November 24, 2025 • 16 mins
Not only is Jessie Reyez a Grammy nominated, multi-platinum singer/songwriter w over 3 billion streams, but she is also a 6x Juno Award winner, best selling author, TedTalk speaker, philanthropist, activist, AND Billboard "Women In Music Impact Award" recipient... and she joins us for the first time on America's Dance 30!
She shares how her smash "Ocean" was born w Calvin Harris, and how long ago they started working on it. She also talks about her latest book "Words Of A Goat Princess, Volume II: The People's Purge" and shares how it came together.
Jessie also answers a question she's never been asked, and we get to know her better w #FinkysFirsts!
Find out about:
Follow: @AmericasDance30 on all socials!
Count down the biggest dance songs in the country every week with Brian Fink on America’s Dance 30; listen on stations around the world!
She shares how her smash "Ocean" was born w Calvin Harris, and how long ago they started working on it. She also talks about her latest book "Words Of A Goat Princess, Volume II: The People's Purge" and shares how it came together.
Jessie also answers a question she's never been asked, and we get to know her better w #FinkysFirsts!
Find out about:
- if music was the first thing she wanted to get into
- if using her real name for her artist project was her first choice
- her first time performing for a crowd
- the first song she ever wrote
- the first celeb she met where she was starstruck
- if bungee jumping was her first adrenaline activity
- her first thought when Calvin told her he was keeping her vocals on "Ocean"
Follow: @AmericasDance30 on all socials!
Count down the biggest dance songs in the country every week with Brian Fink on America’s Dance 30; listen on stations around the world!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jesse, I like to be one hundred with all my guests,
so I have to be one hundred with you, all right.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Okay, let's do it.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
I didn't realize how much of an absolute juggernaut you
truly are until I read the about the author in
your latest book and started researching you amazing. Feel free
to kick back and relax because this is going to
take a bit. Grammy nominated, six time Juno Award winner,
best selling author, ted talk speaker, philanthropist, activist, Billboard Women
(00:35):
in Music Impact Award recipient, multi platinum singer songwriter with
over three billion streams. Oh and a fellow Canadian and
fellow bungee jumper, Jesse Rayes. Welcome to America's Dans thirty
for the first time.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Ella Ala. Thank you very much for a lovely introduction
counting down the biggest dance songs in the country.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
This is America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
It is such an honor finally meeting you. Now we're
gonna be chatting about your book coming up. We're gonna
get to know you a little better with Thinkey's First,
I'm gonna ask you a question that you have possibly
never been asked before and congratulations on the incredible success
of Ocean with Calvin Harris.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Thank you, thank you so amazing.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Now what feels better releasing a song or releasing a book?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Releasing a book?
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Really why?
Speaker 4 (01:48):
Because the process of creation and the process of bringing
something from me invisible like to the real world, which
is which is?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Which is? The process for.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Both songs and just strictly writing is so fluid. But
in music you have to stay within the restrictions of
the key. You know, the key of the song you're
in the core is the temple. There's there's restrictions boxes
allow for innovation, which is which is why there's so
many beautiful songs. But when that creativity is able to
(02:16):
be expressed without any sort of boundary, it's almost like
having this horse that I've been training and it does
tricks and it jumps and it's great. But then when
I could just let it loose in a field, I
just watch it run. That's what it feels like to
be able to write books and be able to like
give them to the world that way, because it's almost
it's that same level of intimacy and vulnerability just a
(02:37):
bit more just rare.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Totally makes sense, and I love the way you describe that.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Well.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
I can't wait to talk about the book coming up,
and I can't wait to talk about how Ocean was
born with Calvin Harris, especially since it's got such a
crazy backstory. But first, let's get to know Jesse Reyes
a little better with Thinky's first. I always love finding
(03:03):
out the origin story of artists. I saw that you
actually learned guitar as a kid and then started writing
songs when you were in high school. But when you
were growing up, was music the first thing that you
wanted to get into or was there something else you
wanted to be when you grew up.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
I used to dance.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
I used to dance when I was a kid, But
to be honest, I think music was the first one,
but unbeknownst to me, like it's one of those memories
that gets told to you after you've grown up. My
mom said she caught me in front of the TV
mimicking Pavaratti and tied my best to do opera. And
I was three years old, and she took me to
the closest piano, like the closest music school, and pretty
(03:42):
much begged the teacher to take me on because he
was like, no, he's too young, she's too little DoD
and she wouldn't leave till he accepted me. And that's
how it started. Yeah, but dance, music, singing, writing or
is that world?
