Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Artist Pairing Success with Ariana May and Daisy Chute

/ By Doug Phillips
Artist Pairing Success with Ariana May and Daisy Chute

Pioneers of Jeeni’s new artist pairing initiative, Daisy Chute and Ariana May sit down with Jeeni’s Ella Venvell to trade advice, take notes and reflect on the ups and downs of an independent music career.  

The aim of Jeeni’s artist pairing initiative is to create a supportive connection between like-minded musicians as a platform for them to encourage and uplift each other during their ongoing journeys in music. Last week, singer-songwriters, Ariana and Daisy provided a perfect blueprint for the initiative. 

Having already worked on six projects spanning from 2005, award-winning singer-songwriter Daisy Chute had reams of invaluable tips and experience. Despite occasionally claiming that she had ran out of decent advice, in actuality, Daisy’s insight was vast and clearly very helpful to theatrical pop prodigy, Ariana who seemed to hang on to every word. 

Daisy recommended that Ariana should embrace promotion tools, merchandise, CDs, social media techniques and live streaming, all of which has proved to be effective devices for Daisy’s journey in music. 

We listened together to Ariana’s enchanting ‘Suffolk Bay’, a moving, transportive new single featuring Ariana’s delicate, flickering vocal performance, reminiscent of The Cranberries’ late Dolores O’Riordan. A more prominent influence, as pointed out by Daisy is art pop royalty Kate Bush who, like Ariana, also began her career at just 16 years old.  

Daisy currently opts for more traditional, folk acoustic instruments for her newest project, ‘Songs of Solace’, a heartfelt and sentimental EP which guides the listener ‘through the beginning, middle and end of a relationship’. The two artists overlap in their tendencies for poetic story-telling and embrace of traditional instrumentation, however a key difference in their styles is the tone, or mood that these artists convey. Daisy presents an acoustic warmth and comfort with sweeping folk strings and guitar plucking, whereas Ariana’s singles currently have an almost chilling tone of drama and theatre whilst also being a pleasant listening experience. 

With our first venture into the initiative, Daisy Chute and Ariana May provided a model example of how it should pan out; constructive and invaluable support between artists. As Daisy put it, “It was lovely to meet Ariana and hear her music and story. I told her a bit about my music and journey in the industry and gave her any tips I’ve picked up along the way. I hope it will help her with her own musical journey and that she’ll find success now and in the future.” 

We at Jeeni can’t wait to bring more artists together and form a stronger collaborative and supportive community with our platform. 

Both of these Jeeniuses have brand new EPs, out now. 

How can Jeeni support artists like Ariana and Daisy? 

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 Daisy Chute's page on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/?s=daisy+chute

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

10
Dec

Deadline for Kickstart Employment Opportunity set for December the 17th

The governmental Kickstart scheme was introduced by Rishi Sunak as a response to covid-19 and the difficulty it created in employment for young people. Since its implementation last September, the initiative has boosted the careers of over 100,000 young people in the UK (figure from November, 2021). This scheme has revolutionised the way young people find their passion, career and purpose in a time when they need it most. That's why Jeeni is so proud to be making good use of the Kickstart scheme to train, support and build the portfolios of people aged 16-24 and on universal credit.  Available only on or before the 17th of December, 2021, here's why you can't afford not to take this opportunity. The Kickstart scheme is invaluable for both employers and employees, because companies can build a workforce at no cost 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.   Find out more about universal credit here: https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit 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”. 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.   Gradfuel has a 97% success rate for Kickstart applications and each one will earn over £7,500 across their 6-month placement. They have over 65,000 young people in their database and have raised £18.3 million in grant funding.  Happy customers such as friend-finding app, ‘Fethr’ have praised Gradfuel’s usefulness and outreach saying, “The learnings from Gradfuel and their expertise around the scheme, has saved us a lot of time, as they have thousands of candidates they’re engaged with and have really found their groove in attracting talent”. Dating app, ‘Thursday’ have also expressed their satisfaction with Gradfuel’s connection between the Kickstart scheme and young people, “Gradfuel are brilliant, they've helped us source all our young talent, from anything to data analysts to marketers, we've been very impressed.”   Visit: https://grants.gradfuel.co/direct-applications/ to find out more about Gradfuel and to sign up. Remember, the registration deadline is on December the 17th, 2021. 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!". 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."  In many ways, the Kickstart scheme is the lifeblood of Jeeni; it’s the reason we can support up-and-coming artists, it’s the reason we can provide an invaluable service for viewers to discover new talent and it’s the reason you can read about it all, right now.  Check out some of the Inside Stories carried out by Jeeni's own Kickstart employees: https://jeeni.com/?s=inside+story If this interests you either as a company or a potential employee, act fast as the registration deadline for the Kickstart scheme is on December the 17th.  Follow: https://grants.gradfuel.co/direct-applications/ to sign up now or learn more about gradfuel and the Kickstart scheme.

