Jay Gilbert

Jay Gilbert was born on November 1, 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Jay Gilbert Sr. and Jodi Gilbert. He appears to be very close to his younger sister Molly. Gilbert often posts photographs of himself and Molly together on his various social media accounts. He reportedly has studied the history of sneaker designs!

Inspired by contemporary rappers, J Hype began beatboxing and singing very early in his life. He attended many local competitions and open mic events before he auditioned for ‘Boy Band’. He even emerged as the winner in some of those competitions and events.

He then auditioned for the show ‘Boy Band’ which premiered on June 22, 2017. Its concept is quite simple: a group of young male vocalists compete to be part of a new five-piece boy band. The five winners would get the opportunity to sign a recording contract with Hollywood Records. Furthermore, they would perform the group’s debut single on the finale of the show. Hosted by British singer and actress Rita Ora, the show had an impressive panel of judges (architects) in its inaugural season: Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter, Spice Girls' Emma Bunton and Timbaland.

J Hype appeared on the first episode, performing alongside 29 other contestants. He was put in the group ‘Uplift’ in the first episode along with fellow contestants Sergio Calderon, Devin Hayes, Drew Ramos, Cameron Armstrong, and Marcus Pendleton. They sang Bruno Mars’ ‘That’s What I Like’. While his performance landed him in the bottom three, it was Cameron Armstrong who was eliminated in that episode.

J Hype reappeared on the fourth episode as part of the group Element. Comprised of Devin Hayes, Andrew Bloom, Jaden Gray, Miles Wesley, and J Hype, Element performed The Chainsmokers’ ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ (ft. Daya). In the following episode, he was included in the group Maxed. Cam Jackson, Devin Hayes, Drew Ramos, and Sergio Calderon were also part of the group and they sang Frankie Valli’s ‘Can't Take My Eyes Off You’. Once more, J Hype found himself in the bottom three and once more, he survived the elimination.

In the sixth episode of the season, he and Andrew Bloom, Cam Jackson, and Michael Conor were put in the group Leveled. They performed Wiz Khalifa's ‘See You Again’ (ft. Charlie Puth).