The life of a female rapper in Montgomery is not the easiest of paths, but Jai Jia said she’s pushing the reality of her talent.

“Being a woman in the music industry is ten times as hard as a man,” Jia said. “When they see me and when they hear me, they see and hear real.”

She’s been putting in the work and said she sees herself one day becoming the next big thing in women’s rap. She’s set her sights on climbing to heights of artists she pulls inspiration from like Nicki Minaj, Remy Ma and Lil’ Kim.

“I like Megan Thee Stallion as well,” Jia said. “I like that she has opened the door for a darker complexion of women to be in the industry.”

COVID-19 has changed the game for all artists, but Jia knows sitting still until it passes by isn’t an option for her. She recently released the music video for her latest single “Targets.”

“I feel like you do have to venture out to become a bigger artist, and that’s what my team and I are focused on right now,” Jia said. “But I also want to shine a light on the city of Montgomery. I’m representing Alabama.”

Part of that is getting the best version of her talents released. That’s why she’s pulled back earlier music.

“I’ve put out music before, which is now archived just so I can go back to remake it and make sure the sound is high quality,” Jia said.

Jia said she’s spent a lot of time lately in the studio working on her upcoming album. She’s also collaborated with artist Cet Dolla. Lately, she’s been letting some of her inner circle preview her new music ahead of its release. Along with digital, she’s planning on hard copies for fans.

“I do have a lot of fans that request me to send them a CD,” she said. “I didn’t know people still used CDs.”

She has two shows being scheduled in Birmingham and Atlanta. Her last live performance was back in August, when she made it to the second round of the YSL Challenge from Young Thug and Gunna.

“I want to be able to connect with my fans,” Jia said. “I want to be a storyteller a little bit and tell a little bit of where I come from, where I’m actually going and where I’m at now.”

The Waterbury, Connecticut native has been into music since she was 5.

“I started out singing as a child, and when I was 9 years old I got into rapping,” Jia said.

When she grew up, Jia came to Alabama to meet her father in Shorter. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a lasting relationship.

“My father was not who I thought he would be,” Jia said.

Still, she decided to stay and make a home in Montgomery. She loves the weather, and the music opportunity.

“I started going real hard on my music, so I ended up just staying here,” Jia said.

Beyond music, Jia also works as a model and said she has a photo shoot just ahead this month.

Jia’s also an actress, and has a role in an upcoming Netflix film.

Follow her on social media: Instagram @jaijiamusic, Facebook at Jai Jia and Jai Jia Fan Page, Twitter @jaijiamusic, and tik tok @Jaijia6.

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