Jaymin just wants “Something Real.” That’s the message R&B’s next romantic rebel affirmed to BOSSIP.
The charming crooner from South Seattle is bringing back the heart, harmony, and honesty that made 90s R&B unforgettable and artfully blending soulful nostalgia with hip-hop with “Sweet Nothings.” Described as a collection that’s all about love, lyricism, and lived-in emotion, the artist’s debut project embodies the feelings of the tatted and gold-grilled loverboy with gospel roots.
“I spent a lot of my time in church,” Jaymin told BOSSIP during an Atlanta sit-down. “That’s where I spent most of my time. I feel like that’s where my foundation of who I was as a person started. It’s rainy and gloomy [in Seattle], so I spent a lot of my time inside in my head. I feel like it helped me to curate my artistry. I’ve always been a poet ever since I was a kid.”
Jaymin’s soulful beginnings may surprise those who don’t associate Seattle with rhythm and blues, but he reminded BOSSIP that it’s more musically inclined than you think.
“There’s big talent there,” he said. “Jimi Hendrix, Kirk Cobain, Nirvana, Quincy Jones spent some time down there. It’s a lot of good, rich cultural history when it comes to the music. People forget that.”
He continued,
“I do feel like there has been a gap, just in terms of not the artist or the talent—it’s there, it’s always been there—but just in terms of the notoriety and the light that’s been shining on Seattle. I feel like there’s been a gap [but] we have plenty of artists. There’s a lot of good music out there.”
Speaking of which, his good music embodies R&B’s golden era, but Jaymin’s mission goes deeper than mimicry.
“I would be lying if I sit here and told you I’ve always felt like this or I’ve always been like this,” he told Managing Editor Dani Canada. “I have my moments–my immature moments. But at the same time, I want to get back to that. I’m very inspired by that time, where there was yearning in the 90s R&B, the early 2000s. That’s my vibe. I want to bring that back.”
He understands that vulnerability can feel out of fashion in today’s music but believes in reclaiming it.
“Sometimes people can think that it’s corny or it’s lame to be in love or whatnot,” he said. “But I want to kind of show that it’s cool to be in love, and to be supportive and supported.”
Asked whether he’d ever recreate classic ’90s R&B visuals like Jodeci, with shirtless visuals in the desert, he laughed.
“You know, I wouldn’t mind that,” he admitted to BOSSIP. “I think I got to do it in my own way and make it me. But that’s not something that I don’t think is too far-fetched.”
Beyond his sound, Jaymin’s visual presence tells its own story from his Ray-Bans and gold teeth to the tattoos on his neck, all of which reflect his personal flair.
“I’ve been into fashion since I was a kid,” he told BOSSIP. “The people who inspired me had that raw edge to them, that’s the thing that attracted me. That’s something I want to implement into my own style, into my own fashion.”
He added,
“What you see is what I’ve been inspired by. I love hip-hop. That’s also something that I love. I always say I’m a rapper at heart. Even in my lyrics, I kind of have metaphors and punch lines. I try to put that into my songs.”
Jaymin Details “Sweet Nothings”
Jaymin’s upcoming project takes its name from his reflections after recording it.
Source: Warner Records / Warner Records
“Sweet Nothings in itself, as I’m listening back to the project—it came after,” he explained. “I’m listening to it and I’m like, man, I’m just spitting game this whole time. And so I was like, I’m going to call it Sweet Nothings. I’m talking good. I feel like I’m trying to uplift love, relationships, women in general, because I feel like we need that.”
He teased that the record’s rich with layered wordplay.
“It’s a lot to catch,” he told BOSSIP. “It’s not something that you’re going to listen to one time. You might need your dictionary, you might need your Googles. After a while you’ll be like, ‘Oh shoot, I didn’t catch that the first time.’”
With Sweet Nothings, Jaymin reintroduces tenderness, truth, and timeless love to a generation that needs it, and his latest “Help” is up next.
“It’s cool to love,” he said with a smile. “It’s cool to be in love.”
