JAI.h
Her Music, Her Rules
Written by Jennifer Ward
Jaime Holland, also known as JAI.h, is a singer/songwriter from Long Island, New York who maintains a budding music career while also working full-time as a teacher. Even with a busy schedule, Holland stays dedicated to finding time to pursue her passions.
Growing up in Coram, Long Island, Holland began taking music seriously when she attended Long Island University in Brooklyn. However, she always had a love for music, taking elements from reggae music she grew up listening to with her parents, like Bennie Man or Super Cat, or artists like Shania Twain and Celine Dion.
Photo by: Tyler Thompson
Holland was always surrounded by friends who were making music, with this increasing more after going to college. She then began helping out on tracks and expanding her interest in creating. In 2021, after a break-up, Holland went with a friend to the studio after they needed a female vocalist on their track. Before then, she mainly did background vocals and some features with friends.
“I went to the music studio because I was like, ‘I’m sad, let me be around people who are like-minded, who are kind,’” said Holland. The next thing she knew, she was writing a verse on the track. “I loved how that felt. I was like wow, I created something,” said Holland. “It’s me, it’s raw, it’s real. It made me feel so much more confident and powerful. I was already a pretty confident person but that really kind of solidified like, you can actually do this.”
This led to Holland beginning to work on her own music. Her song, “Good One,” was released in 2023. However, the journey behind creating this song was not an easy one. Holland was left to defend herself and her ideas after a producer did not like her work and failed to take her seriously when she said she would record her version.
Single
Good One
2023
JAI.h
“Being a woman in this field, I feel like it’s very important to stand up for yourself, and for your ideas,” said Holland. “Always be open to what other people have to say, but when you know something is good and you have something, don’t let that go to waste just because someone has a different perspective.”
Regardless of the pushback, Holland went on to record her version of the song. Following the song’s release, Holland felt a wave of accomplishment she compared to graduating college, finally feeling like she did it, even if she felt at times that she couldn’t. Although she only has two singles released, Holland leans towards the rhythm and blues (R&B) genre, although she is open to trying new genres as she releases more.
Her artist name, JAI.h, also has its own story. JAI comes from her first name Jamie. However, she chose to end Jai with an “I” instead of a “Y” because Jay is a repetitive nickname, Jai keeping it more personal. Also, she admits it stems from a crush she had on actor Michael Jai White growing up. The .h in her name she also opens up about, saying it comes from her father’s last name who passed away before she began her music career. Having the .h in her last name was a way to incorporate him, as he had a love for music.
Photo by: Tyler Thompson
In 2024, Holland released her second single, “Spin the Block,” which talks about trying to get back with someone you have a past with, trying to start again. She opens up about the fact that she wrote this song from the perspective of the ex, instead of her own perspective.
Holland said, “I wrote the song from his perspective, not my own perspective, which is actually kind of funny kind of different, because people expect songs from their perspectives right?” Holland also draws much of her inspiration from artists she grew up loving and still loves to this day. Artists like Beyoncé, Rihanna, SZA, Miley Cyrus and Pink have made an impact on her sound and music.
Considering Holland is a school teacher on top of working on music, she does her best to balance both. However, Holland says she focuses more on making music for her, rather than worrying about the numbers. “I look at the more sentimental aspect of my work and my craft now, because I’m doing it for me,” said Holland. “I’m not doing it to be catchy, or to catch on or get discovered, you know?”
Currently, Holland is working on a new single to soon be released, as well as a music video for “Good One” coming soon.
Photo by: Tyler Thompson
You can find Holland @jai.is.her on Instagram and JAI.h on streaming platforms.
