Ariana May - ‘Perfect for You’ EP Review

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Ariana May - ‘Perfect for You’ EP Review

Aspiring singer-songwriter, Ariana’s first project is a dramatic bundle of tracks that leaves you eager for more of her sweetly written and theatrical ballads.

At just 16 years old, Ariana already possesses a promising level of sophistication and musical maturity which incurs an exciting sense of, ‘If this is what she’s producing now, imagine what’s yet to come!’

From the title track, ‘Perfect for You’, Ariana sets the pace by outlining her raw strengths; her piano and most importantly, her voice. The phrasing and melodic rhythm of the opening line is so unconventional and bends in a way that only a voice and a guitar can. The bittersweet narrative is best expressed by the simplicity of a sole piano accompaniment for Ariana’s vocals, a creative decision possibly inspired by Adele’s heartbroken hit, ‘Someone Like You’.

‘Embers of the Sun’ embraces more instrumental parts such as pizzicato strings, bass and percussive parts that initially give off a Björk-esque, mysterious element. The tone here is somewhat darker and more somber than the previous with the descending, minor pre-chorus chords and echoed, spacey beat. Unmistakable theatrical and musical elements are contained in this romantic, poetic track, which is no surprise seeing that Ariana considers Leonard Berstein a strong influence in her work.

The final track here, ‘So many things I should have said’ is a retrospective reflection on the past and Ariana’s thought process on how its unfolded. Ariana partners the almost regretful narrative with a comforting and stripped back ballad of gentle electric piano and sweeping synth pads.

Ariana’s first collection of songs is a stunning and impressive display of honest emotion and past experiences and we can’t wait to see what she does next.

How can Jeeni support artists like Ariana May?

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

Check out Ariana May’s page on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/?s=ariana+may

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05
Jun

Live Life Fully and Mindfully — Things Change Quickly

by Kelli Richards Jeeni MD USA Most of us coast along in life day-to-day, and we don’t always think and act mindfully in the moment. There are many reasons why it’s important to practice doing so most of the time, but perhaps the biggest one is that things change quickly in life — and often unexpectedly. When you’re mindful, you have fewer regrets when they do. Here are a couple of examples that have happened to me recently. Many of you are aware that I’ve been in the music/tech space as a veteran for most of my career, since the dawn of the digital music revolution. I’m proud not only of having been a pioneer steeped in co-creating many of the key milestones that have impacted the evolution along the way, BUT also in having shared those experiences with a cadre of cherished colleagues alongside — many of them for over 25 years now. One off those fellow visionaries was Jay Frank. Jay was instrumental in envisioning the future of streaming driven by user-influenced playlists years before that took off. Feel free to review more about Jay in this obituary on Billboard. He was only 47 when he passed of cancer; he hadn’t told many of us about it — and his loss was a real shock. He certainly accomplished a lot in his years on the planet and left a lasting and palpable legacy. I hadn’t been in as active touch with him during the past couple of years, which I regret, but he knew how much I respected him. I’m proud to be on the advisory council of Harvest Summit, an annual ‘field trip’ gathering of successful high achievers from different industries who come together in wine country to embrace innovation. Each year we feature a powerful keynote speaker to wrap up the event, and at this year’s event just a few weeks ago in mid-October we were fortunate enough to have Bernard Tyson join us. Bernard was the beloved CEO of Kaiser Permanente, the huge healthcare system, and he was responsible for creating some of Kaiser’s most progressive and innovative efforts during his nearly three decades with the company. He was someone who made a real impact & a lasting legacy. At Harvest Summit he was inspiring and infectious. And when I approached him afterwards, we had a brief chat and he was very warm and gracious. Just a few weeks later, Bernard passed suddenly at 60. His wife is a colleague of mine, and I’d heard about how wonderful he was for quite some time. I was so pleased I had the opportunity to connect with him and got to experience his presence firsthand. Finally, I’m enamored of wine country and Sonoma County at large; so much so that I intend to re-locate there in the coming years. I’ve built a large community of people I care about greatly in that region. Two years ago, over 5000 homes were lost to the devastating Tubbs Fire there. The week after I was at Harvest Summit in mid-October — right in that same location — the unthinkable happened in that the Kincade Fire took off like crazy with flames fanned by strong Santa Ana-like winds in that same general region causing widespread evacuation, power outages and unrest in that same region for over a week. Some homes were lost again, but owing to the brave firefighters who were determined to save lives and properties (and with some support from winds dying down), the fire was brought under control at last. This has all reinforced for me just how important it is to be prepared for natural disasters — I’ll be putting together an emergency “go bag/kit” shortly as a result. I guess in summary, the common thread here is that’s important to be present and mindful in all our interactions with others, and not take anyone or anything for granted. Because life is truly fragile, and what we’re privileged to enjoy today could be taken away without warning tomorrow. Be here now. Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com