Speaker 1 (03:53):
So where did you veer? Why didn't you actually go
into full on dancing?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I didn't end up coming to full fruition.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
I was a professional dance for a while too, Like
I used to dance in the CFL, which is like,
you know, the Canadian equivalent to NFL yep, And it
was a zooma instructive for a minute there two, So
I definitely I took.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
It, But I don't know.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
Music and writing always felt more like home as opposed
to just an expression.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
It felt like home.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Gotcha, Well, let me stop really quick and just explain
that I'm from Montreal, so you don't have to explain
anything Canadian to me.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Yeah, so you don't have to explain anything in the future. Now.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
When you were trying to decide on an artist project name,
was using your real name your first choice or were
the other names you were considering?
Speaker 4 (04:45):
There were other names. There were monikers that never saw
the lighted day, thank god. There was one that was
like Jesse knotts, which I thought was so creative. There
was one point I was a little flame, which again
and by the grace of God, didn't stick.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
I kind of like little flame.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Do you feel free to put out music under that?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
So we know now.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Now now, you recently just wrapped a European tour, a
US tour, a book reading tour. Do you remember your
first time ever performing for a crowd?
Speaker 4 (05:25):
Yeah, I remember doing like family shows and then putting
them through. That was so funny because it was just
a matter of performing. Like I remember hosting church, which
is so fun Like I was like I was I
don't know six, and like I went to Catholic, Catholic school,
Catholic church growing up too, so like I would do
the whole like bread breaking and like singing, and my
(05:46):
family was like okay. So that was the first one
at home and then uh in school. I remember early, early,
early talent shows that would participate in.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
And were you comfortable right from the start.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
I mean comfortable. I would just do it scared. I
was nervous as a mom. I was nervous as a hell,
but I would just do it scared.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
I love that because still when I step out on
stage in front of thirty thousand people.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
I still do it scared. So I love how you
put that. Now.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Not only have you written songs for yourself, but you've
written songs for other artists Calvin Harris, do Aleapa, Sam Smith.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
But do you remember the first song you ever wrote?
Speaker 4 (06:25):
I don't remember the first one I ever wrote. I
remember the first one. The one I remember first was
something I was like, I don't know, grade four or
grade five, and it was so ironic. I guess I
was listening to a lot of TLC and I got influenced.
But the irony of a kid talking about not growing
up too fast, Like, that's what this about. There was
(06:46):
a specific line saying like, don't grow up too fast?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Yeah, something like that.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
That's awesome. Now. I saw in an old post of yours.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
I think it was a snip from an old yearbook
where you said that your favorite celebrity is yourself, which
I absolutely love. But do you remember the first celebrity
that you met that you were starstruck?
Speaker 4 (07:12):
I can't remember which happened first, but the only two
times I've ever been like and had to like get
myself together was Eminem and Beyonce.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Oh, my god, GZ, Like, I don't even know how
I would react.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
How did it go? Especially meeting Beyonce.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
I didn't pass out, so that's a win. Didn't re act,
so that's another win. But it was definitely evident that
I was much more nervous than I normally am. So
I had to I had to get myself together. But
I succeeded.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
And I'm sure they didn't even notice it. I'm sure
it was all inside here.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
One of them didn't, one of them noticed, one of
them didn't. But it's okay. You can't win them all.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Now, as I mentioned, you're a fellow bungee jumper. Was
bungee jumping your first adrenaline in activity or was there
something you did prior to that?
Speaker 4 (08:02):
No? Prior so, my pops used to do like competitive diving,
like he would participate in a Columbia and he got
me into it when I was a kid. So I
was doing random diving competitions as a little kid and
got into Yeah, just doing platform jumps and cliff jumps
and stuff.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Oh my god, what did you think of it?
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Because I saw that you did like the highest bungee
jump in the world in Africa.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Yeah, I fell in love with I've been in love
with that feeling since I was little.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
What blew my mind? Is you actually backing up and
running off of it?
Speaker 3 (08:36):
I'm like, how did she do that?
