Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Artist Focus: Amba Tremain, The South Coast Soultress

/ By Doug Phillips
Artist Focus: Amba Tremain, The South Coast Soultress

Despite Amba Tremain’s proclivity towards the 'good ol’ days' of soul, motown and rhythm & blues, the Portsmouth singer’s attitude and approach to honoring the classics is refreshing, open and varied. The South coast soulstress -as aptly dubbed in her bio- has firmly re-opened a nostalgic and warm door to the golden-era of soul via spirited covers and fiery original tracks. 

As lecturer and Head of Vocals, for Brighton’s WaterBear College, it should be no surprise that Amba’s vocal capabilities rival that of even the original godfathers and mothers of soul. Her pitch perfect voice has lead to her being the star talent on several collaborations, very much out of her typical creative choice. 

Earlier this year, British electronic duo, Hollaphonic sampled a work of Amba’s for their summer house banger, ‘Shadows In The Sun’ which found its way on countless playlists. Up-and-coming Deltiimo also felt inspired by Amba’s talent, resulting in the floor-filling ‘Boy If You Want My Love’ back in 2018. 

Her sheer vocal talent also got her an invitation on BBC1’s hit Saturday night show, ‘I Can See Your Voice’. Contestants had to guess from a selection of would-be performers who can and can’t sing. Amba was obviously (perhaps not at first to the contestants) the show’s jaw-dropping talent for the evening and sung her heart out for the primetime gameshow. 

The pureness and clarity of Amba Tremain’s voice certainly makes her the perfect subject for electronic collaborations, however, she shines brightest on her own compositions. Most recently; ‘Baby You’re Gold’ which came out last Friday, is a laid-back, blissful tune with glossy and glamorous performances all around, (Check out Jeeni’s full review of the track here). 

Far from a one-trick pony, Amba has embraced all sorts of traditional genres and styles such as funk, country, pop and rock. Unlike many of her other works, ‘More Than My Mistakes’ is an all-too relatable RnB piano ballad. Stripped back to the basics of vocals, piano and selective strings, this single from last year contains a raw and unfeigned passion that most vocalists could only dream to convey. 

Sofar Sounds described Amba’s essence well, ‘Amba’s beautiful melodies and engaging energy make for a truly captivating experience. Amba breathes life and honesty into her soulful performances through her very honest lyrics and vocals’. 

If her 2021 singles are anything to go by, Amba Tremain has built up a formidable momentum of releases which hopefully will only continue to grow. 

Check out Amba on Jeeni here: https://jeeni.com/?s=amba+tremain 

How can Jeeni support artists like Amba Tremain?

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.

