Kamaljit Singh Jhooti was born on 26 March 1981 in London. When he was 11 years old, Jhooti and his cousin created a hip-hop duo, which they called “Compulsive Disorder.” Joohti performed under the pseudonym MC “Nicky J,” where “J” was the first letter of his last name. Eventually, his friends started calling him Jay. After some time, Jhooti has chosen another pseudonym, Jay Sean. Jay was the nickname and “Sean” came from the Indian word Shaan, which means “pride”. Jay’s grandma called him Shaan when he was young. Sean was recording songs but didn’t gain sufficient popularity to sign a contract with a recording label.
In 2003, one of Jay’s songs made its way into the hands of the producer Rishi Rich, who really liked the performance. Rich created Rishi Rich Project, to which he invited Sean and Juggy D. The first successful song recorded by the trio was "Dance with You (Nachna Tere Naal)". It reached the 12th spot on the UK Singles Chart. The single helped Sean sign a contract with Virgin Records. Jay’s first solo track "Eyes on You" came out in 2004 and immediately climbed the 6th spot on the UK Singles Chart. Sean’s third single “Stolen” made it to the 4th spot. The same year Sean released his debut studio album Me Against Myself. The critics approved and commended Sean’s work for his creative mix of the modern R&B, British hip-hop, and Indian music.