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Like when I bungee jumped, I stood there and I
looked down and I turned to the instructor and I'm like,
are we gonna need that pad?
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Because it doesn't even look.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Like we're over it? And they pretty much had to
push me off of it. Oh yeah, but I've definitely
grown up. I've gone onto about eleven sky jumps now.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Or you're also, hello, you belong to.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
The tribe, absolutely, have you? So you skydove? Mm hmm
isn't it absolutely amazing?
Speaker 2 (09:07):
It's beautiful.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
But I definitely like bungee Moore, but skydriving is fun
as well.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
See the thing about bungee jumping that gets me is
the bouncing, like I can't deal with.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Do you love that?
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (09:19):
That's why I did, because skydiving you pay because it's
not cheap.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
You pay that and you get the feeling once, but
in bungee you get.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
It again again.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
I'm getting nauseous with you just saying that.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Now finally in Finkey's first in honor of the success
of Ocean. What was your first thought when Calvin said
that he was keeping your vocals on it.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
I was like, hell, yeah, man, it's a It's such
a gift to be able to be a writer and
an artist because I get to experience both sides of
the way that like, experienced both sides of the song
coming to its full fruition. So I just it felt good.
I was happy, I was excited, and I've loved him
for a long time. We've been creating together for a
(10:11):
long long time.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
So full right, that's so awesome. Well, let's talk about
this smash. How was Ocean born? With Calvin Harris?
Speaker 4 (10:18):
We were cooking in la I think we are Burns' studio,
so it was me, Calvin and Burns and yeah, man,
we just I love when we create this way where
it's just open, you just jammed, You just jam and
you make whatever God gives you in the room, and
then you take it and you put it down and
you'd make another, and you make another. So that's what
(10:38):
we were doing. And then I and he sent it
to me a few days later. I was like, I
love this one.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Now, how long ago did you guys start working on it?
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Maybe maybe two years ago?
Speaker 4 (10:50):
Oh? Maybe?
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Wow?
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Now I love finding out how long singers and songwriters
have stuff backed up on their computer, because, like I
remember speaking to an artist that they had a song
for their on their hard drive for like ten years.
What's the oldest song that you're holding on to?
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Ooh, it's this one song. I'm probably gonna change the title.
It's called Bluehetia and I Command my next. But I
love it and I've held on to it for so long.
But she's just never fit. She's just never fit. It
hasn't been the right time and I've loved it for years,
So I'm excited for her to finally see the lay
to day.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Well, congratulations on the success of Ocean. Let's talk about
your book, Words of a Goat, Princess Volume to the
People's Purge. I absolutely love the concept and the illustrations
on this book. Got it on Amazon for our ad
thirty fam that might not be familiar with how you
(11:47):
wrote this? Can you please share because I love it?
Speaker 4 (11:49):
Well. First of all, shout out to Elouise deal with
the amazing, amazing and she did all the illustrations from
the book.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
She's from France. I met her and I'm from sixteen.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
When The Figures first came out, she with artwork for
like fan artwork, and I found her page and I
fell in love with her, and then there's been a
creative a creative union ever since.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Shout out to Aluise. But how I made them, I got,
I got.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
I was feeling really stifled because I wanted to release music,
but in this world that's not really how it works. Like,
as much as you want to, you can be done
a song today and you want to release it tomorrow
when you can. But if this is what you do
for work, then you got to think about okay, production
contracts and marketing and if DSP's already and artwork and
there's just a whole bunch of other logistics that come
with it, which are champagne problems. But it's not producive
(12:31):
to the natural process of what I think the artistic
rhythm is, which is to make and release, not make
and hoard, which so much of us go through. So
I was frustrated, and then a solution kind of fell
into my hands with Instagram and story prompts. So I
kind of went online and I was like, oh, I
make a song about, and I posted it, and then
people would give me these these condensed, potent, one line
(12:54):
sentences that felt like humanity secrets because I think the
level of anonymity that that exercise I gave people more
freedom to just be very, very vulnerable. So these these
insane topics in a couple of words started coming, and
I would make these fifteen second songs inspired by the prompts,
and it felt so it just felt it felt, it
(13:14):
felt right, and I kept doing it.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
As an exercise and was satiated.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
And then I think one day I didn't have my guitar,
so as opposed to saying write a song about, I
changed it to write a piece about.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
And then poetry has been my first love.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
The first medal I ever got in my life was
a poetry festival when I was like eleven or twelve,
so it felt it felt like.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Coming home, but like coming home.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
And then and then they were ephemeral, so they would
only be up for twenty four hours, which which was great.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
And when I started getting more messages like.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
Oh, I wish these are all world in one place
so we could come back to them, and I gave
you a prompt two months ago, and I don't know
where it is now.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
I would love to see it.