03
Dec

Weekly Round-Up # 5

The latest news on all things Jeeni, music and entertainment.  BRITs announce the shortlist for the ‘2022 Rising Star Award’  Last year, the shortlist saw a vibrant and colourful shortlist consisting of Coventry rapper Pa Salieu, experimental electropop sensation, Rina Sawayama and finally the victor, Griff, a master in emotive pop songwriting.  This year, a trio of female powerhouses makes up the shortlist, each with a distinct and remarkable display of strengths; Lola Young tends to leave space in her compositions for the raw power and emotional impact of her voice to shine first and foremost, whereas, Bree Runway takes a more bombastic, loud-and-proud approach with her floor-filling hip-hop bangers. Holly Humberstone, perhaps the most known here, seems to combine parts of both Lola’s vocal precedence and Bree’s grandiose and full instrumentals to make well-rounded pop hits.  An exciting and promising collection of British artists, one of which are destined to join the ranks of previous prestigious winners including Adele, Florence + The Machine and Sam Smith.  64th Grammy Nominees Announced Speaking of nominees, the Grammy 2022 nominations were announced last week, featuring both safe and some daring inclusions.  Jon Batise featured all over this year’s nominations list for his uplifting and soulful RnB sound. From record and album of the year to Best Contemporary Classical Composition, Batiste was in total nominated 11 times. At Jeeni, Keithian features a similar sense of joy and jubilation in his RnB style.  Check out Keithian’s page on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/?s=keithian  Billie Eilish and her producer brother, Finneas also featured across many of the categories this year for their album ‘Happier Than Ever’. Other pop album nominees include Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande and Brandi Charlie. Finneas also found himself on the ‘Best New Artist’ category along-side Mercury Award winner, Arlo Parks and cousin of Kendrick Lamar, Baby Keem.  If Jeeni were included on the decision-making process, Ariana May, Marley Blandford and Olivia King would certainly be up for some of the year’s best pop performances and releases. Check out Jeeni’s pop channel: https://jeeni.com/channel/all-channels/pop/  Jazz legend, Tony Bennett features several times for his and Lady Gaga’s moving and nostalgic swing album, ‘Love For Sale’ as a respectable nod from The Recording Academy. Record, album and music video of the year are just a few of Bennett and Lady Gaga’s acknowledgments in the 64th Grammys.  Check out Jeeni’s jazz channel: https://jeeni.com/channel/all-channels/jazz/  Licensing Leaders PPl and PRS Make Promising Action to Improve Progress on Diversity and Recruitment in The Music Industry Tomi Oyewumi has been enlisted as PPL’s equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) partner as a step in the right direction to influence the industry towards a more diverse and inclusive future. Tomi explains the meaning of true diversity and the impact PPL could potentially make. “That’s not just for race and gender, but looking at other areas such as social mobility. It’s about how that has an impact on what we do at PPL, but also how we can then use that to influence the wider music industry as well.”  PRS hired Colin Campbell-Austin as head of inclusion and employee experience in October. This position is responsible for recruitment, engagement and talent development in PRS. On the PRS website they had this to say about Campbell-Austin, “Throughout his career, Colin has ensured recruitment of diverse talent from all social backgrounds, created first-class inclusive recruitment processes, talent development strategies and leadership and development programmes, with a focus on people, diversity, and inclusion.”  More diversity means more representation and experiences expressed in the industry from all corners, resulting in a more colourful and expressive world of music. An exciting development for the industry indeed.  Splendour in the Grass, Truck and Download; Just a Few of the Recently Announced Summer Festival Lineups  Although governments worldwide are currently assessing the risks of COVID-19 making a much un-welcomed potential come-back, it’s hard not to get excited for the potential wave of epic festivals that we could enjoy in the coming Summer of 2022.  Australian festival giant, ‘Splendour in the Grass’ cautiously released their lineup after many reschedules and cancellations due to COVID. ‘Splendour in the Park’ typically showcases homegrown Aussie talent with UK and USA headliners.   For 2022, the UK corner, features the previously mentioned Holly Humberstone, Liam Gallagher, Tom Misch and headlining the first evening of the weekend is the all-genre virtual sensation, Gorillaz. The American talent includes SITP veterans, ‘Yeah Yeah Yeahs’, New York rock icons, The Strokes and Tyler, The Creator. Australia’s representatives include the new and promising Genesis Owusu, Tim Minchin and Alice Ivy.  Oxfordshire’s ‘Truck Festival’ also announced a star-studded (albeit slightly less varied) lineup for their big weekend in July 2022. Typically featuring an exhibit of the biggest current indie acts with varying levels of something a little harder for those that want it and next year will be no different. The festival promises the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club, Blossoms and Sam Fender alongside the heavier Kasabian, Shame and Dinosaur Pile Up not to mention indie legends, The Kooks.  Continuing the increase in heaviness, another massive festival lineup announcement comes from the legendary Donington Park ‘Download Festival’. Headliners, Kiss, Iron Maiden and Biffy Clyro are joined by heavy rock and metal peers such as Korn, Deftones, Megadeth and Black Label Society in a collaboration to deafen the entirety of Leicestershire next June 10th weekend.  Jeeni News:  Kissing The Flint’s New ‘100 Or Less’ Music Video Success On the weekend, folk-rock act, Kissing The Flint released a dynamic and spirited music video for their equally feisty and powerful new single, ‘100 Or Less’. The video matches the emotional and hopeful message the single holds regarding covid and the arts not getting enough funding. Check out the video now, on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/100-or-less-kissing-the-flint-official-music-video/  And check out the review of ‘100 Or Less’ here: https://jeeni.com/blog/kissing-the-flint-single-review/  Brand New DarkStarGraver Single Out today, ‘Gohan’ is the newest single from rising Portsmouth rapper, singer and poet, DarkStarGraver. Catchy and bouncy, DSG's newest track is textbook melodic hip-hop. Check it out now. Find out more about DarkStarGraver with our Artist Focus here: https://jeeni.com/blog/darkstargraver-rapper-singer-poet/  Jeeni PCs Still Available after Black Friday Sale!  Jeeni has partnered with Chillblast to bring customers exclusive branded PCs designed for musicians and creatives. Chillblast is the UK’s Most Awarded PC Manufacturer. Find out more about Chillblast here, and discover why Jeeni has partnered with Chillblast to bring Special Edition music PCs with exclusive Jeeni branding. As well as a year’s subscription to the Jeeni Platform with each order worth £85. Chillblast Jeeni PCs are perfect for all musicians and creatives, whether you’re an independent bedroom pop artist or a music producer working on the next number 1 one single. Get the best deal on music PCs with our black Friday 2021 offer. Buy your Jeeni Music PC built and warrantied by the UK’s most awarded PC manufacturer here: https://www.chillblast.com/celebrity-pcs/jeeni-pcs.  Jeeni Is Looking for You to Join Our Team!  We are currently offering the roles of Sales Executive and Senior Developer as a part of the governmental Kickstart scheme and these roles are for ages 16-24 and on Universal Credit.  We are also offering a sales internship for university students trying to get experience during their education.  For more information, visit: https://uk.indeed.com/jobs?q=jeeni&l&vjk=a9b44f31a3321877  We look forward to hearing from you! 

