Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Inside Story with Keithian

/ By Jasmin Dodd
Inside Story with Keithian

Kethian is a Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Actor and Producer based in the US and who performed his song ‘Communicate’ in the JAM Festival collaboration in April. 


Kethian is relaxing in his Californian back yard as the interview with Kate takes place. “You recorded your track ‘Communicate’ live from your home studio for the JAM Festival, we have all faced the technical difficulties of working from home over the last year, but did you face any whilst recording?” she asks. 

He says that there were not any technical issues as such but recording at home always presents some issues, for example the neighbour had the lawnmower on but luckily, he didn’t think we could hear. 

His song ‘Communicate’ is beautiful and very emotive. When asked about his inspiration for writing it, he said that it came from his friend, who so sadly committed suicide, and so the song was an open letter to this friend, as well as anyone else that is struggling and needs to communicate as it is one of those things that “you actually have to do to feel better or to get your thoughts out, so that’s exactly what that song was about.”

Kethian was born in New Orleans into a “showbizzy family.” Kate asks about what influence their work had on him as a child growing up and how it inspired his music and career. 

He grew up in Louisiana and Texas, “New Orleans is just full of music, everywhere you go”, his parents were in music as well as his grandparents so making music for him was something that “just happened, I’ve never known any different.”

Kethian was previously signed to a major record label, but has ended up going independent, Kate asks why he made this decision 

“It wasn’t really the best experience. I figured if I went independent, I could give myself the better experience, and control creativity and stuff like that, and now that I’m my own everything, I’m able to understand myself more as an artist, what I need, what I want, how I want to promote, or what songs I want to choose” he shouts excitedly.

In 2018 Kethian was working on music for Rhianna, he said “it was one of those things that just happened, although she hasn’t actually released the music yet and I wish I had some insider knowledge as to when she will, but I don’t! Basically, after I left the label, I was a writer and producer...I was writing for various artists and one of them said ‘this is gonna be for Rhianna’ and I was like ‘what?!’ and that’s how it happened. I met the [person] that I work with now and produce most of my music with currently and it has just been cohesive since then.”

Kethian is currently raising investment for his next project: “It makes me feel really good as an artist when someone invests in me because it means that they believe in me as an artist, and as an art, a lot of our motivation and motivators are to make people happy and just to feel something or have an outlet, so to be supported in this way makes me feel so much more confident.”

In response to this comment, Kate explains what Jeeni is: a platform for new and upcoming artists which seeks to support them in the best way possible and asks Kethian what his advice would be for aspiring artists that are just starting out.

“Simply be the best artist that you can be and be the most you can be in life for you. It’s one of those things…being an artist is so giving, you walk around with your art, you are your art, and so when someone says something a little different or a little insane, it touches you more…just be confident, stay close to your art and stay close to you as a person and just love every bit of it.”

What can we expect from him in the future? 

He expresses his excitement in regard to doing more shows with Jeeni and is hopeful for the future of live shows and touring as the world returns to normality after the Covid-19 pandemic. 

He says that he ultimately wants to “put out as much music as my fans want me to and as much as want.”

Through AmplifyX, one of our collaborators from the JAM festival, Kethian is working on his new EP called Green Clouds which is due at the end of May and you can invest now.

To find out more about Kethian, listen to his music and invest, please visit https://jeeni.com/showcase/keithian/

05
Jun

Why In-Person Connections Matter More Than Ever

by Kelli Richards, Jeeni MD USA People call me a ‘super-connector’; I literally make my living connecting people and opportunities to each other and I have a very broad and deep network that I’ve built over many years of establishing long-term trusted relationships. Many of these relationships were developed the old-fashioned way, by having ‘live’ conversations of substance in person or over the phone over time. That said, we live in a fragmented world where more and more we connect through devices and technology (whether via text messaging on our phones, e-mail over the Internet or via Zoom conference calls online). While these technologies are arguably convenient and time-saving, something has gotten lost in translation. Look around whenever you’re out in public, and the vast majority of people have their faces buried in their smartphones or in their laptops. This applies regardless of age, gender, or any other consideration. One of the saddest (but most prolific) examples is when a couple are out having a meal together but each has their face buried in their own device, and are in their own worlds. At a minimum, this type of behavior certainly seems to push intimacy away and can lead to undesirable outcomes because people have stopped looking at each other and engaging in active conversation. The film producer Brian Grazer has just published his new book entitled “Face to Face: The Art of Human Connection”, and of course I love it. In the book, Brian argues that one of the secrets to a better life lies in establishing personal real-time connection (like we all used to indulge in before we had access to these devices). He argues that burying ourselves in our individual devices destroys an essential facet of the human experience we can only get when we look at someone face-to-face and engage in a real conversation. When we do so, and look into each other’s eyes, we form strong connections and bonds with each other, we understand each other better, we expand our world views, and we create memorable meaningful moments that can lead to a range of possibilities. When we connect and understand each other, we become interested in what matters to one another and that leads to wanting to support and add value to each other’s lives. This is what truly matters folks. No matter how convenient our technology and devices are or become, the bottom line is that trusted relationships rule the world — and that applies both personally and professionally across the board. So, I strongly urge you to reach out and make time to connect with people face-to-face more often. Seek to understand others, pay attention and invest genuine time in getting to know what matters to them so you can figure out how you can add value to them and help them to achieve their goals. Be yourself, more uncensored — drop your masks and be authentic, the kind of person you want others to know and respect. Show up fully as yourself, vulnerable and caring, which encourages others to do the same. And as you do so, watch what happens as your relationships shift and evolve. I’m willing to bet your life will improve and create a ripple effect that impacts the lives of others around you as well. Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com

21
Oct

Get Gaming for Halloween!

