Jay Som

About

Melina Mae Cortez Duterte, known professionally as Jay Som, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and mixing engineer. Born in 1994 in Walnut Creek, California, she spent her childhood in Pleasanton and Brentwood. Growing up, Duterte played trumpet and guitar, and began writing and recording music at age 12. She originally considered attending a conservatory program for jazz but ultimately chose to pursue songwriting instead. Jay Som's indie rock career began with her debut studio album Turn Into, released in mid-2016. She followed this with Everybody Works in 2017 and Anak Ko in 2019, with her most recent album Belong arriving in 2025. Beyond her solo work, she has toured with the band Boygenius and collaborated with Palehound's Ellen Kempner as part of the band Bachelor. Her career demonstrates a commitment to both performance and technical production work in music.