(March 16, 2024) Minneapolis-based Jay Avion has been honing his style for the past two decades. A staple of the city’s live music scene, he fronted the popular band Soulacious after independently releasing his first solo CD, Every Part of Me, in the early 2000s.
Avion recently partnered with Ben Obi to craft a new EP, from which comes the laid back steppers’ groove, “Celebrate.” Basking in the simple joys that the weekend can bring, the old-school-inspired number finds him in strong vocal form, lending his distinctive phrasing and colorful tone to the chilled-out verses and engaging refrain: “Ladies lookin’ sexy, fellas lookin’ fly/DJ’s spinnin’ my song, spin it one more time.”
(March 16, 2024) Minneapolis-based Jay Avion has been honing his style for the past two decades. A staple of the city’s live music scene, he fronted the popular band Soulacious after independently releasing his first solo CD, Every Part of Me, in the early 2000s.
Avion recently partnered with Ben Obi to craft a new EP, from which comes the laid back steppers’ groove, “Celebrate.” Basking in the simple joys that the weekend can bring, the old-school-inspired number finds him in strong vocal form, lending his distinctive phrasing and colorful tone to the chilled-out verses and engaging refrain: “Ladies lookin’ sexy, fellas lookin’ fly/DJ’s spinnin’ my song, spin it one more time.”
Describing the process of creating “Celebrate,” Avion says: “Ben and I were eight songs into this project with two left to record. He mentioned that the landscape of music is changing in London, which is where we wanted to launch the new songs. I took the track he gave me home and played it over and over again. It reminded me of family reunions, roller skating rinks, and just happy times in the Black community that centered around gathering and celebrating life together. That’s when I came up with the song title, and the lyrics flowed from there.”
He continues, “Once the writing was finished, I went back to the studio and sang what I had. He loved the hook, but thought that I had too many lyrics. So, we began to condense them. Really trusting in a true collaboration allowed us to come up with what I think is a timeless, classic-sounding song that has been enjoyed so far across different age and racial backgrounds. It has also put us in the top five on Amazon UK’s new releases.”
Check out “Celebrate” below, and welcome Jay Avion to SoulTracks!
Jay Avion - "Celebrate"