Whatever happened to Jay Kay from Jamiroquai?

We all know about his love for cars and unusual headgear, but what has Jay Kay of Jamiroquai fame been up to for the last few decades?

Jamiroquai was a group at the forefront of the London-based jazz-funk movement of the 90s. With his extraordinary headwear and love for fast cars, Jay Kay was a star known all over the world.

Jamiroquai still continues to fill large arenas and bring back their hit tunes. Their most popular songs included 'Cosmic Girl,' 'Little L,' 'Canned Heat' and, of course, the smash hit 'Virtual Insanity.' But where has frontman Jay Kay been since those glory days?

Jay Kay has mainly kept himself to himself over the years, aside from the odd hint here and there of his endeavors. There's only one big, public relationship that people tend to know about.

Back in the late 1990s, Jay was in a relationship with Denise Van Outen (actress, musical theatre star, and presenter). They split up in 2001.

Jay Kay confessed to a six-year drug habit and claimed he split up with Denise Van Outen because she didn't want to look after him. After that, until recently, he kept his life mostly private - except for his lavish interest in cars, of course.

Jay is known for his strong interest in exotic cars. By 2013, he had owned around 100 luxury cars over his life, mainly sports cars. He says that he was playing with cars before he could walk.

The singer has purchased a wide range of models of cars from BMW, Audi, and Mercedes to Lamborghini, Porsche, and, of course, Ferrari.

Having owned about 100 cars, Jay Kay was asked in 2017 by a car magazine which was his favorite of them all. He chose his 1968, royal blue Porsche 911 S.

So, of course, with all those cars, he must have a good stash of cash. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Jay Kay has a net worth of around $70 million (£51 million).

Jay Kay has continued to perform but, in 2017, he seriously injured his spine. It left the singer in need of surgery and Jamiroquai canceling two shows in Tokyo for their Automaton Tour. It had to be rescheduled for later that year.

According to The Sun, the singer posted "I've just come out of the theatre where I've had some stunningly painful injections to my spinal discs as it were. And I'm really unhappy about being immobilized as you can imagine.”

The break from his day job gave Jay Kay more time to be a family man. When accepting the Broadcast Music Inc President's Award in 2017, he finally ended speculation by confirming that he and his partner Maria (Masha) had married.

Maria (Masha) Kay had been Jay Kay’s partner for ten years until they finally tied the knot. They live in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, in a 4.5-million Grade II-listed manor.

And they don’t live alone! The couple has two daughters together, named Tallulah and Carla. Jay Kay's song 'Carla' from 'Automaton' was about his daughter.

The lyrics from the song ‘Carla’ talk of a promise of care and protection, suggesting how profoundly the arrival of children has affected the way Jay Kay sees the world.

2017 brought about a rough year for Kay. Jamiroquai’s talented keyboardist, Toby (right in the photo), died following a lengthy battle with cancer. Jay Kay credits the late musician as the reason the band materialized in the first place, according to the Express.

Then, almost out of the blue, the singer was in the news in 2021 for a weird reason. During the riots on Capitol Hill, people couldn’t help but compare one of the rioters to Jamiroquai’s own Jay Kay. Of course, this was because of one particular piece of headgear worn by the rampaging Trump supporter.

The instantly recognizable horned outline of Jamiroquai's famous 'Buffalo Man' logo was based on a sketch singer Jay Kay did of himself. The silhouette has been the enduring image of both singer and band since it first appeared on the cover of the 1993 debut album ‘Emergency on Planet Earth’.

Still, you'd be hard-pressed to find a picture of Kay actually wearing such a hat.

Of course, his fashion choices are totally memorable. His style inspired many, and designers are even trying to bring his style back. Japanese designer Junya Watanabe has recently based an entire line of clothing on the Jamiroquai frontman. As suspected, it is spectacular.