Electronic Press Kit

Thello Jay is an independent recording artist, songwriter, and producer. He was born in Anniston, Alabama, raised on Chicago's South Side, and has spent more than a decade performing, releasing music, and building his name on his own terms.

His first look at music came through his mother, Vonnie, a vocalist and background singer who worked with R. Kelly and gospel recording artist Darius Brooks of SDM Inc. As a child, Thello spent time in recording studios and saw how records were made.

At sixteen, he sold out his first self-promoted show while still in high school. Before streaming took over, he built his audience face-to-face, selling music and merchandise directly to fans across Chicago and the Midwest.

At Rich South High School he came up alongside emerging Chicago talent including Dreezy, Rello Dreamer, and videographer A Zae Production. Those relationships later led to released and unreleased collaborations. As hip hop's blog era brought his music to more people, his work began drawing industry attention, including a 2014 meeting with Roc Nation executive Lenny S in New York City.

Thello writes from lived experience. He has collaborated with Grammy Award-winning composer Rob Diggy, former Death Row Records vocalist Danny Boy Steward, Jon Connor of Aftermath Entertainment, and Saba of Pivot Gang. He has also shared stages with Hopsin, Logic, Machine Gun Kelly, and Wiz Khalifa. He releases his music independently through Virgil Music Group.

His catalog includes the projects His Era and Sleep On Myself, with the upcoming album The Other Me marking the next chapter in his work.