Jai Paul’s last official release was 2012’s Jasmine (demo), followed by the famously leaked album Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) on Bandcamp in 2013. It was widely believed to be his long-awaited debut album, but after it suddenly dropped, Paul took to Twitter to say that the album was not, in fact, an official release.
Now seven years on, Paul has finally opened up about the leaked album, officially releasing it along with two new singles.
Jai Paul has opened up about his 2013 leaked album and dropped two new tracks Do You Love Her Now and He, his first official releases in seven years.
On the weekend, Jai Paul resurfaced with the surprise release of two new tracks in conjunction with the launch of his new website. The new singles Do You Love Her Now and He were released on streaming platforms and Paul’s new website on Saturday, marking his first official single since 2012.
Listen to the new singles below.
The new interactive website lets you walk through a world of Paul’s releases, streaming them as you go. It also features his famously leaked studio album Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones), available to download for a pay-what-you-want price, accompanied by a long letter to fans regarding the leak and the toll that it took on him.
“I understand that it might have seemed like a positive thing to a lot of people – the music they had been waiting to hear was finally out there – but for me, it was very difficult to deal with. As things unfolded I went through a number of phases, but the immediate, overriding feeling was one of complete shock.
I felt numb, I couldn’t take it all in at first. I felt pretty alone with everything, like no-one else seemed to view the situation in the same way I did: as a catastrophe. There was a lot going through my mind, but the hardest thing to grasp was that I’d been denied the opportunity to finish my work and share it in its best possible form. I believe it’s important for artists as creators to have some control over the way in which their work is presented, at a time that they consider it complete and ready.”
Paul also explained why he seemingly disappeared following the leak, stating that he “had a breakdown of sorts” and “was unable to work and withdrew from life in general.”
For Paul, officially releasing the leaked album was difficult, stating that “it’s completely surreal to me that this music will now exist officially in this form, unfinished, and even sequenced by the people who leaked it! Much of the tracking and production work was there, but it’s a shame about the scratch vocals and the overall mix.
This is also not all of the material from those early sessions so again it’s a shame not to be able to present something completed, in its entirety. It will always be a little painful for me to listen to myself, but I don’t want to deny people a chance to hear it.”
Listen to Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) below.