Speaker 4 (13:55):
So finally I was like, Okay, this is a community effort,
so I think it belongs to the community.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Just make it a project and go and where's the
local constance? Well, into the people's purse was born.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
I absolutely love that. Now, you mentioned that you were
writing poetry as a kid. I wrote poetry as well
when I was younger. Did you ever do that thing
where you could submit your poem and pay for it
to be in a book?
Speaker 4 (14:17):
No?
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Did you?
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Well, I'm not going to admit it now, jeez, Jesse,
but yes I did.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Listen man, I'm not gonna knock the hustle. You do
what you gotta do.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Absolutely well. Congratulations on this book. Make sure to pick
it up on Amazon. It's so amazing. Now, thank you.
Before I let you go, I asked chat Ept to
give me a question that Jesse Reyes has never been
asked before.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
So I gotta test this out, all right.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
I'm so excited, man, a chattypt blow climb man.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Every day.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Let's hear, what's one thing that you want your music
to do for someone who's hearing it?
Speaker 3 (14:55):
For the first time light.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
A fire when I was living in Florida and I
was bartending, and I think I was like nineteen years old,
and I always this is this is this has always
been calling to me from my childhood, like this this
life and this vocation.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
And I remember being really frustrated.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
Had I had a box full of tips and I
was still doing open mics and I was doing my best,
but I was I was, I was struggling to find
success or liquidity and music. And I remember I was
cleaning up my apartment and I had put on BJ
this Chicago kids song dream Too, and it's for anyone
that's like, I don't know, lost or looking for that
(15:33):
fire to be lit, I suggest they listen to that
song because that song, that song boored guys to lean
into my soul and it just it kind of woke
me up, and I was like, the hell am I doing?
If this is what I want, this is what I
should be chasing full force. And then the next day
I got up and I just I started making opportunities
for myself. So the way that that song was able
to just I love if I could even if I
(15:54):
mean that was that that was a Torch.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
If I could provide a match for somebody, I'd be happy.
You know.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
I absolutely love that.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
I didn't realize that we were both Canadian and you
were in Florida.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
What part of Florida for.
Speaker 4 (16:07):
Ladder daal Well, I'll come all over before Lauderdale, like
Hollywood Ish.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Area got you. I'm in Tampa. I knew I loved
you for a reason. Jesse rey Is, congratulations on everything.
Thank you so much for your time with us on
America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Thank you very much man. America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Counting down the biggest dance songs in the country.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
America's Dance thirty
Jesse, I like to be one hundred with all my guests,
so I have to be one hundred with you, all right.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Okay, let's do it.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
I didn't realize how much of an absolute juggernaut you
truly are until I read the about the author in
your latest book and started researching you amazing. Feel free
to kick back and relax because this is going to
take a bit. Grammy nominated, six time Juno Award winner,
best selling author, ted talk speaker, philanthropist, activist, Billboard Women
(00:35):
in Music Impact Award recipient, multi platinum singer songwriter with
over three billion streams. Oh and a fellow Canadian and
fellow bungee jumper, Jesse Rayes. Welcome to America's Dans thirty
for the first time.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Ella Ala. Thank you very much for a lovely introduction
counting down the biggest dance songs in the country.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
This is America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
It is such an honor finally meeting you. Now we're
gonna be chatting about your book coming up. We're gonna
get to know you a little better with Thinkey's First,
I'm gonna ask you a question that you have possibly
never been asked before and congratulations on the incredible success
of Ocean with Calvin Harris.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Thank you, thank you so amazing.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Now what feels better releasing a song or releasing a book?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Releasing a book?
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Really why?
