A Showcase for a New Chapter - Biden's Inauguration

Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

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

www.jeeni.com

BACK

17
Mar

Channel Focus – Rock

Jeeni’s rock channel is one of our busiest and most prolific stops for our Jeeni artists. They populate the channel with countless different approaches and understandings of the rock genre. From Manchester-based guitarist, Julience keeping the classic era alive with epic guitar-focused ballads to New York’s rockstar veteran, Eden James who’s been releasing stellar rock-pop records since 2008. Here’s a brief breakdown of some of Jeeni’s most viewed rock artists. Giack Bazz: https://jeeni.com/showcase/giack-bazz/ Giack Bazz is an explosive, relentless multi-instrumentalist songwriter based in London. The artist started igniting stages with his painfully honest lyrics and his screaming telecaster in 2015. He has since released three solo albums that were critically acclaimed (Blowup magazine, Decade, Rumore). In 2020 he released the 366-song effort “Impression A.I.” which featured artwork by Damien Hirst and consisted of an “Audissey in sound” of over 6 hours of original, genre-bending music. The release is currently awaiting Guinness World Record authentication for “most songs on a digital album”. Now Giack has conjured and completed a new collection of songs of conventional length: Inspired by Jeff Buckley, Paul McCartney, and Jamie T “Just a Little Bit More Famous” is a spiritual sequel to his 2017 sophomore album, “Giack Bazz Is Not Famous” and is set to release in late 2022. In just five short years, Giack Bazz has crafted a spectrum of ideas and concepts with his discography that a lot artists don’t get around to in their lifetime. Although Giack has expanded his sound to stylistic corners that he even had to create himself, his sound has typically always been centred around alternative, experimental rock, inspired by the likes of David Bowie, Thom Yorke and Devendra Banhart. A Year In Provence: https://jeeni.com/showcase/a-year-in-provence/ Brand new to Jeeni, A Year In Provence consists of five members: Matt Potter (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Adam Bacon (Bass), James Fermer (Backing Vocals/Guitar), Dan Wing (Lead Guitar) and Jack Smith (Drums). Originally all from Kent, United Kingdom. AYIP met in 2016 but after undergoing a few line-up changes, 2020 produced the current line-up. Influences for their music include the likes of; Catfish and the bottleman, The Black Keys, Two Door Cinema Club, Oasis, Kings Of Leon, Circa Waves and many more. In March 2020, the whole world was hit by the covid-19 Pandemic but for AYIP, it was a blessing in disguise. They decided to get back together and start writing some new tunes. During this time, they decided to change the band from a 4 piece into a 5 piece by bringing on James Fermer which added a new texture that they never knew they needed. By the time that May, 2021 rolled around, they had finished 8 songs and were ready to go out gigging again with brand new music which finally happened in July 2021. A Year In Provence have extensively gigged the Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas music scene. Their next aim is to start moving to the London and Brighton music scene. They also have a range of merchandise that will be available soon! Julience: https://jeeni.com/showcase/julience/ Julience is a UK-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He draws inspiration from pop and rock music. His songs show his love for the 1960s until the early 2000s while updating traditional sounds to stay fresh and up-to-date. Julience’s songs have powerful hooks and harmonies. A heavy guitar sound is consistent throughout. Julience grew up in the Southern part of the Netherlands. He moved to Manchester to pursue music. He loves writing and playing music that combines prominent elements of guitar-driven pop and rock. Rock music is very robust; time and time again, it has come so close to disappearing only to revive itself and evolve to fit better into modern music climates. The difference with Julience is that he refuses to dilute the music he loves to conform to fit anything other than himself. Even in the infancy of his discography, he’s gained recognition and respect for keeping an older form of rock alive in the present day. Julience has been featured on over 30 playlists on streaming platforms with titles like ‘Punk Goes Pop’, ‘Retro Now Rock’ and ‘Rock ‘n Roll isn’t Dead’. Jeeni is excited to be able to feature Julience’s fantastic throw-back tracks on our rock and guitar channels as they release. Respite: https://jeeni.com/showcase/respite-band/ Alt-rock quintet hailing from Glasgow, Scotland. Respite blends elements of punk, post-hardcore and pop music, with lyrics and vocals heavily inspired by pop-punk and emo. Influenced by bands such as Don Broco, Mallory Knox and A Day To Remember, Respite deliver catchy and energetic earworms with a subtle depth. Having supported acts such as Hawthorne Heights, Trophy Eyes and Like Pacific, the band are currently preparing the release of their debut EP, after the launch of their first single, “Chemical Sleep” which debuted 3rd of October. Respite joined forces with Jeeni earlier this year and since then, Jeeni has been hard at work trying to elevate, uplift and support this fantastic group by providing an ethical worldwide platform for their hard-hitting and refreshing craft. Respite is: Andrew Vaughan & Euan Macqueen as guitarists, Ross Crawford on the bass, Reiss Mcleod on the drums and Sam Nicholson on the vocals. Eden James: https://jeeni.com/showcase/edenjames/?view=videos Eden James is an indie rock-pop recording artist, winning multiple music awards from his native home of Australia and achieving a number one hit in Greece. Classic Rock magazine UK recently reviewed his new album 'All the Good Blank Are Taken' saying “Oozes urban cool and Springsteen swagger… a concise collision of catchiness and class.” The rock songwriter's latest album features Bruce Springsteen's and Paul Simon's band members, and was produced by the iconic Tim Leitner, known for his work with Billy Joel and Tina Turner. The new LP is Eden’s fourth studio album and was released on July 9th, 2021. The album has spawned twenty-six (26) global music and video awards in 2021 and peaked at position 24 on the iTunes Rock Albums Chart Australia. Eden James' debut album ‘Never Setting Sun’ launched a chart-topping hit single and received critical acclaim. With the release of his second album he appeared on the Rockwave festival bill with The Killers, Placebo and Moby. Eden was the second top billing on the Vibe stage for the largest music festival in Greece. His international tours and performances in Japan, United Kingdom, France, Norway, Sweden, Greece, Poland, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand and the USA have resulted in an ever-growing fan base. His music can be streamed and downloaded on all major stores and platforms. Check out Jeeni's rock channel here: https://jeeni.com/channel/all-channels/rock/ If you'd like to contribute to Jeeni's rock channel, reach out to our marketing team at doug@jeeni.com or ella@jeeni.com

