“Living in Bushwick has opened the floodgates to my true creative self,” the R&B singer and described “nyc doll” Jayysinn tells us. Jayysinn was born in Norfolk, Virginia but, growing up, they spent time in between Virginia and New Jersey, where their immediate family is from. After picking up a sociology degree at ODU and dreaming for years about moving to New York, Jayysinn finally landed in Bushwick, at the corner of Eldert & Knickerbocker, ready to fully immerse themself in the neighborhood’s music scene. Jayysinn’s music is raw, expressive, and deeply personal, as much as it is inspired by the sounds of Janet Jackson and Tinashe records.
Jayysinn has been putting out music for the last four years and, after dropping an album called Sinnosure earlier this year, they decided it was time to put out something that showcase more of their emotional side. That was the idea behind Sinn Diary, which they self-released earlier this month.
“I wanted to capture the feeling of what it means to unconditionally love someone,” Jayysinn says.
“I fell in love with a person who loves me, but can’t provide me with the love I desire. It’s hard to let someone go who isn’t truly hurting you, but hurting the ideas you have for them.” they say, channeling those feelings into her music with a cityscape flair. Songs like “Do U Love Me” spell out this story with lyrics like “Say you love me just so I can react, dancing around the truth, boy I can see.” In their time in Bushwick, Jayysinn has become a regular on the stage at the Deep End, a bar near the Ridgewood border.
“Being surrounded by artists who push themselves creatively while embracing their queerness has made me feel one with my environment,” they say now. Jayysinn says they first saw Quay Dash perform at a 2021 show called “Doll Mania,” at the nearby Knockdown Center. It was their first rave put together by trans women, and it had a major impact on how Jayysinn saw music could be used. Jayysinn says they had a similar experience catching Miss Madeline at the Ridgewood club H0l0, right next to the Deep End. Jayysinn says they found the commitment to being raw and unfiltered on stage inspiring.
These days, Jayysinn has been working with B Ames, a Louisiana producer from the influencer-ballroom culture scene who has worked with many a Rupaul‘s Drag Race competitor. Ames had heard about Jayysinn from a mutual friend and developed a fondness for “Cherry,” a Jayysinn record that has been streamed on Spotify some 1,500 times so far, their biggest so far on the site. Ames decided to put her spin on the record earlier this year, putting out a pair of remixes aimed at the ballroom. “Working with B Ames has been a dream come true,” Jayysinn says.
All photos taken by Manuel Vargas for Bushwick Daily.
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