Emerging from the English-Indian underground, Sean's first album featured political content as well as emotional songwriting baring his personal insecurities and struggles, all of it drawing influence from the traditional pop music of India (such as Bhangra). Released 8 November 2004 in the U.K., January 2005 in Malaysia, and February 2005 in India on 2Point9 Records, Relentless Records, and Virgin Records, 'Me Against Myself' achieved highly supportive critical reviews, with Dan Gennoe of Yahoo! Music praising Sean's work as "an album of phenomenally accomplished R&B". His release was certified as multi-platinum in his native India and gold in the U.K. His three singles (composed with help from Sean's mentor Rishi Rich) also met with British chart success: "Dance With You" (#12), "Eyes On You" (#6), and "Stolen" (#4).
Sean's touring, as well as the success of his singles in clubs, led Tareck Ghoneim of Contactmusic.com to call Sean an "Asian sensation". Still, he had his eyes on breaking into the U.S. while also keeping his stride with the U.K. charts, and he wanted as well to incorporate more of a slick pop sound to his coming work. His sophomore release, 'My Own Way', featured him on the cover looking as dapper in his light brown suit as a master of business. Released 12 May 2008 on Jayded Records and 2Point9 Records, the work suffered from various leaks and also received some mixed reviews from critics.
Nonetheless, the album became commercially successful in the U.K., reaching #6 on the U.K. Albums Chart and #1 on the UK R&B Chart. It eventually became certified platinum. Lead single "Ride It" also garnered major airplay throughout Europe, featuring Sean remarking about "all about the games people play across the dance-floor on a night out". Momentum building, his third studio album, 'All or Nothing', came out 23 November 2009 with strong promotion in the U.S.
International top 40 singles "Down" and "Do You Remember" cemented Sean's status as a global superstar. With massive tours leading him from TV show to stadium across countries, "Down" (also known as "Down (Feat. Lil' Wayne)" and other titles due to Lil' Wayne's presence) in particular hit the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming later known as one of the iconic singles of 2009 in American memory. Other nation's listeners also gave his singles strong airplay.
The first official single from Jay Sean's fourth studio album, titled 'Worth It All', was "I'm All Yours", which he sent for airplay on April 18, 2012. The song featured rapper and entertainer Pitbull. Although not quite achiving as much success as he had hoped in the U.S., it became a major international hit, reaching the top 40 in both Germany and New Zealand, and it ended up being mutli-platinum certified in Australia.
When it comes to the business of being a singer there are artists, there are stars and there are phenomenons. Jay Sean is all of the above. The proof is in the press, the sales, the fans and above all, the music.
ALL OR NOTHING is both Jay Sean's first American release and first for Cash Money/Universal Republic Records. But while it's his debut over here, the 29-year-old Pop/R&B singer/songwriter/producer has been a major sensation and multi-platinum artist over there since 2004; releasing two smash albums, scoring two top ten singles, nominated for Britain's heralded MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Award twice and building a worldwide, fervid fan-base that stretches from Russia to Australia to NYC.
In some ways ALL OR NOTHING is the best of both worlds. Featuring sizzling, brand new tracks like the lead off single "Down" (featuring label mate Lil' Wayne), ALL OR NOTHING also includes some of the songs that helped Jay Sean blow up around the rest of the world.
One of those songs is "Ride It" written "strictly on a vibe," built on a hypnotic, sinewy track, and delivered with Jay Sean's slick vocals. The video for "Ride It" clocked an astonishing 12 million hits on You Tube (20+ million hits across all online video channels) and captivated fans everywhere; including Cash/Money Records CEO and co-founder, Ronald "Slim" Williams who was turned on to Jay Sean's music by one of the singer's producers. Slim liked what he heard and proved it by making Jay Sean the first UK artist to join the Cash/Money family.
The match up of Nawlins swagger and UK Pop/R&B drives ALL OR NOTHING's first single "Down" ft/ Cash/Money soldier Lil' Wayne. Already taking radio by storm, "Down" resulted from a conversation that began about what's wrong in the world, and blossomed into a celebration of everything that's right - namely love.
Offers Jay Sean, "I'm a very positive, optimistic person and thought let me write a song about the idea that if you've got someone special in your life then nothing else really matters how you need to appreciate the little things. The title is a play on the word 'down.' That's why Lil' Wayne says, 'Are you down like the economy.' It's a fun, very easy track something to pump in your car."
Another mid tempo breeze born out of real life is "War." The message? "To battle with anybody, whether it's your girl, family or another country never solved anything," explains Jay Sean.
It is that mix of introspection and keenly crafted Pop/R&B songs that has brought Jay Sean from where he was to where he is.
Born and raised in London, England and of Indian/Punjabi heritage, Jay Sean started rapping at 12 and credits rap with helping him structure, produce and write songs. Inspired by R&B stars Jodeci, Brian McKnight, Joe, and Musiq Soulchild, Jay Sean started singing hooks and then stepped it up.
Amazingly, at the same time he was exploring his artistic side, Jay Sean was at med school; surely a steadier profession than "pop-star." Luckily Jay Sean's parents had his back.
"It wasn't as though they suddenly went 'you sing?' Jay Sean laughs. "They knew there might be a strong possibility I'd do music. They told me, 'The same way you apply yourself to your studies you have to work hard doing music.' That's always stayed with me."
Jay Sean's songs caught the attention of a producer putting together a groundbreaking project fusing traditional Punjabi music and contemporary Pop/R&B. As soon as the single dropped, Jay Sean became the face and voice of a new generation.
