Jai Bartlett
Whether he’s creating posters, designing clothing or creating music you can be sure that Jai Bartlett is crafting his work with intention and care, considering each element and thinking about the messages he wants to share with the world.
Musical Background
Growing up in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Jai’s early years were steeped in music and education. “When I was like literally a baby, my mum would always be playing this Mozart for Babies soundtrack,” he says. His parents saw music as a key part of a well-rounded upbringing, enrolling him in music classes from a young age. He learned piano first, then violin, then bagpipes - almost even saxophone - before drifting away from music’s classical traditions.
“I kind of fell out of love with music because I didn’t really enjoy the classical approach,” he explains. That changed in Year 11 when he started making beats on a 90-day Logic Pro trial — repeatedly creating new user accounts so he could keep creating even after the trials ran out. “I absolutely loved it,” he says. That spark led to producing his own tracks, then rapping on them. “For the first like year of rapping, it was trash. And now its gotten better, and I am moving into singing as well. It’s a wide variety but it’s a big journey.”
Now a student at Massey University in Wellington, Jai is studying a Bachelor of Commercial Music. “I feel like at uni I have become more comfortable experimenting and more comfortable going against the typical ‘people pleasing’ mindset that I used to have. And I feel like my approach to music has also become more intentional.”
Songwriting & Inspirations
Jai’s approach to music is deeply narrative. “I’m a very like album guy,” he says. “I like to tell large stories.” He starts with the overarching theme or feeling he wants listeners to walk away with, then builds songs that contribute to that vision. His musical palette often draws from North Indian sounds, which he blends with hip hop through samples.
Influences like Kendrick Lamar and JPEGMAFIA shape Jai’s style, but he’s careful to engage with them critically. While he admires Kendrick’s intentionality, he feels somewhat distanced from the cultural specificity of some West Coast hip hop. “I prefer something that’s more universally relatable, but draws elements from the culture,” he says, citing To Pimp a Butterfly as a balanced inspiration.
JPEGMAFIA’s rapid production shifts have also had a strong impact. “I’ve been listening to a lot of music lately and it just feels like the same thing,” Jai says. “Then you hear a JPEGMAFIA beat and it just feels completely different.” He hopes to bring that same sense of freshness to his own work.
Poetry also plays a foundational role in Jai’s lyricism. He describes himself as a poet before a rapper and holds himself to a high ethical standard in his writing; a promise he made to his mum. “She made me promise never to swear in the music that I put out, never to be overly violent, and never to demean other people or groups of people,” he says. “I try my best to stick by those.”
Live Performances & The Future
While he’s received plenty of offers, Jai is selective about live performances. “I really want to make sure I’m performing in spaces where my music can be digested,” he says. A recent beachside gig over summer left him feeling out of place — more like background noise than an artist being heard. “I want to make sure I’m doing something in a space where people come with the intention of trying to listen to what I’m saying.”
He doesn’t have many live shows planned right now, instead focusing on his next album. “It’s a bit more ambitious than my last one,” he says, aiming for a release by the end of next year. For Jai, the biggest challenge is finding spaces where his work can exist in alignment with his values. “That’s the biggest struggle for me,” he says. “Making music in a space that aligns with where I want to see myself.”
For now, Jai is quietly working on his album and intentionally taking his time with it. “It’s a bit more ambitious than my last one, but hopefully I can get that out by the end of next year.”
You can find Jai on Instagram @jai_bartlett
