bit WAV (ZENDNL287) | ||
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LP + T-Shirt (ZENBUNDLE287-2-L)
Large T-shirt *PLEASE NOTE THE VINYL & T-SHIRT SHIP SEPARATELY & WILL ARRIVE IN DIFFERENT DELIVERIES* Includes: 1 x - [ZEN287] Limited colour 1LP made from recycled vinyl records and offcuts. **DISCLAIMER - FINAL VINYL COLOUR AND APPEARANCE WILL VARY FROM MOCKUP** Housed in an FSC certified gatefold sleeve and printed inner sleeve. Mixed by Marta Salogni. Mastered by Heba Kadry. Cover photography by Nabil Elderkin. Download code included. To offset the production of the vinyl, proceeds from the sales of the album will be donated to various climate initiatives that Jayda visited during the filming of 'Blue Carbon' - a film uncovering the untold stories of local/indigenous communities working to protect fragile seagrass, mangrove and tidal marsh ecosystems. 1 x - [ZEN287TEE] Certified Organic Cotton t-shirt. Wash cool, hang dry. GM free. Not tested on animals. Does not contain animal-derived products. Printed in the UK with low waste printing tech. Made in a renewable energy powered factory audited for a wide range of social and sustainability criteria. |
|||
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LP + T-Shirt (ZENBUNDLE287-2-XL)
X-Large T-shirt *PLEASE NOTE THE VINYL & T-SHIRT SHIP SEPARATELY & WILL ARRIVE IN DIFFERENT DELIVERIES* Includes: 1 x - [ZEN287] Limited colour 1LP made from recycled vinyl records and offcuts. **DISCLAIMER - FINAL VINYL COLOUR AND APPEARANCE WILL VARY FROM MOCKUP** Housed in an FSC certified gatefold sleeve and printed inner sleeve. Mixed by Marta Salogni. Mastered by Heba Kadry. Cover photography by Nabil Elderkin. Download code included. To offset the production of the vinyl, proceeds from the sales of the album will be donated to various climate initiatives that Jayda visited during the filming of 'Blue Carbon' - a film uncovering the untold stories of local/indigenous communities working to protect fragile seagrass, mangrove and tidal marsh ecosystems. 1 x - [ZEN287TEE] Certified Organic Cotton t-shirt. Wash cool, hang dry. GM free. Not tested on animals. Does not contain animal-derived products. Printed in the UK with low waste printing tech. Made in a renewable energy powered factory audited for a wide range of social and sustainability criteria. |
|||
|
LP (ZEN287)
Limited colour 1LP made from recycled vinyl records and offcuts. **DISCLAIMER - FINAL VINYL COLOUR AND APPEARANCE WILL VARY FROM MOCKUP** Housed in an FSC certified gatefold sleeve and printed inner sleeve. Mixed by Marta Salogni. Mastered by Heba Kadry. Cover photography by Nabil Elderkin. Download code included. To offset the production of the vinyl, proceeds from the sales of the album will be donated to various climate initiatives that Jayda visited during the filming of 'Blue Carbon' - a film uncovering the untold stories of local/indigenous communities working to protect fragile seagrass, mangrove and tidal marsh ecosystems. |
|||
|
CD (ZENCD287)
CD housed in an FSC certified gatefold card wallet. Mixed by Marta Salogni. Mastered by Heba Kadry. Cover photography by Nabil Elderkin. To offset the production of the CD, proceeds from the sales of the album will be donated to various climate initiatives that Jayda visited during the filming of 'Blue Carbon' - a film uncovering the untold stories of local/indigenous communities working to protect fragile seagrass, mangrove and tidal marsh ecosystems. |
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Tracklist
- CD
- LP
- LP
- LP + T-Shirt
- LP + T-Shirt
- LP + T-Shirt
- LP + T-Shirt
- T-Shirt
- MP3
- 16-bit WAV
-
1
Intro
-
2
Blue Lights
-
3
Heads Or Tails
-
4
Scars
-
5
Interlude: I Got Tired Of Running
-
6
Lonely Back In O
-
7
Your Thoughts
-
8
Interlude: It Was Beautiful
-
9
Meant To Be
-
10
Circle Back Around
-
11
When She Dance
-
12
Sapphires Of Gold
-
13
15 Foot
-
Play All (13)
-
1
Intro
-
2
Blue Lights
-
3
Heads Or Tails
-
4
Scars
-
5
Interlude: I Got Tired Of Running
-
6
Lonely Back In O
-
7
Your Thoughts
-
8
Interlude: It Was Beautiful
-
9
Meant To Be
-
10
Circle Back Around
-
11
When She Dance
-
12
Sapphires Of Gold
-
13
15 Foot
-
Play All (13)
-
1
Intro
-
2
Blue Lights
-
3
Heads Or Tails
-
4
Scars
-
5
Interlude: I Got Tired Of Running
-
6
Lonely Back In O
-
7
Your Thoughts
-
8
Interlude: It Was Beautiful
-
9
Meant To Be
-
10
Circle Back Around
-
11
When She Dance
-
12
Sapphires Of Gold
-
13
15 Foot
-
Play All (13)
-
1
Intro
-
2
Blue Lights
-
3
Heads Or Tails
-
4
Scars
-
5
Interlude: I Got Tired Of Running
-
6
Lonely Back In O
-
7
Your Thoughts
-
8
Interlude: It Was Beautiful
-
9
Meant To Be
-
10
Circle Back Around
-
11
When She Dance
-
12
Sapphires Of Gold
-
13
15 Foot
-
Play All (13)
-
1
Intro
-
2
Blue Lights
-
3
Heads Or Tails
-
4
Scars
-
5
Interlude: I Got Tired Of Running
-
6
Lonely Back In O
-
7
Your Thoughts
-
8
Interlude: It Was Beautiful
-
9
Meant To Be
-
10
Circle Back Around
-
11
When She Dance
-
12
Sapphires Of Gold
-
13
15 Foot
-
Play All (13)
-
1
Intro
-
2
Blue Lights
-
3
Heads Or Tails
-
4
Scars
-
5
Interlude: I Got Tired Of Running
-
6
Lonely Back In O