19
Mar

Something for the Weekend

Need a little listening inspiration? With all the new music on offer, across the many genres available, it's difficult to know where to start. Allison Hussey and Madison Bloom of Pitchfork create a Friday Newsletter each week, to keep you up to date with the weeks new releases. If you're trying to decide on something for the weekend, here are their recommendations from this weeks releases. Lana Del Rey: Chemtrails Over the Country Club [Polydor/Interscope] Lana Del Rey Lana Del Rey announced Chemtrails Over the Country Club almost a year ago. The Norman Fucking Rockwell! follow-up, which was pushed back from an autumn 2020 release, was led by “Let Me Love You Like a Woman” and the title track. The album also includes"Tulsa Jesus Freak" which the singer had teased with an Instagram post last summer. Benny the Butcher/Harry Fraud: The Plugs I Met 2 [Black Soprano Family/SRFSCHL] Benny the Butcher Griselda MC Benny the Butcher and producer Harry Fraud have joined forces for The Plugs I Met 2, a nine-track release featuring 2 Chainz, Fat Joe, Jim Jones, and more. The new project follows Benny’s 2020 album Burden of Proof, which was recorded at the same time as The Plugs I Met 2. Check out the music videos for 2’s “Thanksgiving” and “Plug Talk.” Sofia Kourtesis: Fresia Magdalena EP [Technicolour] Sofia Kourtesis Fresia Magdalena is the third EP from Berlin-based electronic producer Sofia Kourtesis, joining last year’s Sarita Colonia and her 2019 self-titled EP. The project features four songs, including “La Perla,” which Kourtesis built around field recordings she made in her home city of Lima, Peru.  Mare Cognitum: Solar Paroxysm [I, Voidhanger/ Extraconscious] Mare Cognitum Portland musician Jacob Buczarski makes black metal under the name Mare Cognitum. Solar Paroxysm is Buczarski’s fifth album under the moniker, following last year’s Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine. Loretta Lynn: Still Woman Enough [Legacy] Loretta Lynn Still Woman Enough is the 50th album from 88 year-old country star Loretta Lynn, following 2018’s Wouldn’t It Be Great. Intended to celebrate the presence of women in country music, the project features new songs, as well as re-interpretations of classics from Lynn’s catalog. Margo Price, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, and Tanya Tucker all make guest appearances on the record. Show Me the Body: SurviveEP [Loma Vista] Show Me The Body New York City hardcore punk band Show Me the Body are back with a new EP. Survive follows their 2019 full-length Dog Whistle. The group produced the three songs with Gabriel Millman and Patrik Berger; the EP is also mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk. Surviveis the first project that Show Me the Body wrote and recorded completely in their CORPUS studio. “The songs deal with spiritual and physical isolation, as well as staying ready and preparing for the next time we come together,” they said. www.jeeni.com www.pitchfork.com

03
Sep

Jeeni now live to the public on Crowdcube having raised £80K and on schedule to reach £100K target.

Jeeni, the social music platform that brings artists closer to their fans – and shares revenue ethically – is poised to become the first Portsmouth-based start-up to go on Crowdcube for its third round. If you want to see our pitch click HERE. 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’re standing by to raise £100,000 for 2.4% with a pre-market valuation£4M,” says Jeeni founder Shena Mitchell.  “And while we are already negotiating with several major investors, the beauty of Crowdcube is that the 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 now than ever 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."  When the financial backing has been secured and we go live, 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 needed more than ever. 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.