Jay Som: Peace out

Musicians can often be creatures of habit, used to their own distinct ways of working. It takes a special character to recognise the possibilities that shaking things up can entail. For Melina Duterte and her Jay Som project, a change of environment and working practices has brought about a step-change on her musical voyage of discovery with her compelling second full-length album, ‘Anak Ko’.

Speaking from her new home in Los Angeles, it’s obvious that Melina is excited about this record, and with good reason - this is Jay Som firmly making a significant stride forward. “I feel like when I finish something, especially a body of work like an album, I want to release it right now. I want everybody to hear it!" she enthuses.

The journey to the musical awakening of ‘Anak Ko’ is one of self-discovery and reflection after the initial thrill of finding success with her early super hyped recordings. Indeed, the album’s title meaning ‘my child’ in Filipino is representative of a body of work that has been clearly nurtured and cared for. The start of the process saw a period of self-care as Melina sought to decompress after the whirlwind accompanying her acclaimed debut album in 2017.

“I came off tour, and I was like, oh my god, I really want to make music now, but I was also so tired and just wanted a break from music. It was a mix of being emotional and being motivated to make a new record. It took a while for all the pieces to come together. It didn’t become fully realised until I moved to LA,” she adds.