Rising R&B Singer JayDon on Working with Usher and Coming for the 'Big Leagues' (Exclusive)
- - Rising R&B Singer JayDon on Working with Usher and Coming for the 'Big Leagues' (Exclusive)
Daniela AvilaDecember 12, 2025 at 6:00 AM
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Ryo Sato
JayDon -
JayDon opens up to PEOPLE about signing to Usher's label and learning from the R&B star
"This is the big leagues of music, and in my own way, I feel like I’ve made it," he says
JayDon released his debut EP in October
JayDon is on his way to the top.
At just 18 years old, the rising R&B star has signed to Usher and L.A. Reid's label Mega and he's making waves with his debut EP Me My Songs & I. Reflecting on the whirlwind year, the Los Angeles native opened up about his experience working with the "My Boo" singer.
“This collaboration is extremely meaningful for me, but I think it’s also meaningful for the world, because Usher hasn’t done something like this before - he’s never collaborated in this way with a young Black artist who is the same type of artist as him," JayDon tells PEOPLE over email of Usher, who recently hopped on a remix of "Lullaby" that comes out Friday, Dec. 12.
Ryo Sato
JayDon
Calling the situation "mind-blowing," JayDon appreciates Usher's guidance and the trust he's placed in him to be a part of his new R&B label. His first release with the Mega was "I'll Be Good," which samples Usher's "How Do I Say."
"I was the second artist signed. There are only a few of us, so everything we’re doing feels completely new. I love that we’re creating something so original," says JayDon, who voiced young Simba in Disney's The Lion King in 2019.
Since he signed with Mega in March of this year, JayDon has picked up some tips from Usher, including his "pacing, patience and how to really progress through a song."
"I’ve also picked up a lot of singing techniques - he’s vocal-produced me on some of the songs I’ve recorded, and weirdly, I sound just like him when he shows me how to deliver a line. It’s crazy," he says.
"Beyond that, he’s taught me training techniques, like how to get into vocal shape and physical shape at the same time and how he prepares for shows," he continues. "He even had me study his younger self, so I feel like I’m learning from both 18-year-old Usher and 47-year-old Usher. It’s kind of cool.”
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JayDon, Usher and Paradise
JayDon, formerly known as JD McCrary, released his first single "Inviting All of You" in 2018. Ahead of his EP release in October, JayDon — who recently played a sold-out headlining show at The Echo in L.A. — released singles "Lullaby" and "I'll Be Good."
Despite his recent success, JayDon's biggest accomplishment, he says, is signing with the "You Got It Bad" singer.
"It makes me feel like I can become anything I put my mind toward," he says.
"I’ve focused on music for so long, but if I wanted to be a basketball player, I feel like I’d be in the NBA, and if I wanted to play football, I’d be in the NFL," he adds. "That’s how big this moment feels to me. This is the big leagues of music, and in my own way, I feel like I’ve made it."
Listen to his debut EP Me My Songs & I here and presave "Lullaby (mega remix)" here.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