06
Jun

My grandfather was killed by a rubbish truck.

Jeeni has returned to Crowdcube to raise more funds for helping new talent. Jeeni founding director Mel Croucher says, “I admit we’re ahead of our original schedule, but there’s still so much more to do. We need to scale our online platform globally now and build our mass artist showcases. Then we can hit all our targets, and give our new artists the recognition they deserve.” If you want to see our pitch click HERE. Mel has been writing the best-loved column in top-selling tech magazines for over 30 years. Now he’s agreed to share his work with all our members. He’s a video games pioneer and musician, and to to find out more about Mel check out his Wikipedia page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Croucher. Here’s one of Mel’s latest! One bright Autumn morning, my grandfather was killed by a rubbish truck. He got run over crossing the road on his regular walk to work. He was 84. And I am comforted to know that he loved his work as much as he loved his walk. As for me, I have yet to reach that ripe old age but I am still working most hours, most days. It's not so much that I love my work, more that I don't know what else to do. When I was younger, so much younger than today, I was promised a sci-fi world where all labour would be performed by robots, leaving us humans to enjoy a more meaningful existence. Before my grandfather was born, Karl Marx wrote that in a mechanised society workers would be freed from the monotony of work to “hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, criticise after dinner.” My grandfather certainly never saw such a sci-fi world or Marxist society, and I'm still waiting for it. But the way things are going I may not have to wait much longer for robots to take over the tedium of work. Judging by their behaviour, I suspect that most telemarketers, receptionists, estate agents and bar tenders were replaced by robots ages ago. And for drivers, machine operators and manual workers, it can only be only a matter of time. The first robot aircraft pilot took to the skies then navigated flawlessly and landed safely way back in 1947. Robots have been successfully conducting complex heart surgery since 2004. Artificial intelligence has already reached the cognitive power of a nine year-old human, in which case it is qualified to run for President of the USA in November. But do we really need political leaders to tell us how best to fill our waking hours? If we can develop all these technological wonders then we should be smart enough to work it out for ourselves. Our waking hours are dominated by work, whether we are in work or not. Strikers are depicted as troublemakers. Artists are depicted as idle. The poor are depicted as scroungers. The state cajoles the unemployed, the sick and the disabled to get off their arses and work. We are educated with the goal of work in mind, then having worked all our lives we are grudgingly handed back a mingy pension which we paid for in the first place. The idealised worker works in order to pay the childminder, the Deliveroo driver, the dog walker, the baker, the brewer, the app maker, because the idealised worker has no time left for such things. The idealised worker is too busy working to do any of these things for herself. For huge numbers of us the significance of the old certainties of community, religion, politics, and even family, have all fallen away to be replaced by work. For huge numbers of us work is how we give our lives meaning, while at the same time work has become more precarious, more impersonal, more stressful, and the app-driven gig economy is a perfect example of this. Yet everybody knows that automation is already capable of doing most manual jobs of work, and now artificial intelligence is predicted as achieving the capability of taking over most desk-bound jobs too. Since the pandemic, the entire framework of work is falling apart. But as a species we are not hardwired to work for a living. We never have been. We were lied to by those who said we must work, either to deserve a mythological afterlife, or protect an artificial realm, or for supposed honour, or someone else's glory, or for tokens of currency that can only be spent at the store owned by the company that issues those tokens in the first place. But of course all of those motivations are a con. And an obvious con at that. So here's the thing. Now we have cheap reliable technology, let's get all the robots to do as much of the muscle work as they can, and let's get all the artificial intelligences to do as much of the brain work as they can. Then let's redistribute the remaining working hours evenly to we the people, and in return pay ourselves some of that fabricated stuff called money so we can buy good food and decent shelter. By my reckoning six hours a day, three days a week will do nicely to pick up the slack left by the robots. Work needn't be useless. Work includes child-rearing, caring for the elderly and protecting the vulnerable. It also includes growing food, dreaming up new businesses and fixing the tap. And work includes creating music and dance and poetry and streaming it on Jeeni.com. It is self-evident that all valid work is worth the same valid reward. This is not a Marxist idea, or even a socialist proposal. It's the Tories who bang on about work being such a good thing and everyone pulling their weight, and I completely agree with them. Margaret Thatcher, that champion of work culture, said, “The heresies of one period become the orthodoxies of the next.” Yes indeedy, so bring on the robots and the electronic brains. If work is such a good thing then let everyone have a go for a few hours a week for a universal payment. And don't worry about how the payment is distributed, the accounts have all been reckoned by computers for years. Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com