12
Oct

1 DAY TO GO

So here we are, heading into our final day of this raise, and what would you expect us to do? Trumpet our success? There's no need to state the obvious. Beg for additional pledges? It's not our style to beg. Thank everybody from the bottom of our hearts? We've already done that. Leave it all up to you? It's always been left up to you. Let's help save the world instead. The United Nations report on climate change has issued "code red for humanity," and a roadmap has just been published for the music industry to lower carbon emissions and stop global destruction. The scientists responsible hope it will inspire millions of music fans to live more sustainably too. The report has taken two years of research data supplied by the band Massive Attack, and it recommends "super low carbon practices to deal with how musicians, promoters, tour managers and agents should work in order to keep the rise in global warming restricted to 1.5 degrees." Really? In which case there is one music organisation which has been putting every one of their recommendations into practice since the day it was founded. That's right, it's us! Here at Jeeni ... • No Team Jeeni members commute to work. We all work from home. • Team Jeeni members do not use private or public transport for any work operations. • All meetings, conferences, interviews and recordings are held online. • We keep Jeeni offices carbon-neutral to the best of our ability, and they are completely paper-free. • Jeeni festivals and performances are all held online, and involve no audience transport whatsoever. • Our mission is to provide an ethical alternative for artists, audiences and investors. Always has been. Always will be. If what we are doing here at Jeeni strikes a chord with you and with yours and with what you believe in, then you know what to do. And there's one day left to do it. Check out our pitch here: https://bit.ly/3BhEeia With love, Team Jeeni

06
Jun

Portsmouth-based music platform gears up

Jeeni, the Portsmouth-based music tech start-up, has raised over £230,000 to support unsigned artists and performers achieve their dream. Today, Jeeni has returned to Crowdcube to raise more funds and help the cause. Founding director Mel Croucher says, “We are ahead of our original schedule, yet there is still so much more to accomplish. We need to scale our online platform globally, build our mass artist showcases, and achieve our foreign language roll-out. 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. Jeeni is launching their next generation platform online, with over 27,500 artists and performers subscribe to their database, and will start trading ahead of schedule. Along with Mel Croucher, who founded the UK leisure software industry, Jeeni was co-founded by Shena Mitchell, who has already raised over £20million for start-up businesses in the Solent area. They have created a formidable management team including Roger Watson, the record-label boss responsible for over 500 million record sales, Kelli Richards, who worked with Steve Jobs for over 10 years and launched Apple Music, Eddie Levy, the founder of ATV Music who owned The Beatles catalogue, and Danielle Woodyatt, former Head of Global Communications at Virgin. Jeeni is also supported by celebrity ambassadors, including John Altman, conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Tony Klinger, producer for The Who, and Dee “Thunderbirds” Anderson. Jeeni’s Shena Mitchell urges Portsmouth-based businesses and investors to take a look at the campaign and support the development and global roll-out of Jeeni. She says: “We are raising £100k for 2.4% with our pre-money valuation at £4M. So if you want to support a Portsmouth-based tech start-up to harness the wealth of genuine unsigned talent, then get in touch.” If you want to see our pitch click HERE. Contact details: shena@jeeni.com

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