-
7
Your Thoughts
-
8
Interlude: It Was Beautiful
-
9
Meant To Be
-
10
Circle Back Around
-
11
When She Dance
-
12
Sapphires Of Gold
-
13
15 Foot
-
Play All (13)
-
1
Intro
-
2
Blue Lights
-
3
Heads Or Tails
-
4
Scars
-
5
Interlude: I Got Tired Of Running
-
6
Lonely Back In O
-
7
Your Thoughts
-
8
Interlude: It Was Beautiful
-
9
Meant To Be
-
10
Circle Back Around
-
11
When She Dance
-
12
Sapphires Of Gold
-
13
15 Foot
-
Play All (13)
Jayda G, the Grammy-nominated writer, producer, DJ, environmental toxicologist, campaigner and broadcaster, is set to return with her new full length album ‘Guy’. Co-produced with Jack Peñate (who has previously worked with the likes of SAULT, David Byrne and Adele), with contributions from Lisa-Kaindé Diaz (of Ibeyi), Ed Thomas (Stormzy, Nia Archives, Jorja Smith) and more.
The album arrives on the back of a busy few years that have seen her Grammy-nominated (for her mid-pa...
Jayda G, the Grammy-nominated writer, producer, DJ, environmental toxicologist, campaigner and broadcaster, is set to return with her new full length album ‘Guy’. Co-produced with Jack Peñate (who has previously worked with the likes of SAULT, David Byrne and Adele), with contributions from Lisa-Kaindé Diaz (of Ibeyi), Ed Thomas (Stormzy, Nia Archives, Jorja Smith) and more.
The album arrives on the back of a busy few years that have seen her Grammy-nominated (for her mid-pandemic single “Both Of Us”, created with producer Fred again..); release a trove of high-profile remixes for the likes of Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa; tour the worlds biggest festival and stages including Glastonbury and Coachella; release a compilation for the renowned DJ Kicks series and highly praised collaboration with Aluna; appear as a guest judge on BBC’s ‘Glow Up’; marry her childhood sweetheart in her hometown of Grand Forks, BC (in the same house her parents got married decades earlier); and contribute to the immersive installation ‘Undercurrent’ (New York, June ‘21) which focussed on the Climate Crisis, alongside artists like Khruangbin, Nosaj Thing, Mount Kimbie and Bon Iver.
The new album ‘Guy’ brings Jayda’s own voice and words more prominently into focus than ever before, across 13 tracks that draw on her House, Disco, RnB and Soul roots while emphasizing her pop songwriting sensibilities, interspersed with archival recordings of her late father, the eponymous William Richard Guy.
Those recordings — of which there are more than 11 hours, made shortly before he passed away when Jayda was just 10 years old — form the bedrock of the album’s narrative, capturing a small snapshot of the American experience, told through the eyes of a young African American man. Through a combination of direct quotes and Jayda’s deeply personal lyrics she paints a picture of his life: growing up in a rough Kansas neighborhood and his various interactions with neighborhood bullies, the police and local authorities (“Scars”, “Circle Back Around”); from being married and enlisted in the Vietnam War by the age of 18 and returning to find his wife with another man (“Heads Or Tails”, “Lonely Back In O”); moving to Washington DC where he had a side-hustle as a nighttime radio DJ only to be inadvertently caught up in the 1968 race riots (“Blue Lights”); and finally his new life in Canada where he married Jayda’s mother and sought to better not just his own life but those of his children and community too (“Meant To Be”). The album also pays tribute to Jayda’s Grandmother, and the resilience of and strength of Black women (“When She Dance”), and takes in several more reflective turns, examining not just the grief of her father’s passing (“15 Foot”, the title a reference to something Jayda’s mother wrote to describe the her own relationship with grief) but also what researching his life and listening to these tapes posthumously has meant to Jayda (“Your Thoughts”, “Sapphires Of Gold”).
“I wanted the album to be a blend of storytelling, about the African American experience, death, grief, and understanding,” explains Jayda. “It's about my dad and his story, and naturally in part my story, too, but it’s also about so many people who wanted more for themselves and went on a search to find that. This album is just so much for people who have been oppressed and who have not had easy lives.”
Despite the at times somber nature of the source material, the album ultimately proves to be an uplifting and positive experience, both musically and from the message it delivers.
“I think the biggest thing that really drove me to understand more of his life is that my dad, just a few years before he was diagnosed, had worked so hard on himself. He went back to school to become a social worker, examining himself and his own demons, and really working on himself in the process. And I think it's just a testament that it's never too late to look at yourself and try to understand why you are the way you are, and strive to be better. Understanding the Black man's experience, Black people's experience in terms of America, and rising above what society tells you you're supposed to be.”
