JayWood

The number you’ve dialled has not been recognised. Montreal’s JayWood – the nom de plume of musician and singer-songwriter Jeremy Haywood-Smith – breaks new ground with LEO NEGRO (Captured Tracks / Royal Mountain Records, Sept 5, 2025). Having recently moved his life and music from Winnipeg to Montreal, JayWood steps into a bold new chapter that blurs the lines between Alternative Hip-Hop, Indie Rock, Neo-Soul, and Bedroom Pop. Following his Polaris Music Prize–nominated Slingshot and Grow On EP, LEO NEGRO is his most dynamic and personal work yet—an electrifying, genre-defying portrait of vulnerability, chaos, and Black confidence that’s earned praise from SPIN, CLASH, Anthony Fantano (The Needle Drop), Consequence, BBC Radio 1 & 6 Music, Bandcamp, KEXP, KCRW, FLOOD, CBC, and more.