Jay Ellis On The Impact Of JBL And His Favorite Moments In Music

Photo Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

By Okla Jones ·Updated September 22, 2023

Taking over Park MGM on the Vegas Strip from September 21- 23, the three-day JBL Fest will kick off with the launch of its latest premium speaker line – the first range of WiFi Home speakers. Additionally, JBL will serve as the exclusive audio partner for Life is Beautiful, the premiere music and arts festival in Las Vegas, and will feature a special experience bringing the JBL’s True Wireless line to life.

With notable figures such as Bruno Mars, D’Mile, Evan Ross, and Halima Aden, among others, all attending the launch, this year’s festival will surely be one to remember. Actor, entrepreneur and JBL enthusiast Jay Ellis, who will also be appearing at Park MGM, spoke to ESSENCE about the importance of this iconic audio company.

“I’m a big fan of JBL,” he says. “I think I’ve had a Flip in my backpack on every trip I’ve been on for probably the last six years, just to have a little portable speaker with me every time I move around. I own a couple of Pilates studios and we actually use JBL speakers in our studios for our sound system. So I’ve always been a big supporter.”

JBL Fest is also expanding its reach by collaborating with the Life is Beautiful festival for its 10th anniversary, taking place September 22 – 24. In addition to providing shopping opportunities for your favorite JBL products, the partnership will also see show-stopping musical performances equipped with high-quality sound experience on the official JBL Stage from some of this generation’s seminal artists.

“Honestly, I’m just excited to be there,” the Insecure star says. “I’m excited to meet a bunch of the folks from JBL. There’s this new speaker that’s coming out that I’m super excited to see. It’s the Authentics, it kind of looks like a little boombox with a handle on it and everything. Sort of like the old school boombox, but smaller. I’m excited to check that out, see that. And then just good times, good music, and good folks.”

Like many people, music has been such a huge part of Ellis’ life. When asked about his favorite music memory, the 41-year-old brought up an exciting performance from two New York legends. “It wasn’t my first concert at the Hollywood Bowl, but it was my first hip hop concert at the Hollywood Bowl and it was Jay-Z, and Jay was performing with Mary J. Blige,” he responded. “They were on tour together and it was my first time ever seeing Mary, period. I had seen Jay before, but it was my first time ever seeing Mary, period. And bro, it was the most amazing live music moment I ever had in my life.”