Ariel Publicity

At the root of every great song is power- a vital element in the composition that naturally seizes the emotions of the listener and takes them on a journey. Minutes later, the sounds may have stopped, but the melody continues floating through minds, rests among memories and creates a feeling. Whether that feeling be freedom, remorse, hope or ecstasy, it takes a great storyteller to be able to make that happen. Someone who lives life with a no-holds barred attitude, has experienced the bad with the good and owns the gift to relate the journeys he has been on with anyone and everyone who will listen. In other words, Jay Della Valle.

The New Jersey born and bred artist (in every sense of the word) awakens his audience to all the possibilities of life. Those along for the ride travel to coffee shops in Montreal, the boardwalk at Seaside Heights and anywhere else his voice takes them. Each of Della Valle’s four albums is like an aural photo album, the tracks snapshots along the way.

“Most of my early songs were not just about losing someone close, but getting back to yourself,” shares Della Valle. “They became about moving on with your life. As time went on, inspirations were illuminated by new things, and I started to be able to write about being young, innocent, and reckless--three things I always hope to be at heart in many ways. Although, I think it's too late for innocent.”

A musician since childhood, Della Valle’s talent was nurtured from a young age by his father, a singer and bandleader in a wedding entertainment company. “I have never been afraid of an audience,” he reveals. “That's one thing about me as a performer. Even when I was ten years-old, I got up to sing karaoke whenever I could. I never felt self-conscious about my voice or about being on stage. This is half the battle for any performer--getting over this fear--and I never really had it. So I'm fortunate for naturally having this freedom.”

It also helps that Della Valle, a graduate of New York University’s Gallatin School, makes a living as a Wedding & Bar/Bat Mitzvah Emcee, which allows him to practice public performance on the regular. The success of this “day job” has allowed him to self-record and produce all his projects, the most notable of which is The Glorius Mustache Challenge. The acclaimed documentary sparked a revival of the ‘stache among men under 30 years-old and landed Della Valle and his cohorts on the cover of AM New York, live on the air during The Today Show and in The New York Times (just to name a few).

Influenced especially by certain bands like U2, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Ryan Adams, Butch Walker, Elvis Costello, The Replacements, Our Lady Peace and Snow Patrol, Della Valle promises fans can expect Pop-Rock songs that are just as compelling, moving and engaging for him as it is for crowds. “If I have an overall message in my music, it has to say something and be simple in its nature,” he explains, continuing, “and most importantly, it has to be fun for me to sing and play.”

Having rocked stages from coast to coast- including the Sundance Film Festival and South by Southwest- alongside Wilco, Spin Doctors, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers and Rye Coalition, Della Valle is quite the seasoned performer.

“I take a lot of inspiration and influence from lead singers with outsized personalities that are not afraid to tell stories, speak out and be vulnerable. Guys who not only know how to make beautiful noise, but those who can embrace and utilize silence as an instrument,” he says. “They take control of their audiences and when people leave their shows, they're leaving with more than they came with. I guess more than anything as a musician/singer/performer--I want to have that influence on people.”