03
Sep

COUNTDOWN IS ON 6 DAYS LEFT TO INVEST

It seems like a long time ago that Jeeni announced that they had reached their funding target in 6 days and were aiming to overfund. Well they did and now they have 6 days remaining and if you want to see our pitch click HERE. Jeeni, the social music platform that brings artists closer to their fans and shares revenue ethically, has successfully raised over £340K on Crowdcube across three rounds. With 350million streamed music subscribers and market growth up by 39% this year, Jeeni is likely to ride the wave and be a huge success, not only with unsigned musicians and performers but with their superfans. “We set a target to raise £100,000 for 2.4% with a pre-market valuation of £4M,” says Jeeni founder Shena Mitchell.  “And while we have the support of several major investors, the beauty of Crowdcube is that artists themselves can actually own a stake in the company for as little as £10.” Shena continues, “Jeeni’s mission is to support unsigned music and performers, by helping them build a fanbase.  We aim to fast-track careers in the music business, and make sure they take the lion’s share of the revenue that’s raised. Jeeni is needed more than ever in this Covid-19 New Normal, and we have proved that the demand is high. Currently we can only support 100,000 videos, so we must now move up a gear as we head for global roll-out.  This Round Three investment will be used to scale up again and launch our next-generation platform. It will also be used to develop our iOS and Android apps. With the financial backing secured, we’ll be creating new jobs in the area, which is great for the local economy.  When you consider the wealth of music talent in Portsmouth – hosting over 2,000 music events a year with Victorious, The Guildhall, Band Stand, Wedgewood Rooms, and all the Portsmouth Festivities and pubs – we’re alive to the opportunities of our local music culture, creativity and talent. But with live venues locked down for now, the online opportunity of Jeeni is greatly increased. It’s so cool to think someone reading this might choose to invest in Jeeni now with just £10, and then use Jeeni to build their own fanbase for fame and success!  We’re going to try hard to make sure that happens.” JEENI is currently inviting investment on Crowdcube.  To find out how to get involved please join our mailing list for updates or check out our fundraising pitch. If you want to see our pitch click HERE.

06
Jun

Let the Music Play and Save Our Venues

You may have seen the hashtags going around today #LetTheMusicPlay and #SaveOurVenues. If you were wondering what it's all about, an open letter has been issued. THIS is what is happening ? Some 1,500 acts including Ed Sheeran, Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones urge the British Government to save the country's live music industry from collapsing because of coronavirus. Coldplay, Eric Clapton, Sam Smith, Rod Stewart, Liam Gallagher, Iron Maiden, Dua Lipa, Skepta and Florence + the Machine were also signatories to an open letter warning that the ongoing shutdown threatens thousands of jobs. They cited new research showing that live music added £4.5 billion ($5.6 billion, 5.0 billion euros) to the British economy and supported 210,000 jobs across the country last year. Live music has been one of the UK's biggest social, cultural, and economic successes of the past decade. But, with no end to social distancing in sight or financial support from government yet agreed, the future for venues, concerts and festivals and the hundreds of thousands of people who work in them looks bleak. Until these businesses can operate again, which is likely to be 2021 at the earliest, government support will be crucial to prevent mass insolvencies and the end of this world-leading industry. On July 2nd 2020, the Concert Promoters Association and a coalition of live music businesses including artists, venues, concerts, festivals, production companies and industry figures launched a campaign to highlight the importance of the sector to the UK’s economy. The campaign asked people to share on social media a film or photo of the last gig they played or saw with the hashtag #LetTheMusicPlay. If you’d like to add your support, you can download shareable graphics and quotes from some of the country’s biggest artists here. Post them on your social media to show how important UK live music is to you, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #LetTheMusicPlay. Read the joint letter Dear Secretary of State, UK live music has been one of the UK’s biggest social, cultural, and economic successes of the past decade. From world-famous festivals to ground-breaking concerts, the live music industry showcases, supports, and develops some of the best talent in the world – on and off-stage. As important as it is, our national and regional contribution isn’t purely cultural. Our economic impact is also significant, with live music adding £4.5bn to the British economy and supporting 210,000 jobs across the country in 2019. Like every part of the entertainment industry, live music has been proud to play our part in the national effort to reduce the spread of Coronavirus and keep people safe. But, with no end to social distancing in sight or financial support from government yet agreed, the future for concerts and festivals and the hundreds of thousands of people who work in them looks bleak. This sector doesn’t want to ask for government help. The promoters, festival organisers, and other employers want to be self-sufficient, as they were before lockdown. But, until these businesses can operate again, which is likely to be 2021 at the earliest, government support will be crucial to prevent mass insolvencies, and the end of this great British industry. Government has addressed two important British pastimes – football and pubs – and it’s now crucial that it focuses on a third, live music. For the good of the economy, the careers of emerging British artists, and the UK’s global music standing, we must ensure that a live music industry remains when the pandemic has finally passed. Yours, Leading UK artists, music professionals & venues (read the full list of signatories here) Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com