Jamie Seerman is an American singer-songwriter from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. She performs under the name Jaymay.

Early life

Jaymay was born Jamie Seerman on January 3, 1981, and was raised on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. For undergrad, she studied at

New College of Florida New College of Florida is a public university, public liberal arts college in Sarasota, Florida, United States. The college is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. New College has the smallest student enrollment in the State U ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

in New York City, as well as

Lorenzo de' Medici Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (), known as Lorenzo the Magnificent (; 1 January 1449 – 9 April 1492), was an Italian statesman, the ''de facto'' ruler of the Florentine Republic, and the most powerful patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. Lore ...

in Florence, Italy. After graduating from New College in 2003, she moved to NYC, where she began regularly performing at the

SideWalk Cafe A sidewalk café or pavement café is "a portion of an eating or drinking place, located on a public sidewalk, that provides waiter or waitress service" (as defined by the American Planning Association based upon the New York City planning regul ...

's open mic night every Monday night.

Career

Jaymay has played live concerts supporting Bright Eyes,

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Vernon had originally formed Bon Iver as a solo project, but it eventually became a band consisting of Vernon (vocals, guit ...

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Teddy Thompson Teddy Thompson (born 19 February 1976) is an English folk and rock musician. He is the son of folk rock musicians Richard and Linda Thompson and brother of singer Kamila Thompson. He released his first album in 2000. Biography Teddy Thompso ...

, A.A. Bondy,

Deer Tick Deer tick may refer to a few different ''Ixodes spp.'': * ''Ixodes scapularis'', the eastern North America black-legged tick * ''Ixodes pacificus'', the western North America black-legged tick * ''Ixodes ricinus'', the European tick sometimes calle ...

Isobel Campbell Isobel Campbell (born 27 April 1976) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and cellist. She rose to prominence at age nineteen as a member of the indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, but left the group to pursue a solo career, first as the Gentle Waves ...

Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age ...

, Jose Gonzales,

Okkervil River Okkervil River is an American rock band led by singer-songwriter Will Sheff. Formed in Austin, Texas, in 1998, the band takes its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya set on the river Okkervil in Saint Petersburg. They bega ...

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Tift Merritt Catherine Tift Merritt (born January 8, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has released seven studio albums, two for Lost Highway Records, two for Fantasy Records, and three for Yep Roc Records. Early life and education Me ...

Cherry Ghost Cherry Ghost were an English music group which began in 2006, first as an alias for singer-songwriter Simon Aldred as a solo artist, before morphing into a full band. Their debut album, ''Thirst for Romance'', was released in July 2007 and ente ...

Caribou The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only represe ...

Elvis Perkins Elvis Brooke Perkins (born February 9, 1976) is an American folk-rock musician. He released his debut studio album, ''Ash Wednesday'', in 2007. He subsequently toured in support of the album with his band Elvis Perkins in Dearland, composed of ...

Nouvelle Vague The New Wave (, ), also called the French New Wave, is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of i ...

The Bird and the Bee the bird and the bee is an American indie pop musical duo from Los Angeles, consisting of Inara George ("the bird") and Greg Kurstin ("the bee"). Kurstin is a nine-time Grammy Award–winning producer and multi-instrumentalist who has worked ...

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, and others, and has played festivals such as

Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...

Latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

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, Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, Hillside and more. The song "Sea Green, See Blue" was featured in the Season 2 finale of CBS's ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...

'', which aired May 14, 2007. Jaymay wrote and provided songs and the score to the 2010 film ''

Happythankyoumoreplease ''Happythankyoumoreplease'' is a 2010 comedy-drama film written and directed by Josh Radnor in his directorial debut. The film features Radnor, Malin Åkerman, Kate Mara, Zoe Kazan, Michael Algieri, Pablo Schreiber, and Tony Hale, in the story of ...

'' at the insistence of writer/director/star

Josh Radnor Joshua Thomas Radnor (born July 29, 1974) is an American actor, filmmaker, author, and musician. He is best known for portraying Ted Mosby on the Emmy Award–winning CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014). He made his writing and di ...

, a longtime fan of Jaymay. "Never Be Daunted" from the film was shortlisted for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences' Best Original Song

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

. Jaymay provided vocals for the cover of

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...

' " Big Sky" on ''Orchestral Variations V.01'' by The Separate, which was the final album released by

Setanta Records Setanta Records was a British independent record label led by founder Keith Cullen. Setanta published UK and Irish indie music in the late 1980s and in the 1990s. History Setanta Records was started in a Camberwell, London squat by former bicyc ...

in 2012. In November 2013, Jaymay flew to Keithville, Louisiana to play at the bedside of Lexi Gordon, a 2-year old fan diagnosed with the terminal neurological disease

Tay–Sachs disease Tay–Sachs disease is an Genetic disorder, inherited fatal lysosomal storage disease that results in the destruction of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The most common form is infantile Tay–Sachs disease, which becomes apparent arou ...

