"In terms of artists that inspire me the main ones are Futuristic, J Cole, Russ, Logic, Juice WRLD and the Kid LAROI. Not only are they my favourites but they are all hard working which I strive to be.
"Also my family, friends and my experiences influence my personality and what I write about in songs. It's quite hard for me to narrow it down to one single inspiration because I'm inspired by anything I connect with."
Jae, who has close to 2100 monthly listeners on Spotify, was selected by Mai FM for his song First Love which he released earlier this year.
"I've been making and releasing music since 2019. I make a mix of melodic rap and lyrical rap. I feel my music is really relatable to most people and would love it to be heard."
The finalists are in the draw to win a professional mix and master of their original song, a professional photoshoot, professionally designed album artwork, a Mai marketing campaign and their song added to the Mai Playlist.
The contest went to public vote at 6am on Monday, December 13 on the Mai FM Facebook page, and finishes at 12pm on Thursday, December 16.
To vote, all you need to do is react to the post using the surprised emoji.
THIS IS IT WHĀNAU! 😤 Time to vote for your favourite for Mai Big Break, it's in your hands! 🙌 Choose a reaction to vote...
Posted by Mai FM on Sunday, December 12, 2021
"I can't even put into words what it would mean to me. I've grinded so hard and put so much effort into improving over the last two years. So, the recognition this would give me would mean a lot," he says.
"This could be a stepping stone for me to achieve greater things, so I would be very excited.
"I want my music to impact people the same way music impacts me. I feel if you don't want that, you're doing it for the wrong reasons."
The other finalists are Christchurch's MINZ, aka Jasmine Lukic, and Tokoroa's Uncle Is, aka Israel Vano-Storer.
Head to Mai FM on Facebook to vote for Jae and search First Love by Jae on Spotify and all other streaming services to check out his music.
