Kickstart Scheme - Jeeni Marketing Executive Freya Devlin

Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Kickstart Scheme - Jeeni Marketing Executive Freya Devlin

Launched by Rishi Sunak last September as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government’s Kickstart Scheme provides funding to employers to create jobs for 16–24-year-olds who are receiving Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. Jeeni have already successfully taken on young people through the scheme and will continue doing so. The successful Kickstart employees are taken on for initial placement of up to 6 months. And given training to learn new skills, and ongoing support to look for long-term, permanent work.

What was your role within Jeeni?

My title within Jeeni was marketing executive, but my responsibilities were very broad. Everything from content planning, crowdfunding, PR and copywriting. Although I mostly focused on promoting Jeeni events, writing blogs and social media management.

What skills did you believe you have developed during your time at Jeeni?

I’ve developed many skills everything from SEO to project planning. But most of all I believe I’ve developed my soft skills such as team working, critical thinking, and communication. Working remotely it's important to utilise time management and to be extremely organised, so these are skills I've further developed. Additionally, I've been encouraged to work both independently and collaborate with colleagues. In doing so I have become more self-sufficient as well as improving my interpersonal skills.

What did you enjoy the most during your time at Jeeni?

Overall, I have enjoyed my entire experience working at Jeeni as part of the Kickstart Scheme. A few notable things would definitely be promoting various types of artists, marketing for events and working alongside a team who are passionate about the work that they do. Seeing the success of projects I've worked on and the experience I've gained has helped me become more confident in my own capabilities.

Do you have any tips for future Jeeni employees, that will help them succeed?

I think that it’s important to trust in your own abilities while also taking on board advice from others and learning along the way. Jeeni is such a supportive company, that encourages creativity and personal growth. So I believe that just being yourself and working hard will guarantee success.

What would you say are some of the best aspects / features of Jeeni?

Jeeni is an incredible platform for creatives to share their work, they are treated fairly while keeping everything that they earn. It's a welcome contrast to the majority of streaming services that are available. Jeeni shines a spotlight on independent artists who otherwise may struggle to be heard over the noise of big record labels. Furthermore, Jeeni supports all types of creatives not just music artists but dancers, animators, voice actors and more.

Do you have any suggestions on how Jeeni could perhaps be more effective as an overall streaming platform?

To just keep improving on what they are already doing and to remain focused on independent talent.

Goals for the future?

I’d like to keep learning and improving my skills, take on bigger projects, and hopefully be working for a company that values its staff, customers, and creative talent just as Jeeni does. It's been a great opportunity to work with Jeeni through the Kickstart Scheme. And the experience I've gained will continue to support me throughout my career.

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10
Mar

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

25
Jan

Giack Bazz: Live at Bromley-by-Bow's 'The Beehive'

Headlining last Friday (21st, Jan) for an ‘Underground Sound’ event in Bromley-by-Bow's ‘The Beehive’ was Italian-British indie hero, ‘Giack Bazz’. Sudden mid-song interjections of Giack’s random thoughts, everyone sitting on the pub-venue floor and stunning displays of vocal talent are just a few things fans should expect from future Giack Bazz gigs. Jeeni were invited to this special event after the first two Giack Bazz blogs were published to the Jeeni website. Jeeni feels honoured to have Giack a part of the team and we're thrilled to hear that he's been loving what Jeeni has been doing for him so far as well, "I'm overwhelmed by the continuing support from the Jeeni music blog". Giack opened his headlining spot the same way he opens his ‘Giack Bazz Is Not Famous’ album, with the drunk and jangly ‘Beetle’. The track was performed sleepily, roughly and loosely, in the best possible ways. Giack was not sleepy or low-energy at all, but the studio track is, and so he adopted a tired, melancholic delivery style despite his upbeat and jovial mood, because that's what the recipe called for. His performance of ‘Morning’ was prefaced with a darkly humourous exclamation, “This song is about depression!”. Perhaps it says a lot about the audience when this proud announcement was met with uproarious applause and cheering. A theme across all of Giack’s projects is mental health and emotional transparency and ‘Morning’ is a prime example of his mature and weirdly reassuring expression of said themes. The middle section of Giack’s set was spent with both, Giack and the audience sat down in an intimate and close commune, all connected by Giack’s compositions. This simple invitation of comfort and informality took Giack’s serenading to another level for the gentler and more sentimental tracks like the stunning rendition of the title-track of his debut album, ‘Childhood Dream’. Considering the arsenal of instruments Giack typically uses to convey his vision, the emotive power that he communicated with just his voice, a guitar and a pedal board was astonishing. Giack’s singing at times came across as a therapeutic ‘Primal Scream’, but it was always perfectly in pitch and in stylistic accordance with his guitar work. He also displayed the mic etiquette of a seasoned performer as he gave varying distance between his mouth and his mic depending on the power and input of his voice. I used to think that the vocal emotion and power in Giack’s studio projects were enhanced with production techniques and after-effects. However, the performative persona that Giack displayed in that tiny, humid box of a venue in East-London was an honest, primal and raw spectacle, unaided by double-tracking or artificial reverb; this made me realise that Giack has been enhancing the effects with his vocal power, not the other way around. We strongly suggest following Giack on socials to see when an opportunity to see this man live comes up again. Twitter: https://twitter.com/GiackBazz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giackbazz/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Giack.Bazz Check out Giack’s showcase on Jeeni, now: https://jeeni.com/showcase/giack-bazz/ How can Jeeni support artists like Giack Bazz? 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.

