New Video SAYNT JAYSN feat. Jônelle “Take You Home”
Canadian hip hop has been topping charts for years—but not many people know much about the scorching furnace that
Canadian hip hop has been topping charts for years—but not many people know much about the scorching furnace that perfected acts like Drake and the Weeknd. Rapper SAYNT JAYSN has withstood the heat of Toronto’s hip-hop scene for years, proving himself like gold and living to tell his tale. Born and raised in Toronto, SAYNT JAYSN spent his formative years in Bermuda. The conflicting climates of his two homes generated an otherness within him that necessitated the no-holds-barred mastery of flow and self-expression that his fans have come to admire. Keeping mostly to the underground scene, he’s released several tracks over the years that shine like diamonds and singe like acid. Now, collaborating with maestro-producer and fellow Canadian Dwight Miller, SAYNT JAYSN is gearing up to release his epic album, It’s Okay To Be Happy Again, which tackles the madness and mysteries of being an artist head-on.
The lead single off of It’s Okay To Be Happy Again, “Take You Home” is a musically and lyrically complex exploration of the power of love. Featuring powerhouse Canadian vocalist Jônelle, the song explores love in all its glory, obsession, conflict, and warmth. Producer Dwight Miller of Big Nickel Productions cites Hans Zimmer as an influence, and the sound design displays a unique sensitivity to the equally carefully crafted lyrics of SAYNT JAYSN. This isn’t just another love song; it’s an acutely distilled revelation of the full picture of love.
To really get a sense of the complete artist that SAYNT JAYSN is and the absurdity of love he seeks to illustrate, you’ve got to catch the music video for “Take You Home.” Directed by hip-hop’s Hans Zimmer—Dwight Miller, himself—the video follows SAYNT JAYSN and Jônelle as they experience a wormhole-like journey through different tones and perspectives on love. From genuine passion to laughable infatuation, every stage of love is represented through clever and challenging usage of abrupt cuts, video effects, and even animated fairy tale birds. Take a deep breath before diving in; this surreal introduction to Toronto’s next big emcee will shake up your world.
It’s obvious that there was a lot of thought put into the visuals for “Take You Home”. Going into it, how did you think of the concept for this video?
“Good artists create, great artists steal” and I’d like to take this moment to completely steal Dwight Miller’s credit for coming up with the concept and direction. No, but if I could be serious for a moment, Dwight really brought that video to life. I trust his vision and sometimes as artists we have a difficult time relinquishing control and let the director guide you thru the process. I’ve been blessed throughout my less than stellar career to have incredibly talented and driven artists around me.
The glitchiness and weird editing in this video is definitely the most unique thing about this video. What were some inspirations that helped build the foundation of this dream-like video together?
Anyone who’s seen The Joker will immediately pick up on the schizophrenic nature of the video. Things get a lil more interesting with visuals when you have to wonder, “Is that real? Did that happen or am I buggin’ out?”. Dwight really wanted to play that up and it took a pretty standard theme like love and turned the video into something with a bit more to chew on.
How important do you think it is for a song to have an interesting video to accompany it?
As much as I enjoy shaking my fist at the clouds and telling young whippersnappers to stay off my lawn, I enjoy videos today. Music videos or just videos in general have become their own genre. The format’s been turned upside down. We don’t necessarily need fully fleshed out music videos per se but visuals that accompany your track is still very much a great vehicle to drive you song/project. So yeah, super important!
Is there anybody in the music industry today that has been inspiring you to keep doing what you do?
Not at all! Have you met some of these weirdos? Local, international, ALL insane! If anything, they’ve all given me a reason to NOT pursue this…That being said I think Phonte Coleman is the best emcee on Planet Earth. I’ve been a fan since ‘03.
At the end of the video, your album’s title It’s Okay to Be Happy Again is revealed. What does this phrase mean to you? Why did you choose it for the title of your album?
The album title is actually another credit to Dwight Miller. And I know what you’re thinking: NO, he doesn’t get credit for writing my rhymes! But no, he messaged me out the blue like a director with an idea for a movie and I thought it was quite spot on for me, time-wise. The pandemic, though incredibly disruptive and destructive, gave way to a lot of positive things. Like this incredible album we’re about to drop on you guys. The title is a reminder that no matter how much we go thru, there IS some light at the end of the tunnel, fighting thru to the other side is very much worth it – hang in there.
What goals have you aligned for yourself to achieve in the music industry?
Short answer: “walk around the planet earth, makin’ money, having fun” as the incredible Posdnous from De La Soul would say. But I’ve also learned, throughout my less than illustrious career, that you never quite know what’s going to happen next. Artists are people (most of them horrible people) and people tend to plan no matter how much God laughs at us. God laughing at you gets annoying so I’ve tempered my expectations and put my trust in my talent. Perfecting your craft and keeping your eyes open to opportunity will be my saving grace. Also, I want a Bentley.
What is it like being an up-and-coming artist out of Toronto?
It sucks! And I wish I were joking. There’s an unlimited source of talent out here. You can throw a rock in a crowd and hit a few gifted emcees. I’m proud of what so many from out here have accomplished, not just locally or nationally but all over the world. But we’re a big city and big cities operate in strange ways. I don’t do the politics. At my age, I have zero patience for people showing me their gums and ugly teeth while suggesting “let’s work.” I love where I’m from but we still haven’t quite answered Tina Turner’s classic question.
What can we expect to hear next from SAYNT JAYSN?
It’s Okay To Be Happy Again, produced entirely by Big Nickel Production, is coming real soon. Follow us on IG (@sayntyou @fqryonline) to keep up with all that’s going on!
