Paul's 2007 demo "BTSTU" received widespread blog coverage throughout 2010, and has been played on UK national radio by DJs including Gilles Peterson, Zane Lowe, Nick Grimshaw, Reggie Yates and Fearne Cotton.
In December 2010, Paul was longlisted for the BBC Sound of 2011 poll.
"BTSTU (Edit)" was playlisted on BBC Radio 1 following its release as a digital download on April 21, 2011, via XL. The single received favourable reviews, and was made 'Hottest Record in the World' on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show.
On May 20, 2011, Canadian hip hop artist Drake leaked a track titled "Dreams Money Can Buy" via his blog. Shortly afterward, "Till The End Of Time", a song by American R&B artist Beyoncé surfaced online. Both tracks feature a sample of Paul's "BTSTU" demo. On August 30, 2011, "BTSTU (Edit)" was included on Radio Nova's "Nova Tunes 2.4" compilation in France, and on October 25 of the same year the track appeared on "Annie Mac Presents 2011" in the UK (listed as "BTSU").
On March 30, 2012, Jai Paul uploaded a new demo titled "Jasmine (Demo)" to his SoundCloud page. The demo was given an official release via XL on April 9, 2012. Pitchfork named it “Best New Track” within an hour of its appearance on Paul’s Soundcloud page, where it clocked over 500,000 plays within a month. On April 2, "Jasmine (Demo)" was played on BBC Radio One by Zane Lowe, who chose it as his Next Hype Track. On April 9, Annie Mac named it her Record of the Week. "Jasmine (Demo)" received universal critical acclaim in the media, with The New York Times praising its “Prince era sensuality” and The Guardian simply describing the production as “amazing.”
There has been media speculation about Paul's background and motivation, as he has remained out of the public eye. The British publication Clash commented on Jai’s mysteriousness, saying “Hype is a fascinating commodity. Where some quickly melt down the attention for liquid purpose, promising talent Jai Paul removed all his music from MySpace and went to get his shit together”. XL Recordings founder and owner Richard Russell acknowledged Paul's unpredictability, saying, "Jai is a wizard...the way he's going about things is, I think for many, baffling. But...he's going about things in the most Jai Paul way you could possibly go about things. And who knows where that may lead."
On April 14th, 2013, an unknown user leaked a number of his unfinished tracks on Bandcamp as a self-titled project. The leak is believed to have come a misplaced burned CD, according to Jai, himself. The music press would soon report on this release and would publicize the release as his debut album. Because of this, the album leak would end up on two year end lists by both The Guardian and Pitchfork, as the 28th and the 20th best album of 2013, respectably, as well Pitchfork's 2014 "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far" list at 99. The music press would also call into account if the release was orchestrated by Jai and his record label, XL. The leak would deal a heavy blow to Jai personally, and following a City Of London police investigation into finding those reasonable for the leak and refunding the money from sales of the album from their PayPal accounts, Jai would find it hard to deal with those in the public and the media who believed his was the one behind the leak, and would be in his words, the main reason he felt a "loss of trust" and why he "withdrew from life in general" for a few years. In the meantime, Jai and his brother, A.K. Paul, would launch the Paul Institute in 2016, where he would work on the production for some of its single releases.
It wouldn't be until 2019 following "therapy of various kinds", that he felt it was time for him to return to music and officially release the unfinished music that was leaked 6 years earlier. On June 1st, 2019, Jai and XL Recordings would officially release the leaked album under the title "Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)" alongside the 'double B-side' "Do You Love Her Now" / "He". The release of the album also came with a letter from Jai in which he addressed the leak and his hiatus from music. Following its official release, the album would included in Pitchfork's "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s" list, as the 95th best album of the decade, and Jai provided miscellaneous production on Childish Gambino's song "Time" off his "3.15.20" album. Reissues of "BTSTU" and "Jasmine" on vinyl followed suit.
In 2023, the world was again shocked as Paul announced his intentions to debut his catalogue at Coachella. After his critically acclaimed set, "Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)" was released on vinyl for the first time. Paul followed suit with a number of band-backed live performances internationally, as well as supporting Paul Institute creative Fabiana Palladino on the 2023 single "I Care".
All Night
Jai Paul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then, girl, it's got to be all night
Let's meet up in the moonlight
'Cause, girl, it's got to be all night
All night, baby, yeah
All night and day
All night
If it's got to be one night
Then, girl, it's got to be all night
Let's meet up in the moonlight
'Cause, girl, it's got to be all night
All night, baby, yeah
All night and day
All night
All night and day
If it's got to be one night
Then, girl, it's got to be all night
Let's meet up in the moonlight
'Cause, girl, it's got to be all night
I've been searching for a lover
Who will last me through the summer nights
Will you be mine?
All night
(I've been searching for a love like this) all night and day
All night (for the rest of time)
All night and day
Always (always, I'll remember this)
All night and day
All night (for the rest of time)
All night, yeah, yeah
Always, I'll remember this
For the rest of time
Yeah, yeah
I've been searching for a love like this
For the rest of time
Always, I'll remember this
For the rest of time
The lyrics to Jai Paul’s “All Night” are straightforward and simple, with a focus on a one-night stand that could lead to something more long-lasting. The song is driven by a groovy beat and catchy melody, with the repetition of the phrase “all night” emphasizing the importance of the fleeting moment. The singer is searching for a lover who will last through the summer nights, and in the meantime, he’s content to spend the night with someone who is ready to commit to a full night of passion and pleasure.
The chorus of the song “If it's got to be one night, then, girl, it's got to be all night” encapsulates the song’s message of living in the moment and making the most of a brief encounter. The lyrics suggest a passionate and exciting fling that could have the potential to turn into something more meaningful, but in the meantime, the focus is on the present pleasure. The repeated mention of “all night” reinforces the theme of living in the moment and giving yourself over fully to the experience.
Line by Line Meaning
If it's got to be one night
If we only have one night together
Then, girl, it's got to be all night
We need to make the most of our time and spend the entire night together
Let's meet up in the moonlight
Let's have a romantic rendezvous under the moonlight
'Cause, girl, it's got to be all night
I am really into you and I want to spend the entire night with you
All night, baby, yeah
We're going to be together all night, and it's going to be amazing
All night and day
We're going to be together all day and night, and it's going to be amazing
All night
We're going to be together all night, and it's going to be amazing
All night and day
We're going to be together all day and night, and it's going to be amazing
I've been searching for a lover
I've been looking for someone to love
Who will last me through the summer nights
Someone who will continue to love me and be with me through the summer nights
Will you be mine?
Would you like to be my partner and love me?
(I've been searching for a love like this) all night and day
I've been looking for someone to love like this for a long time
All night (for the rest of time)
I want to be with you all night and forever
All night and
We're going to be together all night, and there's more to come
Always (always, I'll remember this)
I will always remember this moment with you
All night, and day
We're going to be together all day and night, and it's going to be amazing
All night (for the rest of time)
I want to be with you all night and forever
All night, yeah, yeah
We're going to be together all night, and it's going to be amazing
Always, I'll remember this
I will always remember this moment with you
For the rest of time
I want to be with you forever
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Jai Paul
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind