Rap artist JayaHadADream on her debut record and the Nottingham music scene

Hey Jaya, you recently put out your debut album Happiness From Agony. How are you feeling about this new chapter?

Honestly, I feel really good about  where I’m at right now. It feels like everything has led up to this point, even little things, like when I used to make YouTube videos when I was younger. Every part of my journey has shaped this moment. Happiness From Agony is my favourite project so far because I’ve completely stuck to who I am. It moves through all my styles – grime, hip hop, even drum and bass, and it just feels true.

You’ve performed hundreds of shows over the years, but this is your first headline tour. How does it feel to take that next step?

It feels incredible. I’ve done over 200 shows – from open mics to support slots, so being able to put together my own tour feels surreal. I’ve been doing this for a long time, so to finally be at a point where I can curate the whole experience and bring everything I’ve learnt together is really special. I’m especially excited to perform in Nottingham. The city has always shown me love, and I can’t wait to share this new music with the people who saw me at the start.

You studied at the Uni of Nottingham and were part of the local hip hop community. What role did the city play in shaping you?

A huge one. The Nottingham creative scene is taking off and it’s so deserved – it’s a vessel of authentic voices. When I was at uni I’d go to open mics in my spare time, and that’s where I started to get noticed and booked for paid shows.

I joined the hip hop society at UoN, which was sick – that’s where I performed my first shows at Rough Trade and connected with people who are still part of my community today. Those years were hard, but they were also the best time to grow. Nottingham validated me to cross over into different genres and to not minimise myself.

What does a creative process look like for you?

My creative processes start off as just little things, for example a thought on a train – it’s usually on a train – and then I’ll write down my first line. I put a lot of pressure on my first line, and it’s an internal pressure. It’s an unconscious stream of thoughts at first and then I start to shape it up. I like to think that’s what’s got me here so I should keep on doing that.

You’ve spoken before about representation and being a woman in Hip Hop. Has that experience shaped your writing?

Definitely. Growing up, I didn’t see many female rappers who looked or sounded like me and that’s not their fault. The industry just didn’t give them the same opportunities as men. The songs that labels invest in by women often focus on money, sex or beauty, and that made me want to talk about other things. I want to show what it’s like just existing as a woman, without the male gaze. Not every song has to be about pleasing men. I want to write about career, identity, doubt, joy. Just being.

Your sound moves between grime, hip hop, UK garage, drum and bass, and other genres. How did that versatility come about?

I’ve always been quite versatile. When I listen back to my early stuff, I was rapping over Wiley beats one minute, and Tupac beats the next. But the Nottingham and wider Midlands scenes really invited me to experiment more with garage, drum and bass, and grime.

Doing a freestyle on BBC 1Xtra with Sir Spyro last year opened a lot of doors. Producers started hitting me up, and that’s how my bassline track Sick of the Chatter came about. I’ve started to see my voice as an instrument, especially on my more dance-inspired songs. It doesn’t have to dominate, it can blend, flow, add texture.

How do you navigate being a woman in the space that you’re in? Does it come with its challenges?

The guy artists are actually very mindful of it. I’ll be at a set full of guy artists and one of the guys will reach over to help me get to the front and I really appreciate it. It does come with its challenges though. I’ve started to get harassed on trains and stuff – it’ll mainly be men. Some guys are just too much and don’t take into account that it’s 1am and I’m on a train by myself. I also think people DM me things that they wouldn’t DM my male counterparts, which isn’t fair. People have also assumed that my producer is my manager before, just because he’s a man and older than me, when it’s me that does all of the admin, and I work so hard – it really annoys me.

Your Glastonbury performance was a major moment. What did it mean to you?

That performance changed my life. I’d won a competition to get there, so even before stepping on stage, there was a lot of buzz. Performing there felt like confirmation, like everything I’d worked for made sense. Glastonbury really established me.

Did you always envision music to be the route you’d go down?

I always wrote lyrics and words down. This started from primary school with poetry and I was always writing. I used to write for a ‘made-up’ girl band, in my head. At that time I wasn’t feeling very empowered, and used to think that no one would listen to me if I rapped so I was trying to minimise myself. Then I got older and was just naturally drawn to it. I used to write in my bedroom and pretend I was on stage, but no one knew for a very long time. Then, when I was fifteen or sixteen, it became a thing where I couldn’t hide it anymore.

What’s next after the tour?

I’ve got big plans, more collaborations – maybe even a vinyl for my project Happiness From Agony. I’m also working on JayaHadADream merch and thinking about learning an instrument to use live.

What do you want people to feel when they listen to your music?

Connection. Relief. When I used to listen to Kanye, Jay Z, or Skepta, I’d think, ‘They get it.’ I want listeners to feel that same sense of being understood. Especially women like me, women who don’t fit into one box.

Jaya performs at Metronome on Friday 7 November 2025. Her debut album, Happiness From Agony, was released on 24 October 2025.

@jayahadadream