For Jay J. Ra Music is a journey, and for this artist, that journey has taken an exciting new turn with Sweet Stories 2. Originally released in 2022 under the name D.bé Jayri, Sweet Stories was a reggae-infused ode to love and compassion, filmed in Accra, Ghana.
Sweet Stories 2 (Soulful Solo Version) is the official solo version of Sweet Stories 2 featuring African Child. Now, with a fresh Afrobeat arrangement and a collaboration with Ghanaian artist African Child, Sweet Stories 2 breathes new life into the original message while expanding its reach.
This project is more than just a genre shift—it represents artistic evolution, cross-cultural collaboration, and a deeper exploration of musical storytelling. From facing unexpected delays in production to embracing new vocal styles, the path to Sweet Stories 2 was one of persistence and growth.
In this interview, we dive into the creative process, the challenges faced, and the emotional depth behind this release. Join us as we explore how this artist blends R&B, pop, gospel, and Afrobeat to craft a sound that is both personal and universal.
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“Sweet Stories 2” suggests a continuation of narrative themes. How does this release build upon or differ from the first installment?:
I wrote the original Sweet Stories to a reggae performance style, conveying a message of love and compassion, in slow tempo. Sweet Stories was released in 2022, under my old artist name, D.bé Jayri, and I shot the music video for it in Accra, Ghana that very same year. The music video is available on YouTube.
A radio host and friend of mine that I had met in Ghana, suggested to me last year, that I should put together a record that will gain the attention of the African music market, more specifically, a Ghanaian audience and get them acquainted with my artistry. Thus, my friend, the radio host, got the original Sweet Stories song re-done into an upbeat Afro-beat style arrangement and also suggested that I collaborate with a Ghanaian artist.
So, the differences between the original and Sweet stories 2 are the genres, the tempo and the opportunity to collaborate with a fellow artist from Ghana, African Child, (on the collaborative version). However, the lyrics (in most cases) and theme remained the same.
How has your approach to storytelling through music evolved between the first and second chapters?:
As I said before, the theme and most of the lyrics remained the same. However, I saw my art of story-telling evolved in Sweet Stories 2 with the influence of direct Afro-beat arrangements and collaborating with a fellow artist. I was able to vocally express myself and my style of singing with joy to music directly coming from the motherland, the African continent.
When I first heard the instrumental and re-arrangement of Sweet Stories, I immediately knew the lyrics and emotions would be expressed through the styles of R&B and Afro-beat, something I am fairly new to as an artist.
Were there any specific life experiences or emotional moments that influenced the stories in this release?:
I have been into several relationships in the past to know the importance of companionship, even though some where very brief, however, this song was written based on my general experience of love affection and on the idea of what a lasting companionship could be.
The title implies a certain tenderness or nostalgia. What kind of emotional landscape were you aiming to create?:
The emotional landscape that I try to express is to encourage us to just take the time to love and appreciate and enjoy your significant other, and it may not even be your significant other only, but your loved ones and others as well, because life is short and uncertain and the most we can do, most of the time, is to show love to everyone.
Could you share a particularly meaningful moment or story from the creation of this project?:
After I recorded Sweet Stories 2, here in Canada, I sent it over to my radio host friend in Ghana. He then gave over the track to a studio engineer in Kumasi, Ghana, to mix and master it, and it is that very same studio where African Child, the featured artist on the collaborative version, recorded his part. My friend and I planned to release the song in November 2024, so we could promote and push the song during the upcoming holiday season, then.
However, for some reason, the studio engineer sat on the record for months without doing any work on it. I got worried and a bit frustrated and asked that the project to be taken from that studio engineer and be given to another. The track was mixed by another studio engineer in Ghana called Quab Sea and I was able to release the record publicly on February 1st, 2025. Sweet Stories 2 (Soulful Solo Version) was mixed and mastered by K.R. Moore, my studio engineer here in Canada. Even in face of uncertainly, I still believed in this project, and it turned out to be amazing.
How do you balance maintaining your signature sound while pushing your artistic boundaries in this new release?:
My style of singing is mostly Pop/R&B/Gospel, (for an industry that is fanatic to categories sounds, but I don’t). I saw myself blending all those genres to communicate well with the essence of the afrobeat instrumental on the record. I found myself singing R&B but consciously and carefully tried to tailor it to a wider African audience. So we could call the track an Afro-beat R&B/Soul and Pop record? I suppose so.
What musical elements or production choices help convey the “sweetness” in these stories?:
Well, it depends on what your perception of “sweetness” is. However, I believe what made this track “sweet” was that I decided to soulfully re-do the vocals and added a little more vocal riffs and runs, well, to make the track more smoothe and Jazzy, a contrast to Sweet Stories 2 (featuring African Child) which sounds more Pop, commercial and edgy.
Did you collaborate with any new artists or producers for “Sweet Stories 2”? How did these collaborations shape the final sound?:
Well yes. With help from my radio host friend, I was able to collaborate with Dan Bassey of Ghana, who is the music producer of both Sweet Stories 2 (Soulful Solo Version) and Sweet Stoires 2, and as mentioned before, also collaborated with African Child, a fellow Ghanaian artist, who is the featured artist on Sweet Stories 2.
The communal efforts of all us as artists, producer and studio engineer, had made the sounds of both tracks phenomenal. Even though each record have a slightly different sound and feel to them, both however, have the same larger than life African musical elements that gives them an epic sound.
Looking back at both “Sweet Stories” projects, what have you learned about yourself as an artist?:
This project made me see how far I have come and grown as an artist. For years I have written my own songs, but this project has proven to me that I can be a more versatile and open minded writer for music, and also for other artforms such as film, television books and poetry.
Can listeners expect certain themes or motifs to carry through both releases? How do they connect?:
Love, affection and adoration, those are the themes and motives behind the song, and all are inter-correlated.
What’s next for you after “Sweet Stories 2”? Will there be a third chapter in this musical narrative?:
I will leave an open mind to this idea: there maybe another chapter to Sweet Stories, or I may just cap it at number 2…who knows..let us see which direction the universe takes us.
