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The music industry can be brutal on artists, especially newcomers happy to just be in the room with celebrities they see living lavishly. Jay Saint, an artist, and songwriter who has penned hits for Bad Boy stars like Danity Kane, Fergie, and Sean Kingston, knows this firsthand.
Unfortunately for Jay Saint he wasn’t always paid for his writing or even credited while lending words and melodies to some of the label’s biggest tunes, he revealed.
While chatting with host Joey of “Me, Myself, And;” podcast, Jay Saint spoke about some of the “cons” of working with Bad Boy. The biggest con was when his own record was swiped for Sean Kingston, who was bubbling at the time, he said.
“The cons [are] it’s extremely easy for your [work] to get stolen.”
Joey asked Jay share a memory of a hit he penned, and he revealed his Sean Kingston “Fire Burning” faux pas.
“The funny thing about Sean Kingston is that [Fire Burning] was supposed to be my song. I came up with the melody and they changed the words. My manager at the time was pitching me to the label and they knew I didn’t have my papers together […] then I hear it on the radio.”
“Fire Burning” has racked up over 98,000,000 YouTube views and Jay Saint is nowhere in the credits after coming up with the melody for the hit.
“As a person who didn’t have an experience […] I was just elated at the fact that this Caribbean superstar, as a Caribbean person myself, I was just like WOW. I didn’t see a dime, still until this day.”
Ultimately, Saint learned from the experience. He said he’s looking ahead as he releases his solo music, while focusing on being the incredible solo act he aims to be.
“I don’t want to settle for being an artist in the queer community. I want to be more than that.” Jay said, “I want to be a creative who is successful, who inspires. [An artist] who has incredible visuals, incredible style, who captivates people.”
Hit play at the 16-minute mark to hear Jay Saint and Joey chat it up about the ups and downs of his days at Bad Boy.
