Earlier this week Montreal artist Jai Nitai Lotus released a brand new self-produced single titled “Better Things.”
“Better Things” is a track about diverting focus from the negative to the positive aspects of life. We get so inundated by negative news, which leads to negative thoughts and toxicity.
Jai challenges us all to shift our priorities and our thoughts back to the “Better Things.” Whether it’s family, or the love of music, or paying it forward, Jai encourages both himself and his listeners to take a thorough look at what – exactly – they’re prioritizing. If you’re putting too much focus on the negative, it’s time to remind yourself of the things that bring you joy and give thanks.
On a technical level, this song takes a very different approach from most of Jai’s previous work. This is an “imperfect” song on many levels, and that’s the way it was intended. There’s an experimental, confused vibe to Jai’s production, which so perfectly coincides with Jai’s confusion of lyrics about trying to get back to a more optimistic mindset. The track’s cover art was also intentionally made to look off-form, featuring footage of a dictator layered under a caricature and some rough sketches.
Listen to “Better Things,” and check out our in-depth Q&A with Jai below.
Q&A: Jai Nitai Lotus
HipHopCanada: Start off by telling me what this song means to you on a personal level.
Jai Nitai Lotus: This song is healing to me. Creativity has always been therapy and a form of meditation to me and this is a continuation of that. This also reflects an evolution in my music and different approaches to my sound that I’ve been working on. So it’s an intimidating and exciting song for me; got me feeling all vulnerable and shit.
HipHopCanada: I feel like a big part of this track is making that mental switch from pessimism to optimism.
Jai Nitai Lotus: We are constantly being bombarded with all this negativity; so much so that it starts becoming us by taking over our thoughts to a certain level. I think it’s definitely important to be aware and educated about the problems of the world, but also to simultaneously be able recognize the many blessings we have. That balance is hard but that’s where I think some of the solutions and healing comes from.
HipHopCanada: Talk to me about your process for making this song. What prompted you to write this? And did it start with the bars or the beat? Walk me through your process.
Jai Nitai Lotus: It started with the beat. I made it one night, I got into a zone and it just really went well. The synth lines gave me a melody for the vocals. I originally wrote it thinking I would get someone else to sing it. Then I recorded the vocals and became attached to them. I liked the minimalism and subtle imperfections of it all. Then I went back and built the song around the vocals, in terms of arrangements. I spent a lot of time after that finalizing the mix.
HipHopCanada: I love how the beat has this confused-experimental vibe to it, to compliment the mental confusion you’re expressing in your lyrics.
Jai Nitai Lotus: For me it has always been about finding my own approach. Those 1/3 hi-hats and bass slides are used a lot now in trap and other progressive beat production. I’m just using those elements in my own way, which makes the beat feel and move differently. I’m sure it had an effect on what I wrote and how I rode the beat. But once you tap into that conduit zone, it kinda feels like higher power shit really.
HipHopCanada: Talk to me about the significance of your cover art/GIF.
Jai Nitai Lotus: I had this image in my head, so I took footage of an old dictator and put a caricature of a new dictator over top, talking hate and shit, repeating himself in a loop. Reminded me of the repetition of the news in my timelines on social media. Then I drew in ideas of love and better things. All that executed with some level of carelessness to lighten the load.
HipHopCanada: On a final note, what are the “better things” you are trying to focus on right now?
Jai Nitai Lotus: My wife, my daughters, my family and friends. Music, spirituality, art, the creative community around me. The youth and what I see them coming up with. I’m really focusing on trying to live in my strengths and encouraging others to do so the same. Too many people walking around not realizing how dope they are and how much they have to offer. Let’s remind them of it, and remind ourselves in the process.
Interview conducted by Sarah Jay for HipHopCanada
