(The Syndicate) JayWood is the enigmatic, artistic outlet for boundary-pushing musician and singer-songwriter Jeremy Haywood-Smith. Though he was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize in his native Canada - the renaissance creative currently resides in Montreal, QB, where he serves as a postal worker for his day job - that's the least interesting thing about him.
Today, he announces his mind-bending forthcoming album, Leo Negro, due for release September 5, 2025 on Captured Tracks. As displayed on the recently released, genre-blending singles "BIG TINGS" feat. Tune-Yards and "UNTITLED (Swirl)," JayWood can't be pigeonholed, and album track "ASSUMPTIONS" is no exception to that rule. As trippy, and in-your-face as the whole album, the hip-hop production here is laced with psychedelic flourishes and a braggadocious, neo-soul energy owing as much to Tyler, the Creator as it does Stereolab and fellow Quebecois indie darlings Men I Trust.
Speaking on the origins of the album title, JayWood laughs and says it "...came from the main concept of the album which is identity. I asked myself the question of 'What are some things that make me who I am, no matter what changes occur in life?' and funnily enough, I was getting really into astrology at the time due to fact that 70% of my friends are queer femmes. I was trying to understand what it means to be a Leo. On the other hand, I'm moving through life as a black man in spaces that don't always understand me or will try to categorize me."
He continues, "I know the main identifier for Leos is that they're super confident and massive social magnets and leaders, but in recent years, I've had a harder time leaning into that specific energy, so I started to just dismantle the idea of confidence and leadership by doing somewhat of the opposite. I started to get more vulnerable and share more things about myself: insecurities, fears, anxieties, my scarier truths and my experiences as a black person. Through that, I weirdly started to feel a little more confident. Which brings me to my last point about the title. I now live in Montreal and one thing I realized while trying to learn the language is that the descriptions of things are at the end. For example 'black cat' would be 'chat noir,' and if I look at my album title, it kinda translates to 'black confidence' in my mind."
On the song out today, JayWood says "'ASSUMPTIONS' feels like it's giving myself permission to step into some new sonic territory. It's fun and playful while still being pretty focused and lyrically consistent, which is new for me. It's also one of the funniest songs I've ever written. It's literally about my crippling imposter syndrome but at the same time, I'm staking my claim as a solid artist and a producer."
The video's director, Trent Wayne, while speaking on the production said "JayWood set the tone for us-playful, unpredictable, and musically rich- making a great foundation for the video. Inspired by the song's genre-blending, we built a narrative to match: starting in a comically chaotic party scene, drifting into a Yo Gabba Gabba!-inspired graveyard, and featuring a cartoon version of Jay performing created by Pete Though, which was sent through a VCR for added analog grit. Our production designer, Sophia Kotowski, built a functional CD-player gravestone that became a psychedelic centerpiece. Collaborating with Captured Tracks to spotlight innovative artists like JayWood is a real privilege for our team."
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