<\/p>\n
\n\tWhen JayDon springs into the Billboard<\/em> offices in late May, there\u2019s an unmistakable bounce in his step. At just 17, the wiry triple-threat appears taller than expected \u2014 his spry frame helping explain the explosive dance moves that have the R&B world buzzing. As soon as the elevator doors part, he launches into performance mode. With no mic and zero hesitation, he starts crooning with such clarity and control that his voice slices through the office walls, prompting staffers to pop their heads out and ask, \u201cWho\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThat kind of chutzpah is what landed JayDon a coveted spot with Mega, the newly minted label helmed by L.A. Reid and Usher.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cBeing with Mega \u2014 L.A. Reid, Usher, and that whole camp \u2014 helped me develop as an artist substantially,\u201d JayDon tells Billboard<\/em> weeks later during his June Rookie of the Month<\/em> interview. \u201cI\u2019ve learned the ins and outs of stardom \u2014 what to look for, what to pay attention to, and studio etiquette. That was my first time being in the studio every day, back-to-back-to-back for months. Like six months straight. Twelve to fifteen hours a day. From two to four A.M., just singing a lot of songs.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tNow, JayDon has the R&B sphere abuzz with his undeniable skill set. Drenched in \u201990s and early-2000s R&B nostalgia, tracks like \u201cI\u2019ll Be Good\u201d and \u201cLullaby\u201d have both Gen Z fans and millennials swooning. And when he\u2019s not melting hearts with buttery vocals, it\u2019s his hypnotic dance moves \u2014 reminiscent of a young Chris Brown or Omarion \u2014 that are filling timelines and turning heads.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI still want to be authentic and brand new at the same time,\u201d he says. \u201cAs I keep going forward, I can\u2019t stop. I want to be the best version of me \u2013and keep doing what I\u2019ve always dreamed of doing.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tToday (June 20), JayDon keeps the momentum going with the release of \u201cBougie Baby,\u201d a fast-paced collaboration with social media standout Zeddy Will. The track marks a stylistic shift, showcasing Jaydon\u2019s ability to push the tempo without losing his soulful edge.<\/p>\n \n\tCheck out our conversation with June\u2019s R&B Rookie of the Month<\/em>, JayDon, below.<\/p>\n \n\tDo you remember when you wrote your first song?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tOn the writing side, I was 12 years old. I really got into it 12, 13. The summer of last year, I ended up being with Mega and working with different writers \u2014 being in the studio everyday. That\u2019s what got my pen working. [The first song I wrote] was called \u201cText You.\u201d Shout-out my cousin Chuck Heat. He\u2019s a producer, writer, overall musician \u2014 dope. <\/p>\n \n\tMy own family does music. I got a beat from Chuck Heat and you know, I been recording music since I was eight years old, but this was my first time actually sitting down by myself with my phone. I used to write in my notebook \u2014 I have it somewhere \u2014 and I wrote the whole song. I was inspired by by [starts singing \u201cGirlfriend\u201d by Heavyweight<\/em>]. I wanted to make a song like that or [starts singing \u201cJennifer\u201d by Trinidad Cardona<\/em>]. This was 2020 and that\u2019s when the songs were resurfacing. I wanted a song like that. Real R&B smooth. It\u2019s actually dope. I still listen to it to this day.<\/p>\n \n\tWhen did your family first discover that you had a talent for music?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tAbout six years old. I was already dancing. My family doesn\u2019t really dance. My grandpa taught me how to do Michael Jackson [moves] and everything like that. Him and my Uncle Robert. They showed me a little bit of how to dance. That was kind of it. Around that time, I was learning how to dance like Chris Brown. I was teaching myself things. They saw that I really wanted it. That\u2019s what it was. They were already molding me to be a singer and a musician because I already had music around me. It\u2019s a family thing, but when it comes to the entertainment, that\u2019s when they were like, \u201cHe wants it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tYou\u2019re morphing into this incredible triple-threat in real-time with being a singer, dancer and actor. How would you rank your talents from top-to-bottom?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tMy talents? What would I rank from top-to-bottom [laughs<\/em>]? Why can\u2019t they all just be at the top?\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tI\u2019m not mad at that. Talk your sh-t.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tRight now, I\u2019m dialed in on the music. So, of course, that\u2019s my forefront, but I\u2019m an entertainer and artist of all realms.<\/p>\n \n\tCats from your generation don\u2019t dance like how they used to back in my day. How important was it for you to incorporate the choreography into what you\u2019re doing on the music side, especially in something like your \u201cI\u2019ll Be Good\u201d music video?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tMan, I just want to show what I\u2019m already am: dancing, being fun and doing it all in a way that I love. Every with all the movies that I\u2019ve been in, I\u2019ve been able to dance and sing or [solely] sing in \u2019em. So I love tying everything into one knot and definitely being able to show that in \u201cI\u2019ll Be Good\u201d was the goal.<\/p>\n \n\tThe video was giving Step Up<\/em> and Save The Last Dance<\/em> vibes with how heavily involved the dancing elements were. Was that intentional?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tAbsolutely! With all my videos, I wanna do something different.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tWhether it\u2019s \u201cI\u2019ll Be Good\u201d or \u201cLullaby,\u201d your music has some \u201990s and \u201900s influence to it. How important was it sonically to include that kind of music into your foundation?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIt\u2019s already an authentic thing for me. There\u2019s some other artists that I\u2019ve seen out here trying to purposefully attach their name to that like, \u201cI\u2019m a \u201990s R&B artist from today.\u201d They\u2019re trying to do that. That\u2019s definitely a piece of my music and what I want to bring to the table, but that\u2019s just who I am. I feel like if you put me back in time, I\u2019d belong there. It\u2019s a natural thing for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n