A chance encounter with a friend’s illegally downloaded virtual DJ'ing software was ELJAY’s first foray into music. It turned his world upside down. “Up until that point, I thought you needed to have decks – even for producing, I thought you needed a mad studio,” he remembers, admitting to being instantly hooked. “I just remember spending the whole night trying to mix two songs together,” he smiles today, looking back, “I had school the next day and everything, but I was up the whole night.” ELJAY’s story has remained one of superstar ambitions battling with modest means - sacrificing that social life was just the beginning. “When I went to sign my deal with FutureKind, I used my last six pounds on the train fare,” he laughs, “It was crazy!” Now fixed with his own studio to hole up in, he’s relieved to be graduating out of his mum’s spare bedroom. With his eyes on the future, he’s looking to artists like Mura Masa, and their soulful, eclectic productions and live shows, for inspiration. “I love gospel vibes, and R&B stuff too,” he says, “but I’m still pursuing that ideal – I’m an artist in my own respect.