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Jay Nova for Vogue Thailand August 2013

Jay Nova by Rang Surasak Ittirit

Why do you like writing? I like having an idea and then putting it to paper; having a certain line that doesn't fit the beat but erasing words, adding words to make it work. I love storytelling. What was a key moment in your life as an artist? I'd have to say meeting Transit. I met him in 2010 at Beltline Hip Hop. Someone said, "You have to meet him. You have to meet him. He'll do so much for you." And not for putting me on shows or anything but showing me what to do as an artist. Being in the booth and coaching me that way. I met him and two minutes later I was in the booth and he was like, "I love you!" I was like, "Wow!" Someone who's doing stuff in hip hop appreciates my rap. That was a big step for me. Maybe I can do this. Maybe I can put in that extra work and be better than I am. Who are some of the female emcees you really dig? First and foremost, Lauryn Hill. No one can compare to Lauryn Hill. Nicki Minaj of course. Some of the new school artists like Brianna. Reema Major from Toronto. Why do you like Calgary for the arts? It's my hometown first and foremost. If you can't make it in your hometown, you shouldn't really make it anywhere, I feel personally. Calgary doesn't really have a hip hop scene yet. It's growing. In 2010, I didn't know any female rappers from Calgary. Now I can name three. I thought this would be the best place to start and make an impact. I wanna be the first female emcee out of Calgary, period.Everyone rocks together. I get so much love from my city. What do you see for the future of Calgary art? I feel it's gonna be mind-boggling. I think everyone's just going to blow the world out of their minds. The thing I like about the Calgary hip hop scene is no one is prejudiced. Like, "Oh, I rock with this crew, so I can't rock with you. Unity is what's going to make us big. Why do you think National Youth Arts Week is important? It's time for people to see that youth are doing something. It's time for youth to be like, "I can do it. I can show you I can do it." Most youth don't get a chance to showcase their art or don't know how. When people give them a chance to do it, I think it's a beautiful thing. What is that youth bring to the table? That new creativity. Youth aren't censored. With older people, they think about what they're doing too much. They don't wanna do something because of this or that. Youth do it just because. Sometimes that works for us. Sometimes it doesn't, but we have that "I don't care" attitude. It helps us be creative. If you could have a superpower what would it be? I would just want to be really smart. I want to know everything. I don't know if that's a superpower per se, but I think brilliance and intelligence is the greatest power known to man. If you could understand the mind of another human or how someone got to their logic, that could be powerful. What words do you have for young artists out there? Determination. If you really want something, you should do it. Just because you feel like you can't or it's hard shouldn't be an excuse to stop or at least try. At least try. Determination and persistence is key. Not everyone's going to look at you the first time you do something. With me rapping, it's not like every time I put out a song, 1000 people are going to listen to it. Jay Nova is definitely reminding us of what youth are capable of when encouraged to pursue their passion. Look out for a full album release from her in the future! Follow her @Jaynovaa on Twitter and on Facebook.