Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Interview with Musician, Writer, Poet and Creative Artist - Baby Panna

/ By Freya Devlin
Interview with Musician, Writer, Poet and Creative Artist - Baby Panna

EJ Salako got the chance to speak to Baby Panna at Victorious Festival 2021, where he discussed his music, poetry, creative process and future goals.

What sort of music do you make?

I do all sorts, to be honest, I do a bit of hip hop, but it's more alternative, more experimental. I write poetry as well and I’m working on some indie rock music as well. So, it’s everywhere, a bit of everything.

What influences you to make music, and what influenced you to get into music?

My main influence was Kendrick Lamar I was like 12 on YouTube and I found Good Kid Maad City on an upload, I heard it and the poetic nature of it, the interludes,  it opened my mind up to new ways to make music and I was in love with from there. My biggest influence is Kendrick, Kanye, Frank Ocean, the versatility, and the artistry that they show is something I want to emulate.

When you’re writing your own music, what is your creative process?

For me I think my process changed a lot during the lockdown, at first, I would be like “I want to make a banger so I can make peace” so I’d structure it like that you know. But now I just try and whatever I feel goes on the paper and I try and edit it as little as I can, try and keep the original beat, because I want to keep it as raw and as me as possible. So that’s me right now.

Which one of your songs is your personal favourite?

Right now, I’ve got one for life and one for listening, I think right now “Murder She Wrote Live” I really enjoy doing that, it gets the crowd going. But personally T1GR355, one of my most recent releases, it’s really close to poetry, and I focus on poetry a lot right now, so I love that.

Future goals, where do you see yourself in the next 3-5 years, do you have an end goal?

3-5 years I think right now I’ve got a lot of rap music, I’m working on a poetry mix, and an indie rock tape and in 3 years that will all be out there. I think that’s when I will be able to confidently say people know who I am as an artist. I’m just trying to show I can do all these things, so that’s where I want to be in 3 years’ time just have people kind of get a feel for me as an artist and I wouldn’t say I have an end goal I think for me it’s just finding a way to have my creativity fund itself, that’s my goal.

Watch the video interview here: Baby Panna Inside Story Interview at Victorious Festival 2021

Check out Baby Panna's showcase here: Baby Panna Jeeni Showcase

21
Jan

Artist Focus: Maple Sky

Although this refreshing four-piece has its foundations firmly planted in modern jazz, Maple Sky harvests their inspirations from a rich and varied crop. Classic rock, 50s lounge jazz, RnB and gospel are all contributed from various members to result in the exciting final product that is Maple Sky.  Maple Sky's origin began with keys player, Joel Bamigboye (far-left in pic above) in 2018 as he was compiling “a small archive of musical material, with the aim of forming a band” to translate his initial creative vision. Olivia McKeon (mid-left) entered the scene and brought a lyrical and vocal element to Joel’s work. From there, with the addition of two others, the Maple Sky prototype formed by the name of ‘NOVA’. Quickly becoming a theme of our Artist Focus blogs; the pandemic forced a change in the group and created a make-or-break scenario for the founding members. Luckily, after releasing their self-titled EP as a duo, the two adapted and survived the obstacle and re-emerged as ‘Maple Sky’ with a key change in personnel. Ed Jordan (mid-right) was introduced as both the drummer and in-house producer, and Christian Rivers-Martin (far-right) was welcomed to contribute his classically trained bass skills as the groove backbone of the group. Since then, the group has been hard at work, whether that’s creating new, sweet jazz tunes or performing their stellar collection of tracks live.   Maple Sky specialise in a broad and flexible portrayal of jazz with influences from Esperanza Spalding, Yebba, and D’angelo. Their eponymous debut EP certainly showcases that range of their influences and inspirations, particularly that of jazz legend, Lester Young and current wunderkind, Arlo Parks.   The group are currently excited for the upcoming single, ‘Vision’, set to be released on the 5th of February, which will join the romantic and heart-aching ‘Free Her’ as the teaser tracks for their future second EP, which will be released later this year. The group also plan to upload a roster of exciting live videos which were shot just before Christmas. Maple Sky promises more big things for those with their ears on the ground for more from the stellar jazz act, “We'd advise making sure you have us followed on all our social media to stay up-to-date with what we've got going on because there is a lot coming up!”  Follow Maple Sky on socials:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/mapleskyband   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MapleSkyBand/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapleskyband/   We've loved supporting and following Maple Sky and we're happy to say that the group have enjoyed being a part of Jeeni, too, "Jeeni have been amazing to work with and we have loved collaborating with them." If Jeeni's mission interests you as an artist or a viewer, sign up for free, today! Check out Maple Sky’s showcase on Jeeni here: https://jeeni.com/showcase/maple-sky/   How can Jeeni support artists like Maple Sky?   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. 

10
Jun

Nextfin independently rates Jeeni 77% investment opportunity.

This morning Jeeni were independently rated by Nextfin and our pitch was rated 77% overall. Management rated 68%, Product 76% and Investment Opportunity 88% with 80% being their gold and highest rating. If you would like to see full report check out our pitch rating here: https://lnkd.in/ecq6xG3 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. Jeeni overfunded in 6 days. If you want to see our pitch click HERE. We have 11 days left to invest. 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.

03
Sep

Music Tech Startups announce strategic alliance for the greater good of the Musician and Performer.

We are delighted to announce the strategic alliance between Jeeni and California-based AmplifyX, the only FINRA and SEC compliant platform that allows investors to build a portfolio by directly funding musicians. The alliance was arranged by Kelli Richards, Jeeni Managing Director USA, who was mentored by Steve Jobs at Apple where she launched and managed the Apple music and entertainment division. This represents a major advantage for Jeeni in the USA, our most important global territory in terms of artists and revenues. We gain access to more rising stars along with their followers and fanbases, with mutually advantageous joint promotions and publicity. The partnership will officially kick off at the end of August with a global streamed concert, featuring our 10 most popular artists from both sides of the Atlantic, and will be co-branded between Jeeni and AmplifyX. Co-founder of AmplifyX Bobby Kamaris says, “Our companies run in an adjacent space helping independent artists, and our philosophies and motives are very very close. What you guys at Jeeni have done in putting it together and launching is actually incredible.” Co-founder of AmplifyX Adam Cowherd adds, "Did you know that artists take home only 12% of the $43 billion spent on music annually, according to Citigroup? [1] The hip-hop artist Russ put it perfectly when he said, 'The music business isn’t set up for the artists to get rich. It’s set up for everyone else to get rich off the artists.' [2] If you start looking deeper into the music industry, one of the first things you’ll discover is how broken it is. Artists are the nucleus of the business, but somehow they’re the individuals left with no ownership of their Intellectual Property (IP), inhibited creative freedom, and only a sliver of the earnings. There are so many entities involved in the value chain of music that it has created a convoluted industry structure that lacks equality and transparency. When we break down the mechanics of the music industry, we see just how many hands are in the pot: record labels, managers, producers, booking agents, and streaming platforms. A report by Ernst & Young highlighted the post-tax payouts of streaming revenue and identified that record labels are taking nearly 75% of the payout. [3] Why are artists today signing with record labels?" Jeeni Founding Director Shena Mitchell adds, "This is an exciting opportunity for Jeeni to develop strong relations with USA partners. AmplifyX is focused on building a new framework to fund independent artists with their unique platform for artists to raise capital from nontraditional sources. Our visions are entirely complementary and aligned." Jeeni, is the social music platform that brings artists closer to their fans, and shares revenue ethically. Jeeni is presently raising funds on Crowdcube and is 110% overfunded with 4 days to remaining. If you want to see our pitch click HERE.