Jai Paul (GB)

About

Few artists have made such a lasting mark with so little output. Jai Paul, from Rayners Lane in northwest London, built a cult following on the strength of essentially two songs: the demo "BTSTU", which set off a bidding war and landed him at XL Recordings, and "Jasmine (demo)", which Pitchfork called a Best New Track and the New York Times praised for its "Prince era sensuality". Both tracks were widely credited as influential on underground and mainstream pop through the 2010s, and Drake sampled "BTSTU" on "Dreams Money Can Buy", with Beyoncé reportedly using the same sample on "End of Time". The real twist came in 2013, when an unfinished demo album, later known as Bait Ones, was uploaded to Bandcamp by an unknown source. Paul and XL denied authorising it, but critics reviewed it anyway and several year end lists ranked it among the best albums of the year. That episode sent Paul into a lengthy hiatus, only broken in 2019 when he officially released the material alongside a new double single, "Do You Love Her Now" and "He". His sound sits somewhere across alternative R&B, synth funk and indietronica, dense and layered in a way that rewards repeated listening.