Jadyn had a particular reputation attached to his name, although a lot of people spoke about him and delivered opinions on him based on the image he projects, not many actually know the man intimately. Perhaps the only two people to truly know him would be his bandmates and that is more due to the family connection rather than a bandmate one. Where Brayton quickly got into a relationship with Aubrey Mikkel and stepped away from the party lifestyle and Jamal despite certainly indulging in the lifestyle opted to move back home to Detroit away from the attention of California, Jadyn set about truly embracing the California party and celebrity scene where romances are brief and generally come with an NDA agreement. But his drive and determination to take what small window of opportunity he had been given in the music industry was the fire that burned inside of him, sure the accolades and glory that come with it are a definite appeal but beyond that it was about proving something to himself, the breakout with the band, the first taste of his solo work being a success and even the first steps into the business world with the launch of his own record label.

He looked forward to these sorts of events, not to stand out in the crowd or even showcase himself in front of peers but he loved nothing more than surrounding himself with the very best in their respective field of expertise. Being in a room with the very best that the music world has to offer and just even having a seat at the table was something that always brought out a much truer side to Jadyn. Despite all of the confidence and bluster, how he speaks with people in that setting and environment show himself in his very best guise. He speaks with genuine intrigue and respect, a fascination of the artform on all levels and the different ways in which these performers and artists approach their craft. He had his outfit ready for the show, the trio would be rehearsing their performance early on Saturday in preparation and there was a definite buzz in the air around the City.

“Call me Jadyn. For real, these streets are crazy if you don’t know your way round. I can definitely show you some of the hotspots. I can pick you up in an hour, if you’re good?

He was fully aware of how respected and unproblematic Amy-Jayne was viewed within the industry and that their two reputations didn’t necessarily align, but it wasn’t something that deterred him in his interest in spending some time with her and getting to know her a little. He was relatively casually dressed, jeans, designer boots and a button down shirt with the obligatory jewellery dangling from his neck and wrists. He send her a message to let her know that he would be on his way soon, he stepped out of his house and got into his car, a large sleek black Bentley Bentayga, it was a much more spacious and comfortable drive, in comparison to his other cars which were primarily sports cars. He wasn’t about to be racing around the hills with Amy and figured she’d appreciate the comfort over speed, at least on this first meeting.

He pulled out of the driveway and headed down through the Hollywood Hills of where his home was located, round the narrow corners and down into the City that his house overlooked. Within about twenty minutes he had arrived at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, he pulled the vehicle up outside of the hotel and got out. Leaning against the drivers door he pulled out his phone and sent another message to Amy to let her know he was there.

Your ride is here, I’mma just be outside. Come down when you’re ready.

He waited out front for her to come down to the lobby area, as she walked out of the building and into the lobby Jadyn walked over towards her to greet her, he offered out his hand for her as she walked down the steps of the entrance and gave a smile as he greeted her with that distinctive movie star smile. “Looking beautiful as ever, heavy metal Queen” he says with a playful smirk, acknowledging one of her most recent hits that changed things up for her with a heavier sound, “For real, to me you always gonna be an RnB Queen.”

He walks her around to the passenger side of the vehicle and opens the door for her, making space for her to get inside before shutting the door behind her. He then makes his way to the drivers seat and starts the engine. “I’mma show you whatever you want to see in Hollywood right now. Any preference or you leaving it up to your chauffeur?” he says with a warm smile.

He admired how she took the Metal comment so gracefully, he believed strongly in following your own muse and was a fan of a varied range of music despite his own career path following a very set path at least at the moment where he was firmly fixed in the Rap and Hip-Hop genres. He smiled at her comment about RnB being where her heart was, it was a genre that he always found himself drawn towards as a listener, the smooth vocals and relaxing sound was very much where he gravitated towards.

Jadyn nodded as he pulled the car out of the parking lot and made his way round the corner and down towards the City, “How about some food real quick and then a drink of two?” he pauses before continuing, “I know this place where we can get something low-key.” He makes sure to pay attention to the road as he speaks back and forth with Amy, “And there’s a winery, just on the outskirts of the City, I can have a driver take us back to the hotel afterwards.”

Jadyn listened to her as she chatted during the drive down towards the THE BLVD Restaurant in downtown Beverly Hills, he turned a corner and the restaurant was in plain view. He drove into the parking lot behind the restaurant and exited the vehicle, walking towards the passenger door and opening it for Amy-Jayne to make her exit from the vehicle. He signals towards the restaurant and walks alongside her towards the entrance, he gives a smile and nod of the head to the maitre de and the pair are shown through the restaurant and out towards the back, they’re given a private section on the outside terrace, a couple of famous faces are around and give the occasional glance over and friendly smile at Amy and Jadyn.

