Club Nouveau, if you are a fan of the 80s era music, you definitely know this group. Their music is composed of a unique blend of R&B, dance, and pop. Their debut album Life, Love, and Pain was released in 1986. The album produced four top 10 hits including “Why You Treat Me So Bad,” “Jealously,” and a cover of the Bill Withers’ classic “Lean On Me,” which earned the group their first and only Grammy Award nomination. The track also peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard chart, as well as in several other countries.
The Fleet Mag reporter DJ Pynk Dyamond had the opportunity to speak with Club Nouveau member, founder,songwriter, and producer, Jay King. He talked about his lengthy career in the music business, the benefits of releasing music in today’s social media driven atmosphere, as well as the group’s new release.
Jay King grew up in a household where his parents listened to music frequently. In 1972, at the age of 10, he received his first record, Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway’s “Where Is The Love.” It was a gift from his uncle who owned a record shop in San Francisco, California. In 1976, on Christmas Day, King received his first album which was “Spirit” by Earth Wind and Fire. King’s love for music grew stronger and stronger over the years and in 1984, he dove into the music business as a producer and recording artist.
King was very successful in the music industry and produced songs for the group Timex Social Club, including the #1 hit “Rumors”. Issues developed within the group leading to a bitter split and King went on to form Club Nouveau. Club Nouveau’s first single “Jealousy,” was in response to the Timex Social Club break up.
Now several years after the Timex Social Club debacle, Club Nouveau is back dropping new music with two new members, Tirzah Hubbard and J Ali. King believes adding the two younger members makes the group more stylish in today’s music scene.
When King was asked if he feels social media makes it easier for artist to get their music heard he responded, “It makes it more accessible, but not easier because everyone is on social media.” He went on to say, “I think social media is one of the strongest tools you can have for people to find you, learn about you, for you to post where you’re performing, or you can talk to people and go live. It’s a great tool and I’m not mad at it at all.”
Jay King discussed the challenges recording artists face when trying to push their music, and the large amounts of financial backing needed to get it heard by the masses. He feels that radio airplay should be driven by how good a song is, not how much money someone spends to receive radio airplay. King says it’s a God send that he is still relevant in the music business, making songs and going on the road performing.
When King is not in the studio or on stage, he enjoys going to movies, going out to dinner, traveling, and shopping. One cool fact about King is he’s a high stakes domino player and always carries a set of dominoes with him. He’s competed in several domino tournaments and once won $25K in a competition that lasted over 16 hours.
Club Nouveau’s latest release, “It’s Alright,” is expected to do extremely well. If the single reaches the top ten on the music charts, King says he will be the oldest recording artist to drop a hit song after going 35 years since his last #1 hit. At age 62, and with his unmeasureable amount of talent, this task is definitely within reach for Jay King and even more.
Follow Jay King On Social Media:
Article Written By: JP
