On the Jamiroquai message boards,everybody is talking about an interview that leader Jay Kay gave to the U.K. press,in which he announces that he is pissed at Sony for their lack of promotion and his plans to quit pop music! Here's the bulk of the article...


"Furious Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay is quitting the music industry.In an astonishing rant,Jay says he will play his last live gig in December then bow out of the industry.He reckons that unless record bosses change their ways that will be the last anyone sees of him.

The jaded wildman says "I love the fans dearly,the rest of the crap I just can't deal with".He slams the business for taking money and giving nothing back,corrupting young kids in the British music industry and failing to get his band a break in America.

On the current state of the industry,he blasts: "The whole thing's a Fuck-up,nobody knows what's going on.That's why I'm going to take a break.I might not even bother coming back.

"I'm very cynical about the people in the industry,I'm cynical about the lot.It's just not what I wanted to do when I came along.I wanted to make some tunes and sing.But this job is a fucking nightmare.Who could keep up with this formulaic and sterile world?"

"I've got no time for it,I want to take a break and forget about it.

Jay also attacks his own record company Sony for failing to make the band big in America---even though they won a Grammy for the song "Virtual Insanity" in 1997.

He says he wants the label to release him from an eight album deal.Jamiroquai's most recent offering,last year's 'A Funk Odyssey',was their fifth.Jay says "I've sold 27 million albums.Out of those maybe 2 million were sold in America".
[This message was edited Mon Sep 23 1:05:57 PDT 2002 by DavidEye]
[This message was edited Mon Sep 23 1:06:18 PDT 2002 by DavidEye]
[This message was edited Mon Sep 23 1:06:44 PDT 2002 by DavidEye]

this begs the age-old question: if a formerly hot pop act throws a tantrum and nobody hears it...


fuck it. i don't even care enough to finish it

It's a shame because their last CD 'A Funk Odyssey' is excellent.

i used to really like them a lot. top 10 artists, even. but... easy come, easy go.

AaronForever said:

i think they slipped back under the radar for me when they got away from the jazzier side of funk and went for the more traditional type with the last couple albums. somewhere about halfway through Travelling Without Moving was the turning point for that.

Maybe Sony didnt promote the latest album so much as it happens to be the weakest CD Jamiroquai have released???

Much love Pochacco

Sony Pulled the Same Shit on Jamiroquai as they did with Michael Jackson,Dixie Chicks,Jon B,Luther Vandross,Yab Yum Records,Celine Dion,release One Song&Video&Dip on them.I heard this about Jamiroquai a year back.they got jacked by Sony on there Last two Albums.on the serious tip there last few Albums are Reject Donna Summer Joints but still this Act has been around a Decade&you can move there stuff still regardless.Tommy Mottola is a Joker Indeed.

NODon't quit music!
[This message was edited Tue Sep 24 3:12:28 PDT 2002 by Arcamar]

I think Jay Kay is just tired. He went from a young, hot singer with ideals to a multi-millionare limiting himself to just party music. I like Jamiroquais grooves, but for somebody who has followed their career since 1992 I have to say they went in the wrong direction. Back in 1993 Jay was fighting for a world without cars, today he owns six sports cars which he is parking in his castle 30 miles outside of london. he is a hypocrat, an arrogant asshole and he is just tired of working. dont believe the hype, sony paid him well and gave him all creative freedom

I really don't know why 'A Funk Odyssey' wasn't properly promoted in the U.S. All they had to do was release these singles in this order...

***"Little L"
***"Love Foolosophy"
***"Corner Of The Earth"
***"Feels Good"

Those are 4 of the best Jamiroquai songs I've ever heard.With cool videos and radio airplay,those songs could have been smashes.

But maybe Jamiroquai's CD was doomed from the start.It was released on September 11,2001:(

Well, maybe Sony should sign the real Stevie Wonder instead of this piss poor Stevie impersonation?

soulpower said:

well said soulpower.

If you want some GENUINE Acid Jazz just get your arses down to your record stores and by some stuff by JTQ (The James Taylor Quartet) - damn funkier and sticking by their fans !

Gav said:

JTQ ruled. I remember Corduroy being extremely funky, I have also loved Mother Earth and sepecially Galliano. Its time for an Acid Jazz revival

As this is an artist I always thought sucked, all I can say is "GOOD RIDDANCE".

Now if we can only banish Kenny G and Michael Bolton !

I personally thought that Jamiroquai kept getting better as they went along. A Funk Odyssey was fantastic. I didn't realize he was truly THAT successful though. 27 million albums sold? Jay Kay really is a whiner...

As long as he's making good money why should he care about America? Why would you want to be huge in the land of Britney Spears, N Sync, and Creed anyhow?

jtgillia said:

cuz jay is known to like american pussy!

Great joke about JK on the BBC show "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" last night which was particularly apt.

Mark Lamarr mentioned that they had a contract with Sony to produce 8 albums but he said that JK had misread the contract and thought it said "8 identical albums"

Too true !

The first two Jamiroquai-records were excellent. "Emergency On Planet Earth" and "Return Of The Space Cowboy" are two of my favourite records ever. The third one, "Travelling Without Moving", was merely OK. Since then, Jay Kay´s music sucks! Jamiroquai were my favourite live-band between 1993 and 1995. Saw them again last year. They used a lot of samples and did only dance music. It was the first concert I ever left before it was over.

Nightcrawler said:

I never liked them live. I have seen them for the first time back in 1992 in London, then in 93 and then 94. Jay is terrible on stage and they sound boring. without background vocals the whole act loses energy. I like Toby the kayboard player and derek the drummer, but thats about it. no live band. check out galliano instead. they were amazing, truly amazing

soulpower said:

Two things I want to say - yes, yes, yes, where did that young concerned man go? I remember buying the first album and thinking 'wow' about all he had to say in the inside sleeve. Shame. Secondly, JTQ are fucking fantastic. I saw them in '97 at the Jazz Cafe I think, it was shit hot. Have any of you's got the live album 'Absolute'? ***

Also, is a shame that he may go. I still really enjoy Jamiroquai.

Therapy said:

"Absolute" wasn't really live. They knew that they sounded better live so they played the gig set in the Studio and then over-dubbed crowd noises.

The only real live album was the one recorded in Manchester and released on James's own label - JTI records.

If you want really good JTQ info, get yourself over to www.jtqgroove.com, great website (where suprise suprise, I can often be found )

Ok, live-ish...

Plus you CANNOT have a live JTQ album without Starsky & Hutch !

27 million albums sold, with 2 million sold in the U.S. sounds successful to me. Not every act is going to have mega sales on both sides of the Atlantic.

There are some acts in the U.S. who do well here, but really are not that successful overseas. I think most country western acts are only big in the U.S. and Canada. A few years ago when Garth Brooks was breaking sales records on the American charts, Europeans had barely heard of him.