With Halloween approaching, many games have spooky events taking place over this period. There's a screaming variety of games to choose from and we are dead sure there's one that will get you trembling. Firstly, Call of Duty Warzone has an event running from the now to the 2nd of November called ‘The Haunting’! There are new scary skins available including the Scream franchise’s Ghostface! As well as new weapons and other bundles including items for the game's zombies mode. Secondly, the Nintendo game Animal Crossing has many new Halloween items available from Nooks Cranny, the games very own island shop as well as the clothing store. Players can buy Halloween treats and costumes alike. They have also introduced a new Day of The Dead festival within the game which we are sure will be very successful. The spooky month is running through to October 31st so don’t miss out. ‘Fury of the Damned’ from Sea of Thieves is scheduled to run until November 7th! During this, you battle skeleton camps and hordes, and if you complete enough challenges you can win rewards. And don't forget Fortnite and Overwatch with the drop of many new skins for players to use, and other games such as Rocket League and Pokemon Unite also getting involved in all sorts of monstrous ways. Be sure to check if your favourite game has any special content we haven’t mentioned already! Jeeni is proud to be partnering Chillblast, the UK’s most awarded gaming PC manufacturer. Whether you are a console gamer or are already a PC gamer be sure to visit Gaming PCs by Chillblast | Budget, 4K, VR Gaming PCs.  Visit Jeeni PCs (chillblast.com) to take a look at our very own Jeeni gaming PCs. Free UK delivery, 5-star Top-Rated on Trustpilot, 5 Year Warranty, monthly payment options from just £21, they're a dead cert!  

06
Jun

Waiting for the Harvest in Business

By Kelli Richards, Managing Director, Jeeni USA As an entrepreneur and/or a self-employed professional, have you ever been in a situation where a game-changing opportunity presented itself to you in business? Something that could “overnight” propel you to a different level of success and financial freedom? Only to find that the brass ring was further away than you thought? And while the opportunity seemed to be realistic and close at hand, it remained elusive for a long period of time; sometimes years at times? I’ve been in such a situation with not one but several ‘big deal’ business opportunities over the past few years. I won’t lie; it has been a trying experience, ranging from being annoying, frustrating and even gut-wrenching — waiting for the dominos to fall and for the scales of justice to be balanced in my favor. Holding my breath and waiting to exhale. Friends and colleagues have expressed concern and wonder if I’ve lost my mind holding out hope that one or several of these deals will come to fruition. But I know in my heart of hearts that these opportunities are real — and I need to ride the wave and exercise every ounce of patience and trust that I have. Lately, I’ve felt the life force of these opportunities building in strength, and I see light at the end of very long and dark tunnel — it genuinely appears as though the time is growing nearer for them to manifest at last. I look forward to that happening with great zeal and anticipation, knowing my patience will be rewarded and that I’ll experience great relief on the other side. As I was taking my morning hike the other day in the forest surrounded by trees, I experienced an Ah-Ha! insight that took me aback… I grew up surrounded by fruit orchards. When you plant a fruit tree, you don’t expect it to bear fruit for a few years — but once it starts doing so, it typically delivers wonderful fruit for many years to follow; it’s an investment in patience and trust. Duh!  It occurred to me that each of these ‘big deals’ I’ve been waiting on has been like one of these trees — each one has had to come to maturity at its own time, when it was ready, and not a moment before. As they do, my colleagues and I stand to benefit from their rewards for many years to come. If you’ve been in a similar situation, take heart and keep the faith; I hope this dose of perspective serves you and will give you strength to stay the course. Though many of us are rabbits in practice (and sometimes deals do come together at a faster clip), the tortoise knows that “slow and steady” wins the race. A good reminder for us all! Kelli Richards Consultant – Super-Connector Trusted Advisor – Celebrity Wrangler Creating Powerful Connections Across Music, Entertainment and Technology With a unique talent for connecting thought leaders and disrupters from technology with innovators from entertainment, CEO Kelli Richards guides her clients to create big visions, make big connections and achieve big results. Prior to establishing The All Access Group, Kelli made waves in senior-level positions at Fortune 100 entertainment and technology companies including EMI Music, Silicon Graphics (SGI)– and Apple Inc., where she launched Apple’s earliest focus on music & entertainment, driving initiatives in that space during her 12 years with the company. Over the course of the last 25 years, Kelli has been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work and collaborate with many people that have been instrumental in defining their respective fields—some have even become iconic. Steve Jobs, Mark Cuban, Sheryl Sandberg, Stewart Copeland, Nancy Duarte, Todd Rundgren, Alan Cohen to name a few, have all been personal mentors, colleagues, or clients. Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com