Jay Kay, the petrolhead frontman of Jamiroquai, spoke to a couple of our friends this week in the run up to his headline set at F1 Rocks Monza in September. See what the Brit funk star had to say about his love of Milan, taking Alan Prost’s F1 car for a spin, and just how many Ferraris he owns…
Interviews courtesy of cronacaqui.it and Onstage magazine.
CQ: What will the concert in Monza be like?
JK: Great, lots of dancing, loads of hits, the band are on fire at the moment.
CQ: What is your relationship with Milan?
Great city, lovely people, great nightlife and great food. What more could you ask for!
CQ: How will the show differ from your last live performance in Milan?
JK: It’s different every night! I’ve no idea what it’ll be like until the day, so definitely won’t be a replica of Milan. You can rest assured of that. We’ve got so many songs in the back catalogue now, it’s great being able to pick and choose to suit the mood of the band and the crowd.
OS: [latest album] ‘Rock Light Star Dust’ saw the light five years after [previous album] ‘Dynamite’. Why did it take so long?
JK: Because I’d changed labels it just meant I could make the album at the pace I wanted to make it and wasn’t being rushed. It was worth it though, it meant I ended up with the album I wanted to make, rather than the album someone else wanted me to make.
OS: You changed label right in the middle of music business ‘bad days’. What’s your opinion about music industry today?
JK: It’s just changed, obviously the live thing is still going strong, which I think is a great thing. That’s where all the artists I admire and respect thrive, even if people aren’t buying as many records as they once did.
CQ: What is your favourite F1 team? And who’s your favourite driver?
Well obviously I’m a Ferrari Man but I think Jenson is a super guy
CQ: Have you ever driven a Formula 1 car?
JK: Alan Prost’s old Peugeot de-tuned to 620 bhp I might add… Amazing! Only then do you realise the physical effort they put into their work.
OS: Do you still feel Jamiroquai is a band as some people think of Jamiroquai as a kind of stage name for Jay Kay?
JK: Jamiroquai definitely still feels like a band. I’m the member of the band who is signed, it’s my name on the contract, but when we’re out there jamming on stage it’s definitely a band.
OS: What is your approach to songwriting?
JK: I find if I sit in the studio with a blank sheet of paper, it’s a real challenge to come up with something good. It’s when I’m doing something, or have just experienced something new, that’s when the inspiration for songs comes to me.
CQ: Tell us about your new passion for helicopters?
JK: I was having some time off between making the last album and making this one and needed a new addiction while I was out of the studio, so decided to learn to fly. It certainly elevates the boredom!
CQ: Do you fly often?
JK: Not as often as I’d like thanks to the wonderful Great British weather we’re having this summer! And the rest of the time I’m on tour, so i’ve not been up as much this year.
CQ: Finally, how many Ferrari’s do you own and what was the last Ferrari that you bought?
JK: The last ones [I bought] were an F40 with 7,000kms and a one off 330GT Vignale. So far I own nine…
Enzo
F40
275 GTB / 4
330 GT Vignale
2 x 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta
250 GTE
550 Maranello
16M Scuderia
