Englishman Jay Kay (47), lead singer of the acid jazz band Jamiroquai, loves fast cars. And his life is like a fast and risky ride in the fast lane.
Filling up: On December 30, 1969, cabaret singer Karen Kay gives birth to twins in Manchester (UK). One boy dies after six weeks. Jason Luís "Jay Kay" Cheetham is left alone. The father, a Portuguese, also leaves the family. Jay Kay absorbs the tour feeling with his mother's milk, as his childhood is characterized by his mother's stage appearances. The two often argue: Jay Kay goes to London, lives there as a homeless person and ekes out a living by committing petty crimes.
Settle in: At the end of the 1980s, a new scene developed in London: acid jazz, a style of music that combined soul, funk, jazz and electro-pop. The Brand New Heavies were the flagship band. Jay Kay wants to join them - as a singer. That doesn't work out. So he founds his own band, Jamiroquai.
Turningthe ignition key: the band starts in 1992 with the single "When You Gonna Learn?". The spark ignites: Just one year later, Jamiroquaidareleased the album "Emergency on Planet Earth" and signed a record deal for eight more albums. The fast-paced road to success can begin.
Step on the gas: Jay Kay and his men accelerate with "Travelling Without Moving", their third album from 1996, which includes the two superhits "Virtual Insanity" and "Cosmic Girl". The film for the first song wins the "Video of the Year" award, and in "Cosmic Girl" Jay Kay presents three of his cars: a street race between a Ferrari F355 Berlinetta, an F40 and a Lamborghini Diabolo SE30 Jota.
Taking the bend at 120: "Traveling Without Moving" is still the best-selling funk album to this day. But the success goes to Jay Kay's head: he becomes addicted to cocaine. The doctor advises him to keep it up if he wants to destroy his career. In 2007, the British media wrote that the singer had burnt out.
Slowing down: Jay Kay temporarily retires from show business, starts a family and becomes a father of two. He also continues to look after his favorite metal Aston Martin, Porsche and Lotus Mercedes on his Horsenden Manor estate near London. Now Jamiroquaare on tour with their new, eighth album "Automaton". They are making a pit stop at the Hallenstadion Zurich.
This article first appeared in SonntagsBlick
