Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

New Survey Reveals How Music Helped the UK Through Lockdown

/ By Freya Devlin
New Survey Reveals How Music Helped the UK Through Lockdown
New Study Reveals How Music Helped the UK Through Lockdown

UK Music has published a new survey that reveals the crucial role music played in helping people through Covid-19 lockdowns - and how the public are craving the return of live music.

The survey is the largest of its kind since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which decimated large parts of the music industry across most of the planet in 2020. The key findings of the survey revealed:

  • 57% of adults said music had helped them cope with lockdown
  • Around one million adults say they have taken up an instrument during lockdown
  • 71% think music makes them more productive at work/studying

Additionally, the survey reveals how the public are keen to flock back to live music and believe music helps them cope with stress and anxiety.

“Music has been vital not only in helping the public cope with the impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns and improving mental health and wellbeing, but also in making people more productive while they work. Combined with the huge economic contribution the music industry made pre-Covid-19, this is further evidence that the UK music industry is a key national asset that should be protected and supported by Government. With the right support, music can continue to play a vital role in improving people’s health and wellbeing in the months ahead as we look to recover from this pandemic." Said UK Music Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin.

The findings are a huge boost to the UK music industry, which has been devastated by the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The sector contributed £5.8 billion to the UK economy pre-Covid-19 and supports around 200,000 jobs. Furthermore, it clearly shows how music has helped the UK through lockdown and proves the importance of the national music industry. Artists should be supported during these turbulent times, and Jeeni does that, by supporting creative talent using an ethical approach. On Jeeni, artists and creatives keep 100% of everything they earn, and thousands of performers are already on board, with an audience outreach that has grown to over two million. The growth of Jeeni has been so fast that they marked Government promises by turning to crowdfunding to expand their capacity to meet demand, raising over £46,000 in a few hours.

Check out their campaign HERE and join the list of supporters and celebrities who are flocking to the cause.

23
Jun

Emiliyah and the MightyZ Allstars at The Queens Hotel Southsea

COMPETITION TIME WIN FREE ACCESS FOR A GROUP OF 6  The Queens Hotel Southsea Sunday 13th June 2021. Emiliyah and the MightyZ Allstars are a collective of talented musicians fronted by lead singer Emiliyah Witkiewicz. The band perform original new reggae music, while still staying faithful to reggae roots from the 1970s and early 1980s. Emilia ‘Emiliyah’ Witkiewicz from Warsaw is a true vocal phenomenon.  Without doubt the most exciting new talent on the Reggae scene.  Never formally trained, she started her musical journey with Jazz, Blues and Soul music before finally choosing reggae. Singing from her heart always, Emiliyah has already worked with and supported names like Janet Kay, Vivian Jones, Winston Reedy, Kenny Knots ,Starky Banton, Luciano to name but a few. Joined with immensely talented musicians – ‘the Mighty Z All-stars’. Consisting of Stuart ‘MightyZ’  Inglis on bass, Bri Cotter on guitar, J Sealy on Drums and Cajon, James ‘The Jazz Priest’ Richardson on keyboards and Clinton ‘Rock’ Jones on lead guitar. Emiliyah and the MightyZ Allstars will be performing at the Summer Garden Party hosted at The Queens Hotel Southsea along with The Majestic, Sunday 13th June 2021. How to win: All you have to do is like and share this blog post and we will enter you into the draw to be announced Saturday Night 12 June 2021 at 8pm.  Full Details of event can be found at: https://book.events/queensgardenparty/2021-06-13/30015 #funky #upbeat #uplifting # emiliyahandthemightyzallstars  #blogs #reggaemusic #band #livemusic #jamacianmusic #guitar

04
Jun

Steve Salvari is backing Jeeni

Steve Salvari, the London-based music producer, singer, song-writer and musician has played an integral part in shaping the British musical landscape, and his work is cited as vital reference points in the chronology of British Pop, Soul and Jazz Funk. His CV reads like a Who’s Who of musical luminaries, working with artists from a broad spectrum of genres, including Chaka Khan, Robert Palmer, Barry White, Billy Ocean, Lulu, Aswad, Jonathan Butler, Natalie Cole and Omar. Now Steve has joined Team Jeeni as our latest ambassador and mentor, and he’s passing on his experience and support to the new generation of Jeeni artists. Steve says, “Many others have tried and failed to support unsigned artists achieve their dreams, but the difference with Jeeni is the strength of the management team and their experience and connections in the industry. The Jeeni team are straight talkers, very focused, fully transparent with an unstoppable attitude to make Jeeni a huge success.” Welcome aboard! Steve Salvari

04
Jul

Alice Milburn - ‘Not Yours’ Single Review

Alice Milburn continues to perfect her innovative blend of glossy jazz chords with empowering upbeat pop with the new and improved version of 2019’s ‘Not Yours’.  Alice has only just begun to expand on a variety of Jeeni’s channels, including but not limited to: jazz, pop, indie and lounge. Fresh, new talent is what powers Jeeni and with artists such as Alice, Jeeni couldn’t wish for much better fuel for our mission of uplifting and supporting unrepresented artists. Check out Alice’s young and expanding showcase on Jeeni here. On this redesign of ‘Not Yours’, Alice displays her flexible and adaptable comprehension of musicality clearer than ever. The willingness to broaden both the understanding of jazz and pop whilst also incorporating rock elements without resulting in a confusing mess of a composition is an absolute feat. Alice’s attitude to music is totally refreshing and it’s more often the attitude and approach to creation that separates the greats from the rest, not just superb musicianship.  Immediately, this re-telling of Alice’s popular 2019 single holds more atmosphere and impact than its predecessor. The guitar cuts through so much cleaner thanks to less muddy settings on both the amp and after effects during the mixing process. And this fresher, more attentive approach isn’t limited to just the guitar parts; the bass guides the harmony much more seamlessly, the drums snap harder and as a result of these perfected parts, Alice’s soulful, impassioned vocals sit in this new arrangement so much nicer. Her voice is never drowned out, overshadowed or squashed, although the guitar solo certainly takes its fair portion of the limelight, and rightly so.  Another key improvement can be found in the addition of the horn parts. Tasteful trumpets can be heard reinforcing the chords in the choruses and do so well to glimmer and shine up the composition’s instrumentation. The key difference between the 2019 version and the new 2022 version is the brightness and rejuvenation in the tone of the track and not much brightens up a mix as well as horns. A live performance where the horn parts get their own moment to solo and shine would surely be breathtaking.  It could possibly be argued that a song about a romantic betrayal shouldn’t be so bright and that maybe the first, slightly darker version is more apt for heartbreak, however this song is more empowering than it is hopeless. The title itself, ‘Not Yours’ is a triumphant announcement that Alice can’t be owned or manipulated, especially not anymore.  It’s not always easy to perhaps acknowledge that a previously released track could be realised and finished in a more polished way, however Alice is the type of artist to take that brave step in improving her sound and raising the standard of her craft up another notch. Check out more of Alice Milburn’s fantastic work here.