Features : Jia Kai Made a Song for the Benefit of Others and Himself with “FuccBoii”

Producer and DJ Jia Kai’s (like Kia but JEE-yuh) new song is about two things young people can relate to: the perils of the job market and relationships. His single “FuccBoii” is a hyper-punk-pop-electronica track with lyrics lifted directly from his own life and production that stems from his joy of making music for himself—a change from producing tracks for other artists to use in their own projects. Kai finds himself on two sides of the music world by creating music for others and creating it for himself.. However, he’s always focused on the enjoyment of the listener.

“FuccBoii” draws a parallel between trying to find a job in the creative industry right now and being in a toxic relationship. Jia wrote the song with fellow creative Nathan Ramos-Park, who also feels the squeeze of the downturn in the media industry. The two of them crafted the song around the mass layoffs in both the podcasting and Hollywood industries, and the resulting emotional fallout. Jia wants the song to resonate with people who experienced what he has in the job hunt and for the song to be a liberation of sorts.

“I want people to sing the chorus and have it been an emotional relief for their angst. When I sing it, it makes me feel less anxious about my value in this harsh economy.”

When listening to “FuccBoii” it’s easy to hear how Jia combined several sounds to craft the song. There are fuzzy guitars, drums, some other synths and even a piano on the outro. Some sounds only appear briefly, making the song a truly unique listening experience.

“I would call it hyper-punk. It’s supposed to be a punk song but made with a computer. It has guitar and drum samples…It’s very electronic-y but it’s supposed to emulate a pop punk song.”

As a producer, Jia often found himself only being able to create things that other people wanted. He spoke of his time working on other people’s projects where the clients always had the last say and they often sent him examples of what they wanted. But with this song, he was able to do exactly what he wanted, how he wanted.

“For this production, I didn’t have to do any of that. It was just what I wanted it to sound like and [it was] more fun. I get to work with cooler and more experimental sounds. In the maximalist aesthetic, they’re all in there as pieces of ear candy.”

Jia Kai often finds himself in “gaysian American” (gay Asian American) spaces. As a DJ of 6 years, he knows his way around the turntable, and he takes pleasure in providing sounds that fit the crowd he’s providing music for—often drawing from pop queens and KPOP

He recalls a DJ experience, “I just felt so in sync with the audience. They were singing the songs out loud and you could hear their enjoyment. I love that connection with crowds. When I’m DJing at party I don’t have to worry about my social anxiety because interacting with the crowd through the music is a positive thing.”

For the foreseeable future, Jai Kai is going to continue DJing. He has an upcoming gig on September 15th at a mid-autumn festival party in the arts district of LA. He also has another original song coming soon that will discuss how he lives with social anxiety. If it’s anything like “FuccBoii” listeners can expect lyrics that are not only relatable but straight to the point. He says it’s coming in the fall so the anticipation can surely begin.

Jai Kai  has started writing music for himself after being a producer for hire. The track’s production is as much his sound as his voice, and the lyrics come from his lived experience. “FuccBoii” shows him for who he really is. His love for music is sure to carry him forward as he navigates the worlds of DJing and producing.

You can keep up with Jai Kai on these social media platforms.

Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Mixcloud