26
Aug

Bradley Jago - A Brilliant Artist Exploring Queer Identity

When you first listen to Bradley Jago, right away, you are overpowered by the sheer force of his voice. It takes centre in what feels to be an intimate stage, one that exists outside of space and time, where you and only you become privy to not only the beauty of Jago’s soulful voice, but also the profoundness of his lyrics. Rain is a song that is full of feeling, full of something rare in music - accountability. Jago tells me that the song is about change, letting the rain wash over you and forgetting the mistakes that you’ve made. He asks if we can hear the rain pour, and we can. Behind the beat, there is the unmistakable pitter patter of gentle rain sounds. But this question conceals another. When talking to Jago about the intention of the song, he told me: “I was… looking back at everyone I dated and I was like “Oh damn, there’s some people that I’ve actually fucked over a little bit.” … And Rain is an apology to those people, to say I’ve changed now, and even though I have caused you pain, I hope we can move forward after. [It] is a metaphor for the pain I have caused them.” The song itself has smooth jazzy influences. Jago’s clear voice overlaps itself in a layered harmony with a gentle underscored bass, Jago seemingly having a quiet moment of reflection to himself, as he sings to “let it rain”. The song’s intimacies are intentional. According to Jago “It’s kind of like a quiet moment to yourself. You’re at the gig with me in this intimate venue.” Then, the drums kick in. There is a desperation to the song emphasised by the changed tempo - the emotion becomes fevered as he sings “let it rain” - the words repeating, creating a heightened emotional effect - it feels as if he is begging, bargaining, hoping. There is no longer just a sweetness and a softness and a sadness. There is a frenzy, a fury to be understood. And that’s what love, remorse, and pain is like. There’s also important depth to be acknowledged within Jago’s music. Jago himself is a queer artist, who writes from the queer perspective. Why is this important to be acknowledged? Because in a song that is this intimate and honest, you need to understand why it is also brave. Queer identity comes with an enormous amount of negatives - it’s a terrifying thing to out oneself, and make yourself inherently vulnerable to the disdain of others, and also yourself. Jago is changing the game by bringing this honesty to his music, in a world where queer people still find themselves being judged, discriminated against, the context of one love song can change from being a sweet romantic piece to a dramatic profession of bravery. Jago is interested in analysing both sides of the spectrum of queer experience. “I think I’d want to write about the negatives [of queer identity]. Being queer is celebrated a lot (as it bloody well should be). But also there are negatives that people aren’t talking about.” It’s important to note that queer art, music and writing should not be made distinct by its queerness. Of course it adds depth and context to the art itself, but it is important to acknowledge the art as full of feeling, and therefore, universality. As Jago himself points out: “If I can relate to a straight song, a straight person can relate to my queer song.” So what’s in store for Jago for the future? He is doing festivals Victorious, and The People’s Lounge - “Because the music is so honest, I don’t want to do too much to the music. I want it to be really raw and still sound great - but very authentic and sound like it’s coming from my soul.” He also tells me: “I’m writing a track at the moment called ‘New Gay Sadness’ (there’s a little snippet available on Jago’s instagram) - it’s about the gay yuppies in London who are living their life but cannot find love. There’s a lot of pressure… ‘okay, we’re getting to a place of equality, still a long way to go… it’s like ‘oh you should be happy now’ but you have all these other life pressures of why aren’t you in a relationship. Why haven’t you achieved this yet?’” You can catch Bradley at the Victorious festival on the People's Lounge stage at 5:10pm on the 27th of August. Listen to his amazing track RAIN here Here

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