Meet Jay Palma

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jay Palma a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jay , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I was born an artist. When my mom was a kid she wanted to be a professional dancer and my dad studied film and went through a program at USC in his teenage years. They both didn’t end of becoming artists due to circumstances given they had a child (me) in there young adulthood. My parents instilled an artist’s spirit in me and always were supportive of all my creative endeavors. As a child I was really into art, music, poetry, fashion as well as video/film media and performance art.
After highschool I was accepted to CalArts and pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Art. The exposure to a creative hub like that allowed me to open myself up to all these mediums with a critical sense. I learned so much about aesthetics and theory as much cultural studies and art practices. It really molded me into the interdisciplinary artist I am today.
When I graduated I worked at a paint store while landing a position as an educator and assistant curator at the Bakersfield Museum of Art all while continuing to explore my art practices and working on music production.
A couple years down the line I end up meeting my guitarist Anthony Maximilian, and two rap artists, ProManeThaSavage and K Glizzy and ended forming a Hip Hop collective called PurpleCloudzzz in Bakersfield, CA.
In more recent time, I’ve had the pleasure of becoming great friends with Jaron Smalls and working with him as his videographer and creative director for some of the ideas he wanted to bring to video for his music and brand, Small World. Jaron has also taught me a lot about how to move in the industry as an independent music artist. We talk almost everyday and keep each other accountable and focused on what is going to keep us grounded spiritually as artists.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m really focused on my career as an artist and creative director. During the day I’m pursuing a career in behavioral health for children on the autism spectrum as a direct service professional. It’s a balance that feeds and nurtures one another.
As a direct service professional I’m focused on providing the most effective methods per client to assist their needs and gifts and it’s the same attention when working on creative endeavors for myself and other artists.

Before working as a DSP, I was working as a educator for the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica at their JAMS site writing creative programs within their STEAM after school program the previous two years. I even got to help curate and put together two art exhibitions within my time there and be part of many other activities within that community. The kids really speak to my soul. I loved guiding them through their artistic journeys and academic pursuits. I am forever grateful to have been a part of so many opportunities to impact children and education.

From releasing two mixtape projects in 2024 and shooting visuals for Jaron Smalls, it’s been a nonstop progression of creative flow and opportunities to showcase mine and others talents. I released a collective mixtape, PurpleCloudzzz: Bank St Dayzzz on October 28th, 2024 and just released my end of the year mixtape, Bluzzz n Greenzzz on December 30th, 2024, on the same day as my performance at Sunset Rooftop to promote my music. The show was a lot of fun, the crowd was vibing with me heavy and had a great energy. This coming year I plan on doing more performances and releasing 2 projects, an R&B Hip Hop EP and a Rap Album produced by myself and featured productions from Loez & Pxnchobeats.

I recently got the opportunity to work with one of my favorite Video Directors, Abdul-Razak Ologunebi aka ThirdEyeRaz, who influenced and informed some of the aesthetic decisions I’ve done for myself with my content shot by my brother, Dominic Olivo aka Dom P Tha Don and some of the content I’ve shot for Jaron Smalls. Raz’s attention to aesthetics and detail is what made him stand out to me. He really knows how to inform an audience about an artist’s music and persona through his lense. He directed and shot a video for my song, “Soul (jazz ugh)” from my Bank St Dayzzz mixtape. It was a great pleasure working with him and he is a down to earth individual. I look forward to the release for that visual and future collaborations with him. I also love working with Joshua Moriconi for photos and visuals. Josh is such a great friend and amazing film and video artist. He has been a great mentor in many ways and has the spirit of a rebel.

I will also be doing a soft launch for my clothing brand, HotBoyz in 2025. In 2023 I spent time making prototypes of hats and shirts for the brand to get ideas for materials and quality of the product. Hotboyz is a brand influenced by streetwear, hot wheels, car club culture aesthetics and street slang. Hotboy in slang means to be a hustler and has a playful approach to getting that message across. My cousin Eddie Cristerna, who has his graphics and signage fabricating business, Stunning Signs, was a big part of the making of the initial prototypes for HotBoyz and has guided me through the process of conceptualizing the making aspect of the brand.

I look forward to sharing all of these creative pursuits this coming year. It’s been a blessing to be able to create so much with little restraint and in so little time.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Persistence and self belief is key. When the journey as a creative individual is difficult, it’s a must to keep going and allow self discovery to kick in. It’s important to always to be open minded in order to grow and reinvent one’s self. You don’t want to be the same artist you were yesterday, and it’s almost impossible. Artists have to be able to take criticism, be patient with themselves and be open to trying new things. It’s important to be able to evolve with your art and to evolve with how the business models are constantly changing. Being resourceful and not being afraid to reach out for knowledge, advice, and blessings. Whatever drives you spiritually will also ground you in your purpose of making the art. It’s also important to plan ahead. E
verything that’s ever worked for me long term or short term took me writing it down, giving it good thought, and analyzing why it will work. Authenticity and being genuine will get an artist closer to more opportunities than anything else.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

It’s been a process in many areas when discussing my growth. Being persistent when obstacles are in the way is something I’m constantly working. Consistency and self belief is key. Things really start to change when faith becomes a benefactor to success. As an artist I tend to manifest and plan a lot of things in advance, whether it’s something I want to do in the near future or something I want to years later along the road. Everything I’ve accomplished in life has been through manifesting and planning it out. Whether you are doing something to your fullest capability or sometimes moving at 1 percent, it is important to keep some momentum going. It’s like taking baby steps to get to a big step within self progression. Sometimes the little steps matter more because they prepare you for the bigger moments. Patience is something that comes into play when navigating through goals. You might not get it right the first time, but when you do it’s definitely worth the struggle. Self love and self care definitely help me keep the balance with this process. To believe in yourself, you got to love yourself and put yourself first always and know when to make sacrifices. Self care allows me to not be so hard on myself when things are out of my control. Gotta enjoy the fruits of your labor while they are still ripe, and when that’s not the case, plant a new seed and let it grow.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jaypalmamusiq
• Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/jaypalma

Image Credits

Joshua Moriconi
Jaron Smalls
Vincent Demaria
Flipz5 – RTSA