Get To Know Jaz Karis Via Her Latest EP ‘Dear Jaz’

Speaking with Jaz Karis for the second time in her career feels like a full circle moment. I've been following her journey from the very beginning so watching her grow like this has been truly inspiring. Since storming onto the scene in 2017 she has collaborated with a plethora of UK talent including super producer Juls, along with musicians Katy B, Big Tobz, Kojey Radical and so many more, however it was her performance on the infamous Berlin A COLORS SHOW in 2018 that truly put her on the map, racking up an impressive 13M views on her addictive anthem ‘Petty Lover’.

Over the last few years the R’n’B songstress of St Lucian and Maltese heritage has released a variety of heartfelt anthems and projects, but her latest offering ‘Dear Jaz’ is her most personal EP to date and definitely gives listeners a further insight into the mind of the South London vocalist, ‘I want my music to have a calming and positive effect on people’s lives’.

A songstress who has an eclectic taste in everything from music to books, citing the likes of Enid Blyton as one of her favourite authors, Jaz Karis enjoys travelling, writing and keeping fit, ‘Exercising is something I especially enjoy as it’s a bit of a mental outlet for me, maintaining my mental health is key largely because of the industry I work in and how fast things move. With my writing I love creating songs and short stories based on the books I read’. Indulging in day to day activities like selfcare, exercise and reading, makes The Brit School alumni more relatable than ever. Like many artists who discovered their voice from a young age, Jaz grew up singing in her school choir, this pretty much paved the way for her career as a musician and she hasn’t turned back since, ‘After leaving The Brit School, I was obviously on my own, trying to find my way in the industry, there was definitely a lot of perseverance going on but I’m glad I took that leap of faith. The music industry is definitely testing, but right now I’m just happy to enjoy the here and the now’.

An artist who uses her music to connect with her fans and listeners on a deeper level, storytelling is a constant theme in Jaz Karis’ life, this is something that can be heard in her latest offering ‘Dear Jaz’. ‘I like to tell a story, think of me as the one who is holding your hand while you’re going through a break up. I like to make music that feeds the soul, while soothing and calming the ears of the listeners’. Leading up to the release of EP, the South London singer released four heartfelt singles from the project earlier in the year including ‘Side Of You’, ‘2Night’, ‘Option’ and ‘Home’, which gave listeners fans a feel of the now trending EP, ‘With this project I wanted the music to talk for itself, you can definitely feel a shift in my sound, there’s a mature side to it, however this will probably be my last EP, I can’t say when but an album is certainly on the cards’.

‘When I released Home at the end of last year, even though it’s not a Christmas song, it just felt like the right timing to drop the track. When I released 2Night, Side of You and Games We Play earlier on in the year, it just made sense as sonically they tell a similar story, the amazing J Warner also lent his vocals for all three of these tracks. Option just felt like a special R’n’B moment for me and I just loved making that track and lastly Side Of You was a great entry to the EP dropping as it has elements of some of my earlier music, the rawness of the track reminds me of my 2017 track Pretty Dreamer’.

When asked about her favourite track from her smooth and melodic EP, Jaz chose Come Outside, an up beat single which once again showcase’s her versatility as an artist, ‘I know that Come Outside obviously sounds different to the rest of the tracks on ‘Dear Jaz’, but it is one of my favourite tracks off of the EP. I worked with one of my favourite producers called Fred, when we come together we never really know what’s going to happen. The beginning of the track is actually a freestyle, Fred was playing around on the cords and we were just going back and forth with a few different ideas. When we are together our minds connect without us even speaking, the music always speaks for itself. I know naturally I lean towards slower sounding music, but I’ve always wanted to make upbeat music, especially seeing how popular a track like Soweto Blues has been over the last two years. Come Outside feels like the perfect bridge between the two sounds I love to create’.

As we know all know the R’n’B scene in the UK is thriving with so many artists like Jaz who continue to highlight the ongoing talent around us, I asked the songstress other than the gifted musicians she’s already worked with, who else is on her radar: ‘Jvck James and Hailie from WSTRN are definitely on my list, they are both so talented. However I would love to work with more females, earlier on in the year I travelled to L.A where I hung out with Kali Claire and Hamzaa, so I would love to do something with them in the future, Mnelia and Bellah are also extremely talented too. In terms of rappers I think Dave, Knucks and Sainte are all incredible.’

With an outstanding EP and sold out headline show a few weeks back at the Lafayette, consisting of timeless performances from Jaz and fellow Croydon resident Jords, who was the opening act for Jaz, the show was truly a night to remember. Jords performed his infamous tracks ‘Glide’ and ‘Rice & Peas’, once Jaz graced the stage, there were guest appearances from JWarner, TINYMAN and Juls, as Jaz performed a selection of old and new tracks like ‘Doubt My Love’, ‘Sunrise’, ‘Let Me Down’ and of course her addictive 2020 single ‘Soweto Blues’.

Jaz Karis is a force to be reckoned with as she continues to wave the flag for the ever growing R’n’B scene we all know and love, 2023 is set to be one of her most pivotal years in her career.