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When dealing with feelings of loss, anxiety, depression, fear, or even isolation, people often rely on personal interests and activities to help pull themselves through.

For vocalist Jay Anthony, he relied on his music to pull himself through the loss of his grandmother as well as the fear and uncertainty of the pandemic.

Anthony, an R&B, pop and gospel singer, recently released his first EP as an independent solo artist called “Music & Me.” He said he gave it that title because it best describes the impact that music had during those days and weeks of the pandemic when he was stuck at home.

“I really used that time to listen to some of the greats, like Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra – and I listened to Michael Jackson, who was one of my biggest inspirations,” said Anthony. “I was also able to keep writing songs and journaling during those uncertain times.”

And then later in 2020, tragedy struck within his close personal circle when his grandmother passed away. He said the loss was devastating for him – and he went into a state of depression.

 “I had lost interest in music, which is crazy because it truly is my passion,” he said. “I didn't want to sing, and I didn't want to write. But I still was able to do my journaling at the time.”

One of the six tracks on the EP is called “A Better Place.” According to Anthony, the song was inspired by his journal writings, where he was able to express how he was feeling about his grandmother’s passing and then turn them into meaningful lyrics.

When he was singing what became the sixth and final track on the EP, titled “Worth Living,” he said he thought about the period when he was feeling depressed – and he was also thinking about everybody else that was fighting depression at that same time.

“After it was recorded and the producer played it back to me, I cried like a baby,” said Anthony. “It was at that point I thought, ‘Wow! If this inspired me, then I want to know what it would do for other people as well.’

Anthony began singing as a young boy in church, where he later gave his first solo performance at age 12, even though he was known to be really shy and quiet. His uncle was the church’s choir director and his aunt was the choir soloist.

“My aunt had such a beautiful voice that she actually would make me cry whenever she would sing,” he said. “But then she would pass me the mic. And in a church like ours, even as a child, when someone passes you the mic, you'd better be ready and able to sing, and sing on key for sure. That’s your opportunity. I thank God that she was preparing me for what I am able to do today.”

He then went on to join the school choir and participate in talent shows. He said it was his music teacher who exposed him to lots of different music. He fell in love with Tony Bennett, who once described himself as “a tenor who sings like a baritone,” along with Luther Vandross, himself a baritone.

These artists had personal meaning to Anthony as he became a teenager.

“You know, during that ‘growing up period,’ my voice changed from soprano to baritone,” he said. “So I was able to listen to those guys - and they gave me confidence in my voice. I knew then that it was okay to have a baritone voice - and they really helped me through that transition as a singer. That's why I do some of the things I do now; I borrowed from them.”

Right after high school, Anthony was able to do some modeling. But the highlight occurred when he appeared as an extra in the Will Smith movie, “After Earth,” where he got to meet the actor. Later, he had the chance to appear in Smith’s movie, “Concussion,” but he turned it down.

“I am grateful to have been given those opportunities,” he said, “but they weren’t music. Music is my passion.”

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