The Bop Live 2022 is a community music festival produced by Croydon based company SDS Entertainment and funded by Arts Council England. The Bop live showcases grass root talent from the borough of Croydon and surrounding areas. It was curated to utilise the very few spaces available in the centre of Croydon where musicians could express themselves in the form of live performances. Over the years an array of venues have been closed leaving these artists with limited access to creative spaces. The Bop Live has filled that quota in the form of this festival - the first of its kind in the borough of Croydon. 2020 saw the likes of artists such as Asha Elia, Still Shadey, Mychelle and DXVL headline across stages/venues, Limitless VR, The Venue On Middle St (formerly Project B), Reggae Masters and The Front Room. Supporting artists included Deanna Chase, Le3 bLACK, Emily Mutaako and Boy Nash who has since gone on to work with Dj Semtex and perform on Charlie Sloth’s Beats Radio show.
Originally birthed during the pandemic as virtual only, SDS brings a hybrid version of the festival for 2022 now that the world is back to some kind of normality. The festival consists of 12 part live and part streamed performances across 3 stages/venues, working with PWR Magazine as curators for one of the stages. On February 5th, like an award show, audience members enjoyed viewing pre-recorded performances on a big screen followed by live performances with an in-house band, all taking place within The Front Room venue in Croydon.
PWR: What inspired you to start music?
JAYO: I grew up in a musical household, as my dad was a music journalist, so the love I have for music was always there. I also had a passion for writing poetry when I was a kid... so I combined the two. My friends at the time inspired me to start writing rap lyrics for fun on our BlackBerry's when in class… that's how it started for me.
PWR: Who are your main Influences and why?
JAYO: Kanye West - due to his visionary mindset, not just in music but as a creative. He's ahead of his time, and often misunderstood. I draw a lot of similarities from that. He pushes the boundaries of music and makes you feel something emotionally, which is actually quite rare in today’s industry - but something I embed into the DNA of my music; if the song I’m creating doesn’t give me a feeling, I’m scrapping it. Also, Kendrick Lamar, Andre 3000, Little Simz - due to rap ability, cadence, flow etc.
PWR: How was your experience of being part of the Bop live?
JAYO: I enjoyed it! I've done live sessions before but this felt a bit more like a show, so at some points it felt weird without a proper audience in the same room watching me perform, but I grew to love every minute of it! PWR Magazine and The Bop Live production team were really good, and made sure I had everything I needed. I brought out my brother Dn9ne to feature on a few songs with me too, which is always a pleasure, as we have good chemistry onstage and in the studio.
PWR: What does 2022 have in store for you?
JAYO: My aim is to sonically push the boundaries of music this year. I've got a lot of new and versatile music on the way, working with some extremely talented producers, artists and videographers. As long as the consistency is there... It's going to be a ground-breaking year!
Find Jayo on social media: @jayostream
