Listen up, music lovers!
JUNO nominee and winner of CBC Music’s Toyota Searchlight – Jhyve – is on a roll! We wanted to check in with the enigmatic artist and see how things are shaping up for him since he released his single “Play Safe” via Play MPE last month.
Our own David G. sat down with Jhyve (aka Jamaal Bowry) in this energetic exchange. They talk about how Jamaal started as a fan of music, finding his voice as an artist, learning how to record and produce while finishing his University degree, and producing early recordings for friend/collaborator Jessie Reyez – among other highlights. Jhyve asserts that for him, music is “a passion that got out of hand … What’s never changed is that love that I started with. That wanting to be on stage, to sing, to express … Nothing’s more important than just making sure my music feels like my journal.”
“Play Safe” has been making waves on the CBC Music Top 20, and this JUNO award nominee continues to have more exciting opportunities land in his court (like performing at the JUNOs, and garnering commercial radio play in Canada!) He’s just been announced as a headliner at Canadian Music Week on Saturday June 11th at the Cathedral in Toronto.
As prize partners for the Toyota Searchlight competition, Play MPE provided Grand Prize winner Jhyve with a global music promotion distribution package worth $4000 CAD. That means his new single “Play Safe” (and corresponding promo materials) were sent directly to tastemakers and industry elites specifically chosen to align with Jhyve’s listenership. Since Searchlight scouts artists of every genre across Canada, it’s important that the prize is tailored to each artist’s potential fanbase, in order to help their music reach the right ears. In this way, Play MPE helps artists build momentum and connects them with industry insiders who ‘jive’ with their music (ahem.)
Tastemakers, it’s not too late to catch this ‘Jhyve-wave’! Request access here.
A bit of background:
Jhyve’s a hidden gem in Toronto’s music scene, winning CBC’s 2021 Toyota Searchlight competition, having landed several songs on Spotify’s Canada Viral Top 50 playlists, opened for the likes of Jessie Reyez, and received a JUNO Award nomination for his 2018 EP, Conversations.
Born Jamaal Desmond Bowry in Scarborough, Ontario, to Kittitian parents, Jhyve was no stranger to music in his household. His father would DJ for local community events while his mother sang in the church choir. There was never a moment without music or musical influences throughout his upbringing.
In 2020, Jhyve wrote, self-produced, and released “Rapture”–a personal album rooted in finding one’s purpose through hardship. This album garnered over 2 million streams across all platforms and cemented Jhyve’s place among Toronto’s R&B elite.
After Rapture’s success, Jhyve has begun releasing singles for his next album. An exciting new chapter in Jhyve’s story has started.
