JayaHadADream: “A lot of us feel the world right now is dystopian”

‘Main Characters’, JayaHadADream’s latest single with Big Zuu, opens with a soft, washed-out jazzy sample. Out of nowhere, it comes to life over a chopped grime beat as the Cambridge-born rhymesmith enters with her buttery flow.

“Main character, director and author / Tryna save these sheep from the slaughter / I don’t like this game, I adore her / These man ain’t got spice, they’re korma / I’m the cream of the crop and best from my block” she raps in the third verse.

Showing off her intricate, layered lyricism while delivered with swagger, the track is a statement of intent from the prodigious young rapper, fresh off the back of a summer that has seen her go from a potential breakout talent to an entrenched force on the UK rap scene. 

Since quitting teaching to pursue music full time, and winning last year’s Glastonbury Festival emerging talent competition, she’s returned to Worthy Farm this summer, hit other hotspots on the UK festival circuit, and gone bar to bar with grime legends Frisco, JME and Flowdan on the former’s single ​‘Owe Me One’.

With the arrow pointing skywards, we wanted to find out more about the forces that have shaped the rapper she is today, so we asked her: ​“What made you?”

• Read next: Raquel Martins: ​“I was trying to track down this uncomfortable, groundless feeling”

Honestly, it comes from how I grew up. I come from a background where things weren’t easy – free school meals, single parent household, mixed race, working class, with parents dealing with mental health issues. From early on, I saw what it means to struggle and be overlooked… being labelled before people even know you. Whether it was being the only girl on the football pitch or one of the few non-white kids in my area, I always felt like I had to stand up – for myself or family… and for anyone else who felt pushed to the side.

Writing was always my escape and my outlet. I used to write stories and poems, just to get feelings out that I couldn’t always say out loud. That turned into lyrics. I found that when I was writing bars, I could finally say the things that mattered to me. It gave me a voice when I felt like the world was trying to shut me up or keep me quiet.

It is so important to be vocal. I’ve always felt strongly that if you’ve got something you believe in, you have to speak on it. I can’t ignore what I’ve seen or experienced, and I don’t want to. I know there are so many people out there who feel unseen or unheard, and I want my music to connect with them, to give them that feeling like: ​“Yeah someone gets it.” 

I think a lot of us feel like the world right now is dystopian. Inequality is everywhere, the rich keep getting richer, racism and classism are still alive and well, and people are literally struggling to eat or heat their homes. There’s so much distraction and noise designed to keep us numb or divided, and it’s easy to feel powerless in the middle of it all. Music is one of the few things that cuts through. It can wake people up, bring them together, make them feel something real. I think with music you either use your voice to speak truth, to empower and connect, or you waste the opportunity. Even if you’re not talking about those things directly in a song, I believe your platform should mean something. If I’m lucky enough to be heard, I want it to count.

‘Main Characters’ by JayaHadADream and Big Zuu is out now.

Isaac Muk is Huck’s dig­i­tal edi­tor. Fol­low him on Bluesky.

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