Last year he was chosen to represent the UK in carrying the Queen's Baton for the Commonwealth Games, and singer-songwriter Jason Warner, best known as Jsky, is now aiming to empower others with a new anthem about self-worth. The BBC Radio Manchester presenter, from Bury, was proud last summer to carry the baton as part of The Queen’s Baton Relay.
Pride of Manchester judge Jsky carried the baton for the UK in the north west leg of the baton's journey which began in October 2021 with the late Queen Elizabeth II placing her message to the Commonwealth into the baton. It was carried across the country by inspirational baton bearers, each with incredible stories.
They were selected in all nine regions of England and reflected the diversity in communities across the country, a feat Jsky chose to do in heels to "show the power of femininity" and promote "pride visibility". He was selected for his contribution to the arts, charity and for inspiring through fashion and the media. He became the first to ever to participate in heels since the first Queen's Baton Relay in 1958.
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The Naked Beach and First Dates star ran just over 200m from the Lowry Theatre to the BBC at Quay House at MediaCityUK in Salford in a pair of strappy white high heels. Now, hot on the heels of his last single Legs and the release of his body positivity-championing EP Célfie, Jsky has released follow-up single 2 Good with a sizzling music video.
"Legs has been my most successful solo single to date. The support for it has been amazing. I wanted to build on that and do something a little bit different with 2 Good," said Jsky, who is celebrating his 36th birthday this month with the release.
"Whilst Legs has its roots in Reggaeton and Dancehall, 2 Good is a modern-day funk, pop bop at its core. I wrote it to empower anyone facing relationship drama, to remind them of their worth."
The video, which is released at 6am tomorrow (Thursday April 6), was shot in a mansion in north Yorkshire that has previously been used as the set for shows starring Julie Walters and the late Robbie Coltrane. He teamed up with the award winning team at Oliver Brian Productions, famed for producing music videos for artists including Big Narstie and Just Banco. Flame emojis came pouring in as Jsky shared a teaser clip on his Instagram featuring the fashionista showcasing his celebrated pins in a slinky basque.
Jsky, who has returned as a judge for the third year-running on the Pride of Manchester Awards, is also excited to be back on the main stage for the fourth year at Manchester Pride in August. He will also lead this year's Bury Pride Parade on Saturday April 29 after performing at the event for the past two years.
"It feels so good to be heading back onto the mainstage of Manchester Pride this year, and to be leading the parade for my hometown event Bury Pride. There was a time when I never thought all this would be possible," he said.
Jsky hosts The Dead Good Show on BBC Radio Manchester and has his own show on Gaydio, the largest LGBT station in the world. His life changed in 2019 when he was one of the eight body confident hosts in the buff helping willing participants to gain the confidence to strip naked on the reality show set in a stunning Greek retreat on the groundbreaking Channel Four show Naked Beach.
It was watched by 1.6million viewers and went on to be screened in secondary schools to help promote body positivity and improve mental health in teens. "Kids have said they want to be like Jsky when they get older, but when I was at school nobody wanted to be me," he told us at the time. "The way I dress is about expressing myself and there's nothing wrong with that."
"I still get people asking me for advice after the show," Jsky told us. "I've even had my own family saying they're not so self conscious about their body as they were before.
"It's had a ripple effect and it's completely changed my life. When the opportunity arose I was doing things that made a mockery of me. It was an experience about being yourself and it's changed my life. I'm now treated with more respect. It changed my life in every way, I just had to bide my time."
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