Speaker 4 (01:48):
Because the process of creation and the process of bringing
something from me invisible like to the real world, which
is which is?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Which is? The process for.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Both songs and just strictly writing is so fluid. But
in music you have to stay within the restrictions of
the key. You know, the key of the song you're
in the core is the temple. There's there's restrictions boxes
allow for innovation, which is which is why there's so
many beautiful songs. But when that creativity is able to
(02:16):
be expressed without any sort of boundary, it's almost like
having this horse that I've been training and it does
tricks and it jumps and it's great. But then when
I could just let it loose in a field, I
just watch it run. That's what it feels like to
be able to write books and be able to like
give them to the world that way, because it's almost
it's that same level of intimacy and vulnerability just a
(02:37):
bit more just rare.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Totally makes sense, and I love the way you describe that.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Well.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
I can't wait to talk about the book coming up,
and I can't wait to talk about how Ocean was
born with Calvin Harris, especially since it's got such a
crazy backstory. But first, let's get to know Jesse Reyes
a little better with Thinky's first. I always love finding
(03:03):
out the origin story of artists. I saw that you
actually learned guitar as a kid and then started writing
songs when you were in high school. But when you
were growing up, was music the first thing that you
wanted to get into or was there something else you
wanted to be when you grew up.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
I used to dance.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
I used to dance when I was a kid, But
to be honest, I think music was the first one,
but unbeknownst to me, like it's one of those memories
that gets told to you after you've grown up. My
mom said she caught me in front of the TV
mimicking Pavaratti and tied my best to do opera. And
I was three years old, and she took me to
the closest piano, like the closest music school, and pretty
(03:42):
much begged the teacher to take me on because he
was like, no, he's too young, she's too little DoD
and she wouldn't leave till he accepted me. And that's
how it started. Yeah, but dance, music, singing, writing or
is that world?
Speaker 1 (03:53):
So where did you veer? Why didn't you actually go
into full on dancing?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I didn't end up coming to full fruition.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
I was a professional dance for a while too, Like
I used to dance in the CFL, which is like,
you know, the Canadian equivalent to NFL yep, And it
was a zooma instructive for a minute there two, So
I definitely I took.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
It, But I don't know.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
Music and writing always felt more like home as opposed
to just an expression.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
It felt like home.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Gotcha, Well, let me stop really quick and just explain
that I'm from Montreal, so you don't have to explain
anything Canadian to me.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Yeah, so you don't have to explain anything in the future. Now.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
When you were trying to decide on an artist project name,
was using your real name your first choice or were
the other names you were considering?
Speaker 4 (04:45):
There were other names. There were monikers that never saw
the lighted day, thank god. There was one that was
like Jesse knotts, which I thought was so creative. There
was one point I was a little flame, which again
and by the grace of God, didn't stick.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
I kind of like little flame.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Do you feel free to put out music under that?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
So we know now.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Now now, you recently just wrapped a European tour, a
US tour, a book reading tour. Do you remember your
first time ever performing for a crowd?
Speaker 4 (05:25):
Yeah, I remember doing like family shows and then putting
them through. That was so funny because it was just
a matter of performing. Like I remember hosting church, which
is so fun Like I was like I was I
don't know six, and like I went to Catholic, Catholic school,
Catholic church growing up too, so like I would do
the whole like bread breaking and like singing, and my
(05:46):
family was like okay. So that was the first one
at home and then uh in school. I remember early, early,
early talent shows that would participate in.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
And were you comfortable right from the start.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
I mean comfortable. I would just do it scared. I
was nervous as a mom. I was nervous as a hell,
but I would just do it scared.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
I love that because still when I step out on
stage in front of thirty thousand people.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
I still do it scared. So I love how you
put that. Now.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Not only have you written songs for yourself, but you've
written songs for other artists Calvin Harris, do Aleapa, Sam Smith.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
But do you remember the first song you ever wrote?
Speaker 4 (06:25):
I don't remember the first one I ever wrote. I
remember the first one. The one I remember first was
something I was like, I don't know, grade four or
grade five, and it was so ironic. I guess I
was listening to a lot of TLC and I got influenced.
But the irony of a kid talking about not growing
up too fast, Like, that's what this about. There was
(06:46):
a specific line saying like, don't grow up too fast?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Yeah, something like that.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
That's awesome. Now. I saw in an old post of yours.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
I think it was a snip from an old yearbook
where you said that your favorite celebrity is yourself, which
I absolutely love. But do you remember the first celebrity
that you met that you were starstruck?