04
Feb

Calling All Graduates Looking For Work, Jeeni Officially Partners With Gradfuel to Create 654 New Jobs!!

Kickstart is a governmental scheme, introduced by Rishi Sunak as a response to the pandemic and the difficulty it created in employment for young people. Since its introduction last September, the initiative has boosted the careers of over 100,000 young people in the UK. This scheme has provided hope for young people who are trying to find their passion, career and purpose at a time when they need it most. Jeeni has been working with our specialist partners, Gradfuel who are consultants for the Department of Work and Pensions, which is where the Kickstart grant funding comes from. It’s a great opportunity for companies like Jeeni to bring keen young graduates on board for a minimum of six months, and scale up the business. Also, there’s no financial risk, with over £8,000 worth of grant money to support each young person taken on board. Gradfuel has worked with over 20,000 graduates and have been praised by companies such as ‘Fethr’ and ‘Thursday’. Apply to Gradfuel here: https://careers.gradfuel.co/kickstart-application-j/ That's why Jeeni is so proud to be making good use of the Kickstart scheme with Gradfuel, to train, support and build the portfolios of people aged 16-24 and on universal credit. The Kickstart scheme can be essential for both employers and employees, because young companies can build a workforce at no cost at all to them, and young people get paid positions in the industry of their passion. The Government provides the grants to cover 100% of wages and national insurance contributions for well-qualified, pre-screened young workers on universal credit. The positions span across 6 months for up to 25 hours work a week and you receive a £1,500 cash injection into your business for each new person you take on with Kickstart. Although the governmental Kickstart scheme itself provides this crucial helping hand for companies and graduates, websites like Gradfuel are vital in guiding those graduates to the perfect Kickstart role for their careers. Gradfuel is a mediator between the Kickstart scheme and those it was designed to help. They provide an interpersonal and proactive connection to young people looking for a career path and “matches you with the perfect graduate jobs”. As of right now, Gradfuel have carried out over 100,000 conversations with their clients about their future and career opportunities. The pool of possibilities after education can seem endless and overwhelming, so a company like Gradfuel that takes you by the hand and leads you to a company that needs you as much as you need them is an extraordinarily valuable service. Our partners, Gradfuel are the experts in the market, and have raised £18.7m in Kickstart grant funding so far. Gradfuel have had a 99.5% success rate in their applications, against the market average of 22%, supporting over 1,400 companies to process their Kickstart applications. Jeeni can personally attest to the effectiveness and value of using the Kickstart scheme through Gradfuel. Zak Ahmed, Jeeni’s HR specialist had this to say about the opportunity, “The Kickstart Scheme has helped me gain the vital experience I need as a recent Masters graduate. I’ve found a very meaningful role here at Jeeni, where I’m progressing quicker than I could’ve imagined!” Zak Ahmed, HR Manager Ella Venvell used Gradfuel to find her Kickstart position as Jeeni’s Artist Liaison and Marketing Leader, “The kickstart scheme has given me an invaluable experience which has helped me learn about the professional world as well as given me the time to develop myself and my portfolio.” and with regards to Gradfuel, Ella said that it’s “helped me find a job doing what I love, and am hoping to do as my lifetime career.” Ella Venvell, Marketing Leader Past Marketing Executives, Rebecca Allen and Kate Stewart mention how invaluable their kickstart positions at Jeeni have been for them in her Inside Story interviews. Kate said, “In terms of kickstarting my career, if you will, my time at Jeeni has been so helpful, I’ve been provided with lots of training opportunities and learned lots of transferrable skills”. Rebecca also reflected on the skills that she was able to hone from her kickstart role at Jeeni, “I definitely think I’ve developed a knowledge of social media. I was also able to complete a lot of training courses, I did one on SEO and Google analytics.” Available here: Rebecca Allen, Kate Stewart. Among the 655 new roles available across England include; 116 sales positions, with a focus in London, Manchester and remote situations, 143 roles in Marketing, also for people based in London, Manchester or remote, 118 hospitality roles particularly in London and Birmingham, 121 admin positions focused on remote and London. There are also 31 roles for those specialised in graphic design such as Photoshop and Adobe for remote and London-based applicants. IT and data have 81 roles for London-based and remote situations and finally, there are 25 roles in finance, also for London and remotely working applicants. Don’t miss out on these opportunities and visit here for more information. https://grants.gradfuel.co/kickstarter-landing-c/ Apply to Gradfuel here: https://careers.gradfuel.co/kickstart-application-j/

Jeeni Blog