As they’re handed the menus, Jadyn allows Amy some time to look through and take her time selecting what she would like. He orders the Jidori Roasted Chicken alongside a couple of Sides for the table, he also orders a bottle of Willamette Valley, Tuscan Blend Red Wine. Once Amy has made her order and the pair are left alone he asks her about her life, “So you’re from Texas, right? It’s gotta be a change of pace coming out to Cali. Are you here just for the show tomorrow?”

Jadyn nods as he listens to Amy talk about where she’s from, “I’ve been to Houston a couple of times, but Dallas I’ve only ever passed through. We stopped to do a show there but we ain’t even have a minute to stop and check out the City. You know how it is, you visit all these cities but you don’t ever get to see a whole lot of them when you’re on tour.” He thanks the waiter as they bring out the drinks and food, he acknowledges that Amy’s made a good choice in her food selection and pours some wine into their glasses. He raises his glass and clinks with Amy, “To Dallas, a place I’mma hit up someday.” He says with a warm smile.

He takes a sip of his drink and starts eating his food, listening to Amy talk about her life. He was aware she had children, it wasn’t something that really phased him too much. But the details was something he didn’t exactly know but he knew that she had broken up with Dominic some time ago as it was very much public knowledge at the time. “Man, California is a whole different vibe from anywhere else in the world. I’m sure it’s one of those fun in small doses type of things for people from the outside.” He continues eating as they converse with each other, “It’s your sons birthday coming up? How old is he?” he asks, hopefully putting her at ease on the subject by showing interest in her life.

Jadyn listens intently as she talks, “It’s wild in Cali twenty-four seven. I moved out here from Detroit four years ago, so it’s a world I’ve had to get used to. But I’ve lived the lifestyle since I got here, for real.” He nods as she offers to return the favour and show him around Dallas sometime, “I’mma take you up on that offer, legit. I’ve heard you guys do food out there on a whole different scale too, so I’mma hop on that vibe for sure.” He laughs as he continues to eat his food.

He takes another sip of wine and listens, he smiles as he sees just how much she lights up when talking about her children, “Wooh, ten years old, for real? I’mma bet you’re wondering where all that damn time went. I’ll bet he’s proud of you though, ain’t that many people can balance a career and being a parent. You definitely didn’t miss a beat either.”

Jadyn laughs as she talks about the reputation of his hometown, “For sure, it ain’t an easy place to grow up in. Definitely mean streets out there, but if it don’t kill you it definitely makes you stronger.” He pauses for a second before continuing, “I came out here and it was a whole different world. You just have to be ready to run hard and fast for as long as you’re here, you gotta live that lifestyle out here.” He continues to eat his food and nods again, “Definitely sounds good.”

Jadyn listens again, this time even more intently as she talks about raising her children, he, his brother and his cousin from the group ‘Orion’ were all raised by his mother and his mother alone. He takes a drink before saying his piece, “I’ve got a lot of respect for you for that. I was raised by a single mother two, she ain’t no pop superstar but she worked two jobs so that we could try and be who we wanted to be. That shit cannot be easy, but I guarantee your bond will just grow the older they get and they realise just how hard you’ve worked to raise em’ mostly on your own.”

Jadyn nods in agreement, “It definitely ain’t for everybody. But when you’re breaking into the industry it can be a great place to be. Definitely a slower pace of life down south, but you’re already an established superstar so you don’t need to be out here placing the LA game. Your name speaks for itself now, we still pretty new and have to keep proving ourselves until we don’t have to anymore.”

He finishes up eating his food, pours more wine into his glass from the bottle and gestures it towards Amy to see if she’d like some more, “You gotta find that balance. You ain’t the first to take a long time out, but I’m sure you gonna be better than ever when you drop your new album.” He nodded as he talked about how he expected her new stuff to be more successful than ever before.

Jadyn playfully laughs a little at her humble nature, “You kiddin’, right? Your legacy in this industry is already created. You up there with the best of them in the RnB and Pop scene for sure. You alongside the Alicia Lena’s, Tisha Jackson’s and Aubrey Mikkel’s of this industry for real. You been around a hot minute, you already pushing that icon status in my opinion.”

Jadyn pours the rest of the bottle into Amy’s glass, finishing off the bottle between them. “I can tell you got it with this new album, you can see the excitement in your eyes and now you’ve established yourself you’re branching out and trying different sounds and genre’s. That’s what separates a regular artist with an genuine artist. Sometimes it’s good to get out of your lane and try something a little different, you know?”