Speaker 4 (07:12):
I can't remember which happened first, but the only two
times I've ever been like and had to like get
myself together was Eminem and Beyonce.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Oh, my god, GZ, Like, I don't even know how
I would react.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
How did it go? Especially meeting Beyonce.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
I didn't pass out, so that's a win. Didn't re act,
so that's another win. But it was definitely evident that
I was much more nervous than I normally am. So
I had to I had to get myself together. But
I succeeded.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
And I'm sure they didn't even notice it. I'm sure
it was all inside here.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
One of them didn't, one of them noticed, one of
them didn't. But it's okay. You can't win them all.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Now, as I mentioned, you're a fellow bungee jumper. Was
bungee jumping your first adrenaline in activity or was there
something you did prior to that?
Speaker 4 (08:02):
No? Prior so, my pops used to do like competitive diving,
like he would participate in a Columbia and he got
me into it when I was a kid. So I
was doing random diving competitions as a little kid and
got into Yeah, just doing platform jumps and cliff jumps
and stuff.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Oh my god, what did you think of it?
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Because I saw that you did like the highest bungee
jump in the world in Africa.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Yeah, I fell in love with I've been in love
with that feeling since I was little.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
What blew my mind? Is you actually backing up and
running off of it?
Speaker 3 (08:36):
I'm like, how did she do that?
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Like when I bungee jumped, I stood there and I
looked down and I turned to the instructor and I'm like,
are we gonna need that pad?
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Because it doesn't even look.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Like we're over it? And they pretty much had to
push me off of it. Oh yeah, but I've definitely
grown up. I've gone onto about eleven sky jumps now.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Or you're also, hello, you belong to.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
The tribe, absolutely, have you? So you skydove? Mm hmm
isn't it absolutely amazing?
Speaker 2 (09:07):
It's beautiful.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
But I definitely like bungee Moore, but skydriving is fun
as well.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
See the thing about bungee jumping that gets me is
the bouncing, like I can't deal with.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Do you love that?
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (09:19):
That's why I did, because skydiving you pay because it's
not cheap.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
You pay that and you get the feeling once, but
in bungee you get.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
It again again.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
I'm getting nauseous with you just saying that.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Now finally in Finkey's first in honor of the success
of Ocean. What was your first thought when Calvin said
that he was keeping your vocals on it.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
I was like, hell, yeah, man, it's a It's such
a gift to be able to be a writer and
an artist because I get to experience both sides of
the way that like, experienced both sides of the song
coming to its full fruition. So I just it felt good.
I was happy, I was excited, and I've loved him
for a long time. We've been creating together for a
(10:11):
long long time.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
So full right, that's so awesome. Well, let's talk about
this smash. How was Ocean born? With Calvin Harris?
Speaker 4 (10:18):
We were cooking in la I think we are Burns' studio,
so it was me, Calvin and Burns and yeah, man,
we just I love when we create this way where
it's just open, you just jammed, You just jam and
you make whatever God gives you in the room, and
then you take it and you put it down and
you'd make another, and you make another. So that's what
(10:38):
we were doing. And then I and he sent it
to me a few days later. I was like, I
love this one.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Now, how long ago did you guys start working on it?
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Maybe maybe two years ago?
Speaker 4 (10:50):
Oh? Maybe?
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Wow?
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Now I love finding out how long singers and songwriters
have stuff backed up on their computer, because, like I
remember speaking to an artist that they had a song
for their on their hard drive for like ten years.
What's the oldest song that you're holding on to?
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Ooh, it's this one song. I'm probably gonna change the title.
It's called Bluehetia and I Command my next. But I
love it and I've held on to it for so long.
But she's just never fit. She's just never fit. It
hasn't been the right time and I've loved it for years,
So I'm excited for her to finally see the lay
to day.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Well, congratulations on the success of Ocean. Let's talk about
your book, Words of a Goat, Princess Volume to the
People's Purge. I absolutely love the concept and the illustrations
on this book. Got it on Amazon for our ad
thirty fam that might not be familiar with how you
(11:47):
wrote this? Can you please share because I love it?
