Jaya’s golden light

For singer-songwriter Jaya Logani, music is personal, which explains why she is heavily involved in the conception of her records. The Indian American senior, who is majoring in music industry with a minor in songwriting, crafts the melodies and lyrics of all of her music.  

“I feel like if I wasn’t involved in making it, why should I be the one singing it?” Logani said. 

Logani began writing songs at 10 years old and knew even then it was more than just a hobby. The artist said that since both of her parents are doctors and in some Indian American families children are encouraged to pursue medical occupations, she was anxious about communicating her love for music. Despite this fear, her parents accepted her decision to make music long -term.

“I think they could tell growing up because I was always singing, and I credit my mom for the whole songwriting thing because she would remember the melody to all the songs on the radio but she always forgets the words,” Logani said. “So, growing up, it would become a challenge and we would change the words of songs to be about driving to the dentist or different things in life, which is where I got my love for making up stories.”

Logani’s music blends influences from both mainstream American and Bollywood music, representative of her American upbringing and Indian heritage. 

“I do pop and I tend to be more of a positive, optimistic person, so I feel like my target  [audience] is probably like young girls … and definitely trying to be more empowering,” Logani said. “I would love to reach more of the Asian community, too. Being Indian, I would love if I could reach Indian girls too and make them feel like, ‘Oh hey, I don’t only have to be a doctor with my life.’”

Nick Smiley, a senior majoring in music industry, is responsible for Logani’s visuals and her singles’ artwork. He also produced the lyric video for her latest single “Down Low,” which was released a day before Valentine’s Day. Smiley, who has known Logani for a few years, has witnessed her talent and dedication. 

“It’s been super cool to watch her evolve as an artist, as a songwriter, working with different producers to evolve her sound,” Smiley said. “One thing about Jaya is she really cares about her craft and she has a very good attention to detail. Whether it’s when we are shooting and going through photos or designing cover artwork, she cares a lot about the product and art she puts out.”

Smiley said he identifies with Logani’s music simply because of the personable way she expresses herself in her songs. 

“[Her music] really feels like who she is as a person,” Smiley said. “I think if you know Jaya in real life, she’s very full of life and energy and she sees the world in her own unique Jaya way. Her music definitely feels like it’s coming from her, and it has the same spunk and very creative and artistic sensitive quality to it as well.”

Logani’s musical confidence isn’t new — her music progressed when she began writing more seriously in high school and started working with her father-turned-manager and  also with Grammy-nominated producer Rick Jarrard, who is responsible for the famed Christmas anthem “Feliz Navidad.”

“I would record different songs that [Jarrard] had, and then I had to start proving myself and be like, ‘Hey, I can also write songs, I’ll give you one of mine,’” Logani said. “Then that progressed and my work with him ended up getting me into college for music.”

Logani’s record-making process is seemingly effortless and even random. She describes the concepts she works on as “golden lights,” with all other aspects, such as song-writing and choosing a melody, geared toward an initial inspiration. 

“You just kind of get an urge … this golden light out of nowhere or this golden cloud drops in front of your face and you don’t know what this idea is going to be, but you’re very compelled towards diving into it,” Logani said. 

 Despite the bursts of ecstatic energy that inspires her work, not all of her lyrical content is happy. Logani said her best ideas come from moments of uncertainty. 

“I feel like when the best stuff comes, I don’t necessarily have to be overwhelmingly happy, but when I’m just open, I feel like that’s when those really special ideas come that I don’t have to work for,” Logani said.

Jaya’s father and manager, Sanjay Logani, plays an integral role in helping her actualize her ideas. He is a witness to the progression she has made as an artist and remembers one of her early days as a songwriter when she wrote her first song “Paradise Island” on the steps of the treasury building in D.C.

“She wrote that song, and I took a video, and I thought, ‘Oh wow, that was really impressive.She’s just writing a song on the top of her head based on her experience here and the time she’s having,’” Sanjay said. 

Sanjay said he and his wife watched her grow into her own as an artist throughout middle school and helped guide her in the right direction when she finally vocalized the desire to pursue music as a career.

 The lyric video for Jaya’s upcoming single, “Down Low,” releases next week, bringing her a step closer to her big break, Sanjay said. 

“Her music has come from the first song, down to the wire to her last song, and she’s come a long way,” Sanjay said. “She is very close and right on the brink of breaking as an artist.”