While you may not have heard his name before, you've most likely heard his music. Jay Deasel, 25, not only runs his own NYC production company, Deasel Music, but he has worked with other companies that have given him the opportunity to work with artists like Nas and 50 Cent. Leaving the lyrics to his clients, Deasel creates emotion-filled, pulsating--and sometimes heart-wrenching--music. Read on to see why this Canadian is bound to blow up in the next year and how he continues to be the fuel behind so many artists.

How did you get started in music?

I started when I was really young playing guitar, like 11 or 12 years old. Then, I started playing in bands in high school and decided to go to Berklee (College of Music) when I was 17. I tried to get into more production and songwriting, other things that interested me in music.

What sort of musical influences do you have?

A lot actually. The alternative rock scene was a big influence on me because there is a lot of emotion in it. The Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam. Timbaland, I really like all of his work, it's amazing. The Neptunes. And older bands like Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, all the straight rock artists.

Tell me about Deasel Music.

It is a production company. Originally, I wanted it to be a record label, but as I was taking most of the tasks on myself I realized how incredibly physically and financially draining it was to run a record label on your own. I started to focus mainly on production again. Now, I have artists who I'll have a production agreement with. We would love to have them on a major label or major distribution deal so I can work on the music. We try to team up with people who specialize in promoting or managing or whatever it is to get the music out there, rather than try to do most of it myself.

What is the process of getting a song out there?

The first thing I will do is get together with the artist and figure out his or her vibe, what they want to say and what they want to get out there. Then, we choose a song that we want to work on together, or we will collaborate and write a song that we can start producing. After that, the process is really about building the music. I play a lot of instruments and program a lot of the drums. I pretty much do all of the music you hear on any one my songs. I put it all together. Once the instrumental track is together, we will do a vocal session and cut that. From there, it is mostly mixing and mastering, which I do a lot of myself, or I will have another engineer do it. Then we get it out there.

How do you get it out there?

Online is a really great way to do it that wasn't available before. We post music on MySpace, Facebook Music, CD Baby and iTunes .  

How would you describe the music that you work on?

I am really versatile. A lot of producers focus on one style, but I like working with a lot of different artists. I work with R&B, pop and singer/songwriter types along with rock artists. I usually work with artists that write their own material. I like working with artists that are talented writers as well.

Do you sing?

No. Not at all.

Who are you working with?

Singer/songwriters Shayna Zaid and Lee Wilson, performer Marc Villa, producer Baby Paul, who works with Nas and AZ, production company, Dangerous LLC, which works with 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks, Stereo Symphony, Black House Records, and the L.A.-based production company, CSM.

You recently had someone in from L.A. you were working with...

I was just hired to produce six songs for an artist from Pakistan. Random!

Take me through a normal day.

Every day is so different. When there is a deadline, I work around the clock to get it done. Then there are other weeks when I get time to go back home to Canada.

What do you love most about your job?

That there is never a routine.   It's unpredictable and there are always new artists who inspire me.