, after the family made the wish to Pay It Forward Networking to reach out to Lexi's favorite performer. The live version of "You Are The Only One I Love" from the '' Lvng Rm EP'' was featured in Facebook's national Mother's Day TV and internet commercial in 2014 and 2015 in the United States. In August 2014, a musical based on the album ''

Autumn Fallin' ''Autumn Fallin is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Jaymay. It was released by Heavenly Recordings in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2007 and by Blue Note Records in the United States on March 11, 2008. The track "Sea Green, S ...

'' was produced at the

Edinburgh Fringe Festival The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

by Anton Benson Productions. Jaymay's cover recordings of " A Tombstone Every Mile" and "

Dream a Little Dream of Me "Dream a Little Dream of Me" is a 1930 song with music by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt and lyrics by Gus Kahn. It was first recorded in February 1931 by Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra, soon followed by Wayne King and His Orchestra with voc ...

" were featured in the 2014 film ''

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

A Good Marriage ''A Good Marriage'' is a novella by American writer Stephen King, published in the collection '' Full Dark, No Stars'' (2010). Plot Darcy Anderson has been married to Bob, an accountant from Portland, Maine, for 27 years. They have a happy yet ...

''. Jaymay has made television appearances performing on "

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...

", "

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the The Late Late Show (American talk show), ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airi ...

" and "Colour Room" in 2008, and "Good Morning" in Romania in 2014. In 2015, Jaymay's song, "If You Take My Window", was recorded by musician & activist, Wynn Walent, and released as part of an album to raise money for the St. Luke Foundation for Haiti. Jaymay's original recording of the song appears on her ''1 & !'' EP. She has been described by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

as being the "darling of the New York '

Anti-Folk Anti-folk (sometimes spelled antifolk) is a music genre that emerged in the 1980s in New York City, founded by the musician, author and comedian Lach, as a reaction to the commercialization of folk music. It is characterized by its DIY ethos, ...

' scene", and by ''

the New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' as a "big name...for the indie universe"''. On June 1, 2016, Jaymay announced online that she would be releasing a new album, ''

To Tell the Truth ''To Tell the Truth'' is an American television panel show. Four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants (the "team of challengers", each an individual or pair) and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual ...

'', in conjunction with a

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects, such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist pa ...

campaign. In 2021, Jaymay was reported to be appearing on the podcast ''

Storybound ''Storybound'' is a podcast created, produced, and hosted by Jude Brewer, with original music composed for each episode. The show is a collaboration between ''Lit Hub'' and The Podglomerate podcast network, featuring household names and Pulitze ...

''.

Collaborations

Jaymay has collaborated with

on the songs "Brother's Blood", "Time to Burn" and "Murphy's Song", with Cheyenne on "Write It Down in Red", and with

Dirty on Purpose Dirty on Purpose were an American band from Brooklyn, New York, whose music was often described as indie pop or shoegaze. History Formed in 2002, they were originally composed of Doug Marvin (drums, vocals), Joseph Jurewicz (guitar, vocals), Geo ...

on "Light Pollution" and "Like Bees". Jaymay provided guest vocals on art-metal band Goes Cube's second full-length studio album, ''In Tides and Drifts''. She is also featured on the My Cousin, The Emperor's songs "Burly, Old Couch" and "Somedays" from ''The Subway EPs, Vol. I: Prospect Park West'', released March 29, 2011. Jaymay collaborated with K'Naan and was a vocalist on his 2012 EP '' More Beautiful Than Silence.''

Discography

Albums

*2007: ''

'' *2014: '' Jaymay in Norway'' *2015: ''

Enlighten Me Enlighten Me may refer to: * "Enlighten Me" (Echo & the Bunnymen song), 1990 * "Enlighten Me" (Grouplove song) * "Enlighten Me" (Masterplan song) * ''Enlighten Me'' (album), a 2015 album by Jaymay {{disambiguation ...

'' *2016: ''

'' *2016: '' Fallin' Like Snow''

EPs An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

*2006: ''Sea Green, See Blue.'' *2010: '' Lvng Rm EP'' *2010: '' Long Walk to Never'' *2012: '' 10UNDER2'' *2016: ''1 & !'' *2016: ''Song for Paul'' *2016: ''Demon Love'' *2016: ''Not Your Fault'' *2016: ''Evil People'' *2016: ''Over My Head'' *2016: ''Orange Peels''

Compilation appearances

*2014: "You Are the Only One I Love (piano demo)", ''Friends'' (Fadeaway Records) *2015: "Pretty Girls Make Graves", ''Tease Torment Tantalize: A 30th Anniversary Tribute to the Smiths' Debut'' (Reimagine Music)

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Living people American expatriates in the United Kingdom Heavenly Recordings artists 1981 births Singers from New York City New College of Florida alumni