Speaker 4 (11:49):
Well. First of all, shout out to Elouise deal with
the amazing, amazing and she did all the illustrations from
the book.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
She's from France. I met her and I'm from sixteen.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
When The Figures first came out, she with artwork for
like fan artwork, and I found her page and I
fell in love with her, and then there's been a
creative a creative union ever since.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Shout out to Aluise. But how I made them, I got,
I got.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
I was feeling really stifled because I wanted to release music,
but in this world that's not really how it works. Like,
as much as you want to, you can be done
a song today and you want to release it tomorrow
when you can. But if this is what you do
for work, then you got to think about okay, production
contracts and marketing and if DSP's already and artwork and
there's just a whole bunch of other logistics that come
with it, which are champagne problems. But it's not producive
(12:31):
to the natural process of what I think the artistic
rhythm is, which is to make and release, not make
and hoard, which so much of us go through. So
I was frustrated, and then a solution kind of fell
into my hands with Instagram and story prompts. So I
kind of went online and I was like, oh, I
make a song about, and I posted it, and then
people would give me these these condensed, potent, one line
(12:54):
sentences that felt like humanity secrets because I think the
level of anonymity that that exercise I gave people more
freedom to just be very, very vulnerable. So these these
insane topics in a couple of words started coming, and
I would make these fifteen second songs inspired by the prompts,
and it felt so it just felt it felt, it
(13:14):
felt right, and I kept doing it.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
As an exercise and was satiated.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
And then I think one day I didn't have my guitar,
so as opposed to saying write a song about, I
changed it to write a piece about.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
And then poetry has been my first love.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
The first medal I ever got in my life was
a poetry festival when I was like eleven or twelve,
so it felt it felt like.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Coming home, but like coming home.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
And then and then they were ephemeral, so they would
only be up for twenty four hours, which which was great.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
And when I started getting more messages like.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
Oh, I wish these are all world in one place
so we could come back to them, and I gave
you a prompt two months ago, and I don't know
where it is now.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
I would love to see it.
Speaker 4 (13:55):
So finally I was like, Okay, this is a community effort,
so I think it belongs to the community.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Just make it a project and go and where's the
local constance? Well, into the people's purse was born.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
I absolutely love that. Now, you mentioned that you were
writing poetry as a kid. I wrote poetry as well
when I was younger. Did you ever do that thing
where you could submit your poem and pay for it
to be in a book?
Speaker 4 (14:17):
No?
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Did you?
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Well, I'm not going to admit it now, jeez, Jesse,
but yes I did.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Listen man, I'm not gonna knock the hustle. You do
what you gotta do.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Absolutely well. Congratulations on this book. Make sure to pick
it up on Amazon. It's so amazing. Now, thank you.
Before I let you go, I asked chat Ept to
give me a question that Jesse Reyes has never been
asked before.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
So I gotta test this out, all right.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
I'm so excited, man, a chattypt blow climb man.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Every day.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Let's hear, what's one thing that you want your music
to do for someone who's hearing it?
Speaker 3 (14:55):
For the first time light.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
A fire when I was living in Florida and I
was bartending, and I think I was like nineteen years old,
and I always this is this is this has always
been calling to me from my childhood, like this this
life and this vocation.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
And I remember being really frustrated.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
Had I had a box full of tips and I
was still doing open mics and I was doing my best,
but I was I was, I was struggling to find
success or liquidity and music. And I remember I was
cleaning up my apartment and I had put on BJ
this Chicago kids song dream Too, and it's for anyone
that's like, I don't know, lost or looking for that
(15:33):
fire to be lit, I suggest they listen to that
song because that song, that song boored guys to lean
into my soul and it just it kind of woke
me up, and I was like, the hell am I doing?
If this is what I want, this is what I
should be chasing full force. And then the next day
I got up and I just I started making opportunities
for myself. So the way that that song was able
to just I love if I could even if I
(15:54):
mean that was that that was a Torch.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
If I could provide a match for somebody, I'd be happy.
You know.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
I absolutely love that.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
I didn't realize that we were both Canadian and you
were in Florida.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
What part of Florida for.
Speaker 4 (16:07):
Ladder daal Well, I'll come all over before Lauderdale, like
Hollywood Ish.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Area got you. I'm in Tampa. I knew I loved
you for a reason. Jesse rey Is, congratulations on everything.
Thank you so much for your time with us on
America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Thank you very much man. America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Counting down the biggest dance songs in the country.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
America's Dance thirty
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.