Jay Moussa-Mann is the self-titled album from a Middlesborough-based pop artist who has just hit my radar. The collection of ten tracks is a exploration of all the things that have held Jay back from using her true voice, including her conservative upbringing, racism and fear of being seen as too commercial with her music.
By Graeme Smith
Feature photo by Jay Moussa-Mann
The album opens with American Tennessee, a track with which Jay made it through to the semi-finals of International Song Writing Contest and was track of the week of BBC Radio Tees. It’s easy to see why the track has been so successful, it’s an instantly attention-grabbing country pop track in the vein of Cheryl Crow and Taylor Swift with some deliciously sweet wordplay.
Green Toyota slows things down with a gentle acoustic opening and romance-infused lyrics. War then gives us another dimension of the Jay Moussa-Mann sound through its dramatic dance-pop. One Summer’s Day is a coming of age story and allusion to Jay’s early years growing up in Turkey told through wistful electronic pop.
White Like You is the album’s powerful midpoint that delivers a mix of hard-hitting lyrics and uplifting pop-rock instrumentals. It’s a highlight. Speak Now is a heart-drenching duet with Patrick Jordan, rich with guitar licks and longing. The Greatest Escape (Ever) is an empowering piece of brooding, slow-building power pop.
Seventeen returns us to Turkey with a danceable beat and a mix of Turkish and English lyrics before we get an alternative, melancholic version of One Summer’s Day. The album is then closed by Contradiction Of Existence. It’s a moment where Jay really puts herself out there and there’s strength in her vulnerability.
It took a lot for Jay to release this album. It’s takes tremendous courage to throw off the shackles of your upbringing and forge the path you want to tread. With this album she’s done exactly that and it’s a thing of beauty. Jay Moussa-Mann is a wonderfully-written must-listen for anyone struggling to just be themselves in the face of societal expectations. You can check out the whole album below.