"It was so interesting that the kids who love listening to Pop/R&B and traditional Indian music said, 'What the hell is this, it's brand new.'"
Along with galvanizing a heretofore, untapped demographic, Jay Sean caught the ears of the industry, because as he explains, "The English labels knew I had this huge following.
His solo debut ME AGAINST MYSELF dropped in 2004 and exploded on the Internet. Jay Sean toured through Europe, South East Asia, as well as spot dates in the US. He even performed, with Akon, at the Ruler of Dubai's daughter's sweet sixteen. In India, this album outsold Jay-Z, Britney Spears and Madonna.
"I have a heavy fan-base in many countries including India. I'm in a minority culture but in many countries, there's still Indians there and they all knew me," says Jay Sean.
After dealing with creative issues and the desire to change his musical direction to straight-forward Pop/R&B, Jay Sean made the decision in 2008 to go for self.
"I realized I had a global fan base so why not make the music myself?"
Those instincts paid off and then some when MY OWN WAY, his first release on his own label, Jayded Records, out sold and then some Jay Sean's prior effort. The album peaked at #6 on the UK album chart.
All of which brings Jay Sean to ALL OR NOTHING and a future that is just beginning.
Speaking with a refreshing mix of humility and confidence, Jay Sean says, "I've got a different up-bringing and take on a music that you guys make so well and would like to think that I'm a fresh new face and voice. Hopefully American audiences will like it. People always like a change. That's what I have to offer."
See: www.jaysean.com
One Night
Jay Sean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dil kho churaya
Dil kho churaya
Tere dil da haal mein, haal mein sunawa
Ni kuriyeh ni gal maan le
Did I confuse you girl
Coz this is not what we plan to do
I thought we'd talk it out
You told me that you didn't mind
At the time you understood
It was only for the night
Baby you know
Gotta let go
Come on act right
It was only one night
Baby you know
Gotta let go
Come on act right
It was only one night
Kuriye tu gal mere ek manley
Kuriye tu gal mere ek manley
All these text messages asking me 'bout my day
I told you, you got to allow this style
Coz I'm not ready girl, you can't persuade me to stay
Girl I'd like you to understand it was only for the night
You told me that, now you wanna act
Like I told you I'd commit but it's more then I can give
Was this all a plan, turn a one night stand
Into more than we agreed, I can't give you what you need baby
Baby you know
Gotta let go
Come on act right
It was only one night
Baby you know
Gotta let go
Come on act right
It was only one night
Girl I can see that you're hurt
But I didn't think that you would go back on your words
How am I supposed to change what is done it's too late
Girl I'm starting to believe that we made a mistake
It was for one night
Babygirl if you'd told me then it'd been alright
Now you're telling all your friends that I'm your man
I don't understand
Oohh Oohh
Baby you know
Gotta let go
Come on act right
It was only one night [x4]
Kuriye tu gal mere ek manley [x4]
The song One Night by Jay Sean is about a one night stand that has gone wrong. The singer is being questioned and accused by the girl he had a one night stand with. She’s trying to convince him to commit to more than just one night. He, on the other hand, believes they had an agreement and that it will not be more than just one night. The lyrics suggest that the girl is still interested in more but he is not, and he thinks it’s unfair that she’s trying to change their agreement.
The phrase “Dil kho churaya” is repeated three times. It translates to “you stole my heart away”. It suggests that the person is heartbroken and has had their heart broken by someone else. The song is heartbreaking and relatable, as many people have had one night stands that didn’t go as planned. It teaches us that it’s important to communicate our feelings and intentions beforehand to avoid misunderstandings and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Dil kho churaya
You stole my heart
Tere dil da haal mein, haal mein sunawa
I confessed your true feelings to you
Ni kuriyeh ni gal maan le
Don't listen, girl
Did I confuse you girl
Did I send you mixed signals?
Did I give you a sign
Was there something I did?
Coz this is not what we plan to do
This wasn't supposed to happen
I thought we'd talk it out
I assumed we were on the same page
You told me that you didn't mind
You said it was okay with you
At the time you understood
You seemed to get it then
It was only for the night
It was just a one time thing
Baby you know
You already know
Gotta let go
You need to move on
Come on act right
Stop being unreasonable
Kuriye tu gal mere ek manley
Girl, just listen to me
All these text messages asking me 'bout my day
You keep asking me questions, but I'm not interested
I told you, you got to allow this style
I warned you that I wasn't ready for a relationship
Coz I'm not ready girl, you can't persuade me to stay
I'm not ready for anything more than what we had
Girl I'd like you to understand it was only for the night
I don't want anything more than what we had
You told me that, now you wanna act
You said you were okay with it, but now you're acting different
Like I told you I'd commit but it's more then I can give
I told you I wasn't ready for anything more.
Was this all a plan, turn a one night stand
Did you plan to make this more than just a hookup?
Into more than we agreed, I can't give you what you need baby
I can't give you more than what we had that one night
Girl I can see that you're hurt
I can tell you're upset
But I didn't think that you would go back on your words
I didn't expect you to change your mind
How am I supposed to change what is done it's too late
I can't undo what happened that night
Girl I'm starting to believe that we made a mistake
I'm starting to think that we shouldn't have hooked up
Babygirl if you'd told me then it'd been alright
If you had been honest with me from the beginning, things would be different
Now you're telling all your friends that I'm your man
You're telling people we're together now
I don't understand
I don't know what you want from me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: RISHPAL SINGH REKHI, JAY SEAN, SHRAWAN RATHOD, NADEEM SAIFI, JAGWINDER S. DHALIWAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind