Campus Celebrity: Jayus.

Hey you. Yeah, you. Are you sick of annoying pop stars like Selena Gomez and Arianna Grande? Are you confused as to why Katy Perry is still allowed to make music? Does Top 40 Music’s existence confuse you? Then Jayus is for you!

Jayus is a local band in the infant stage of their music. Mainly consisting of covers as of now, playing open mic nights and recording music in North Campus’s music school, they have yet to really take off. They are comprised of guitarist Brandon Bonine, a sophomore at the University of Michigan, considering a degree in science, and Megan Koopman, vocals, pursuing a degree in Psychology and Creative Writing (poetry—so you know their lyrics are about to be beautiful). Together, they form a duo that sounds like a mixture of The Civil Wars and Regina Spektor. There’s no doubt that they’re going to take Ann Arbor by storm and, hopefully, move onto world domination after that, because I truly believe someone needs to knock Bruno Mars off the top charts.

I got an exclusive interview with the duo, which was no small feat, I assure you, because Megan rarely answers her phone.

Her Campus: What does “Jayus” mean?

Brandon Bonine: It means, “a joke so poorly told you can’t help but laugh.”

Megan Koopman: We thought it was fitting for us.

HC: How did you guys come up with that name?

MK: Well, Brandon and I kept putting off picking out a name. I think we had a hard time considering ourselves as anything legitimate, but we finally broke down, mostly because “Megan & Brandon” sounded pretty lame.

BB: It’s Indonesian. Megan has always had a thing for untranslatable words, so we looked some up online, and that’s where we got Jayus.

HC: This is for Megan. How long have you been singing? What got you into it?

MK: I’ve been singing for quite a long time. My first “official” appearance was when I was 7 and sang “The Lion Sleeps Alone Tonight” at a cruise ship’s junior talent show. I won a stuffed octopus. No big deal. When I was younger, I was involved in all the typical things like soccer, girl scouts, and cheerleading. I wasn’t particularly a super star at any of them, which was discouraging… My mom finally pushed me a lot to sing in front of other people, which was kind of nice, because my mom doesn’t really sugar coat anything, so when she says you’re good at something, you believe it.

HC: What is your favorite song to perform with Brandon?

MK: I think it’s probably “Fool That I am” by Etta James.

HC: Brandon—how long have you been playing guitar? Can you play any other instruments?

BB: I’ve been playing for about seven years. And yeah, I can play piano, saxophone, bass, and guitar synthesizer. Guitar is my favorite, though.

HC: Who are some artists/bands that inspire you?

MK: I think for Brandon and I, we are really inspired by artists that can express really raw and honest emotion in the songs they write. City and Colour, Bill Withers, and even Dolly Parton. A lot of the songs that we cover reflect that, and hopefully the songs we write together will as well. I, personally, have always been inspired by Tracey Chapman, Amy Winehouse, and Bob Dylan.

BB: I really love Jack White, Pat Metheny, John Mayer, and Justin Vernon.  

You can check out Jayus’s Soundcloud here, and make sure to like their Facebook for updates on open mic nights and recordings! 

Now, go listen to good music.

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