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“It’s nothing sexual!” says Walker of the album’s title. “Trust me!” That’s a bold request when, between crunchy chews of ice cubes, he coyly adds “Excuse me… I have an oral fixation!” The laughter that follows, and Jason’s zesty playfulness, is indicative of a personality that lives to push boundaries. Indeed, this demographic-defying artist, known to his fans as the slender white boy with the voice of a full-figured Lady Marmalade, has been bending the rules of the music industry since he first came on to the scene with a string of Billboard hits in 2004. His race, his sex, and his sexuality have been a blessing and a curse throughout his career; on one hand, they garnered him extra attention. On the other, they required him to work a little harder to prove himself in the industry. “It’s a female-driven genre, and I don’t know how it became that way,” Jason says of dance music. “You’ve got your stereotype of ‘screaming divas’ and that’s what it developed into. I don’t know why… it just happened.” But it’s no mistake that this white guy from Pittsburgh has found a voice alongside those “screaming divas.” After all, his early influences were soul sisters of the highest order: “My mother had an extensive collection of old 33s and 45s,” he explains. “I’ve always been drawn to music that was a little more soulful. I fell in love with Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle, and any kind of music that influenced them that came out during that time.” Ultimately, though, Walker can boil it down to one simple fact: “Any bitch that could sing is what I liked!”
New York’s reputation stems in part from its many residents who work in the dance genre, and it wasn’t long before Jason became familiar with one of the biggest names in the industry: Junior Vasquez. “When I moved here with my best friend, she worked at a karaoke lounge in the East Village,” he explains of his meeting with the famous DJ/producer. “One of the girls she worked with was a songwriter, and she knew people that Junior knew and worked around him. She said to me, ‘I have this song and I’d love for you to sing it.’ So we recorded it, she gave it to him… he really liked it, he loved my voice, and he wanted to do his own mix of it!” That song was “My Life,” the first single released from Jason’s debut album once Vasquez signed the artist to his JVM label. It kicked off a series of Billboard Club Play chart triumphs, and immersed Jason in a style of music that was always near his heart. “Some people use dance music as a ‘last resort,’” he admits. “I’ve always loved it. I’ve always been a club person and I’ve always been drawn to it, to the energy of it. I love how it makes people smile and happy. How you can take a sickening bass line and a fierce groove, lay a hot vocal on top of it… that’s a great recipe.” It’s certainly helped Jason cook up a tasty follow-up with 2007’s Flexible. The title is a reference to the album’s musical diversity, as well as Walker’s chameleonic ability to defy the cookie-cutter mold of the traditional dance diva/divo. “I still have to deal with it. It doesn’t go away,” Jason says of the boundaries towards accepting a young, gay male artist. Go away, no. But at least it’s getting easier. In fact, Jason says surprise – not resistance – has been the predominant response he receives. “When I lived in Pittsburgh, I would go to different raves and club nights, and different parties,” he says. “A friend of mine was a DJ around the area and I would do live vocals over his tracks. People would tell me, ‘It’s so cool to see somebody actually up there performing… and the fact that you’re a boy and sound like you do makes it even more of a treat!’” The lead single off Flexible is still undetermined, though fans can vote for their pick at Jason’s official MySpace page: www.myspace.com/jasonwalker
Diva Divo • copyright 2007 • kurtmalecdesigns.com
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“He’s straight, he’s gay / He’s black and he’s white,” sings Jason Walker in “Flexible,” the title track from his new album (available August 21). After that lyric, a recitation of restrictive labels, Jason poses the real question: “Why can’t you let me be / Flexible tonight?”
And at four years old, Jason discovered he could sing, too. His passion for singing took Walker from his Pittsburgh hometown straight to New York City. “I did everything I could in Pittsburgh,” he says of the decision to move. “I did all the talent shows, I worked with a lot of people and wrote a lot of music. When my last avenue dried up I felt it was time for a chance, for a new city. New York was the only logical choice because of the opportunities that lie here. The fact that most dance music is born here.”