Jeeni Blog

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A Showcase for a New Chapter - Biden's Inauguration

/ By Andie Jeenius
A Showcase for a New Chapter - Biden's Inauguration

What a difference four years make! This Wednesday 20 January 2021 will see Joe Biden inaugurated as the 47th President of America and he's planning a showcase for a new chapter. To begin the process of uniting his divided country, The Presedential Inaugural Committee has assured, the pared down event for health and safety reasons, will feature 'music, poetry, dance and pay homage to America's heroes on the frontline of the pandemic'.

President-Elect Joe Biden and Lady Gaga - Photo: Variety

When the outgoing President, Donald Trump stepped up to take the oath in 2017, he had struggled to get artists and crowds to help him celebrate. Having been turned down by Elton John, Celine Dion, Kiss and others, he eventually secured the services of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, rock band 3 Doors Down and country singer Toby Keith. It is alleged he also had the further embarrassment of having to have a crowd edited into the TV footage, as so few had shown up to witness the ceremony.

Joe Biden in contrast, has had his pick of the crop and the list of artists wanting to be a part of the showcase action reads like a Grammy Award ceremony. Lady Gaga will be singing 'The Star Spangled Banner' for the swearing-in ceremony, due to commence at 11:30am.

The inauguration line-up of stars reported so far, includes Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, The Foo Fighters, Demi Lovato and Jon Bon Jovi, who also performed at Obama's inauguration in 2009. Justin Timberlake is confirmed, writing on twitter he will be performing a track he wrote with Ant Clemons during the lockdown. Timberlake recorded his final vocals for 'Better Days' on the night of the election. The track reflects the last year and the frustration, grief, anger and powerlessness everyone has felt, whilst encouraging everyone to stay hopeful.

The spoken-word will play a large part in the proceedings too. The new President's speech to the nation will be an obvious focal point, alongside the words from his Vice-President, Kamala Harris. The firefighter Andrea Hall will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate will recite a poem. Father Leo O'Donovan and Reverend Dr Silvester Beaman, longtime friends of the Biden's, will deliver invocation and benediction, respectively.

Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris - Photo: Getty

American National Treasure, Tom Hanks, is also hosting a prime-time special, 'Celebrating America' on the night of the inauguration. the programme will air across multiple networks. More names are expected to be added to the itinerary, as the event is marking one of the most important days in US history for many years.

http://www.twitter.com/joebiden

www.twitter.com/kamalaharris

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12
Mar

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - 2021 Nominations

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Cleveland, Ohio USA The nominees are out and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2021 is as eclectic and diverse as ever. The list includes 16 extremely talented acts, with 7 receiving their first nomination. @rockhall made the announcement earlier today and invited fans to join in and vote for their favourites, to get them into this Cathedral of Legends. https://twitter.com/rockhall/status/1359489797056696325 The nominations are announced To qualify for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, all nominees have to have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before their first nomination. The nominations list for the Hall of Fame begins with Mary J. Blige, whose first album 'What's the 411' was released in 1992. This year's Hall of Fame contains seven first-time nominees. Pioneer of the Afrobeat, Fela Kuti, who passed away in 1997, released his first work 'Fela, Fela, Fela' in 1969. The Go-Go's, who formed in 1978 and released their first album, 'Beauty and the Beat' in 1981. Jay-Z began his hugely successful life in the music industry in the mid '90's and is now regarded as one of the most influential artists in Hip-Hop history. His first album 'Reasonable Doubt' hit the charts in 1996. Heavy metal legends Iron Maiden, having been around since the mid '70's with over 40 albums to their discography, have also received their first nomination. Three of the first-timers already appear in the Hall of Fame, though in different guises. Carole King has been nominated for the Hall of Fame 2021, but was inducted in 1990 with David Goffin for her songwriting talents. Tina Turner, was inducted in 1991 but with partner Ike Turner. This is her first solo nomination. The Foo Fighters also make their first appearance. However, Dave Grohl already has a place after being inducted in 2014 as part of the band, Nirvana. The remaining artists in the nominations are, Chaka Khan, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, Todd Rundgren and Dionne Warwick. https://twitter.com/foofighters/status/1359497561275392006 Foo Fighters receive their first nomination The nominees for 2021 will be announced in May, with the winners being decided by a combination of a voting body, of more than 1,000 artists, historians and music industry members plus the fan vote via the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s website.

24
Mar

Jeeni is live on Crowdcube!

Grab your share of JEENI - the ethical entertainment platform.   It's official! Jeeni has been approved by market-leaders Crowdcube, with the Jeeni valuation up from £2.4million to £5million in the short time since Covid dealt musicians and performers a hammer-blow. Now you can help keep entertainment back where it belongs and boost the careers of new talent by investing in Jeeni's brand new funding round HERE.   With no adverts, no fakes and no hype, Jeeni is putting 5,000 musicians and performers in front of a 4 million audience, and promising that their artists keep 100% of everything their earn via the Jeeni platform. Jeeni promise to treat their artists and audiences ethically, fairly and with respect, and will use your investment to expand their databases and boost their value even more.   If you like the sound of that, then Jeeni is live on Crowdcube now, and ready to welcome you on board. Click on the link right here to find out more about investing in Jeeni.   * and of course, investments of this nature carry risks to your capital. Please invest aware.    

26
Jan

Baby Panna, ‘Golden’ - Single Review

The final track from Baby Panna’s debut mixtape, ‘Vibes and Energies’ leaves the project with an honest and powerful impression that’s not easy to forget. The track tackles issues of race that are fuelled from real-life experiences and personal struggles.   Baby Panna has been an essential component of Jeeni and its hip-hop and rap channels since last Summer. He performed and was interviewed as a part of last year’s Victorious festival and has been an incredibly important and keen artist for Jeeni’s mission.  The instrumental landscape set for this frank and passionate narrative is an atmospheric and soulful wave of spaced-out beats and crackly samples. The warm, vintage fuzz of the sample, which opens the track, lays out a wistful, lo-fi vibe, reminiscent of old-school hip-hop. The beat leaves room for Panna to say what he needs to, to conclude his impactful and polished mixtape. A reverbed clave ripples through the sample and the rumbling sub bass as an understated percussive snare keeps the pace.  Panna reflects on his blessed life as a comparison to his ancestors who lived through even more difficult and blatant times of discrimination and struggle, “The lifestyle that I live is golden”. The emotion carried in the lyrics almost conveys a sense of guilt and mixed emotions with his happiness when contrasted with the struggle embedded in his ancestry. However, in actuality, it's more likely that he’s reflecting on how lucky he is and that he should cherish his success, “I’ve got to make the most of this shit”.  The clarity and focus of Panna’s vocals play a huge role in carrying the intention and emotion on this track. Where other rappers mumble and obscure their lyrics behind a sleepy and dull delivery, Baby Panna does not once miss an opportunity to express himself on ’Golden’.   Check out the video for Baby Panna’s ‘Golden’ here: https://jeeni.com/baby-panna-golden/ Check out Baby Panna’s showcase on Jeeni, here: https://jeeni.com/showcase/babypanna/ How can Jeeni support artists like Baby Panna?   JEENI is a multi-channel platform for original entertainment on demand. We’re a direct service between creatives and the global audience.   • We give creatives, independent artists and performers a showcase for their talent and services. And they keep 100% of everything they make.  • We empower our audience and reward them every step of the way.  • We promise to treat our members ethically, fairly, honestly and with respect.  • Access to artist liaison and a supportive marketing team.