Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Artist Focus: Ariana May - Singer, Songwriter

/ By Freya Devlin
Artist Focus: Ariana May - Singer, Songwriter

Ariana May is a 16-year-old British singer-songwriter whose classical training in piano and singing from an early age has culminated in a deep love of composing and performing. Her style is a pot-pourri of alternative, pop, indie, rock and folk music. Ariana has a wide compass of influences: ranging from Kate Bush, Supertramp, AURORA and Birdy to Johannes Brahms, Leonard Bernstein, Michael Legrand, John Barry and Justin Hurwitz. 

Her passion for musicals and film soundtracks has led her to work on writing and orchestrating her own musical based on a classical novel, set in modern-day. Loving poetry so passionately has made her profoundly invested in writing metaphorical lyrics to help portray the emotion in her songs.  Ariana May’s aim is for her songs to move people and to help free their trapped emotions. 

“Express yourself honestly and without any inhibitions” is Ariana May’s motto.

Suffolk Bay is Ariana May's debut single, a highly nostalgic song about reminiscing over a romance that never even happened. The synergy between the wistful tune and the crashing waves will unlock your forgotten memories. 

You can watch our full interview with Ariana May here: Ariana May Inside Story Interview. Where she talked about her influences, inspirations and how platforms like Jeeni are helping artists like her to promote their work to a wider audience.

Check out Ariana’s Showcase at: https://jeeni.com/showcase/arianamay/

12
Mar

Kings of Leon Post Teasers of New Material

It's been 4 years since the Nashville rock legends have released any official new material, but this week sees them releasing snippets of new singles. The Kings of Leon have so far posted three teasers of new material over the holidays, which have fans eagerly awaiting their arrival on 7 January 2021. 'Walls' was their last album, which sold over 77,000 units in it's first week. In March 2020, the band shared a live recording of a new song, 'Going Nowhere'  The performance was recorded in their hometown of Nashville and featured only frontman Caleb Followill, on acoustic guitar. It's been a long wait for their fans. The first post was a snippet of the new single, 'Must Catch the Bandit' on 25 December with all the signature sounds of previous Kings mega-hits. “Blame it on the holiday ‘cheer’, but I just feel like sharing,” bassist Jared Followill tweeted on Christmas Day (December 25). @kingsofleon then tweeted ‘the w8 is nearly over’ TEN MONTHS ago. Enough.” https://www.instagram.com/kingsofleon/ On New Year's Day, the second teaser was released, 'Feel The Way You Do' and today, third track 'Dancing in Your Head' has just dropped. These two tracks have a mellow sound with some thoughtful melodies and riffs. The video clips are all be black and white so far, sitting within simple frames and bold graphic type. 'Must catch The Bandit' has already clocked up over 145k views. In June 2020, the Kings of Leon were due to headline the Finsbury Park Festival, their first London performance since 2017, but as with all the summer festivals, the pandemic cause another postponement. Announcing the cancellation in May, promoter Festival Republic said they were 'working hard' with Kings Of Leon to arrange a new show. There are five more days to the official release date of this highly anticipated eighth album, so can we expect a new track each day - let's hope so?! www.jeeni.com

22
Jul

New Survey 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 lockdownAround one million adults say they have taken up an instrument during lockdown71% 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.

08
Sep

Jeeni is going to Victorious Festival!

Victorious Festival is the UK’s biggest metropolitan festival and is set to return to Southsea Seafront this August Bank holiday weekend (27th-29th August). With an excellent line-up including Madness, The Streets, Royal Blood, Rag ‘n’ Bone Man and many more.  At the event we will be busy spreading the word with our key messages, informing people of our most recent success in our latest Crowdcube round, how we managed to acheive "Mover and Shaker Status", raising nearly 70% of our £150k target in a week. Over the weekend we will be interviewing various artists and explaining why supporting a cause like Jeeni is so important, and if you have not already heard: Jeeni is the number one ethical alternative to streaming platforms like YouTube and Spotify. We allow artists and performers to keep 100% of everything they earn through our platform. No Adverts, No Fakes. We are excited about our slot at the Victorious Festival and we will be sure to take this priviledged opportunity to shout out to as many who will hear what makes Jeeni so great. We hope to meet you there if you are going, and if you do you can pledge on site. But you don't have to wait to see us at the festival. You can pledge investment today and become part of our movement that is fighting to save the face of music and protect artists. You can pledge as little as £10 investment in Jeeni today you will ensure artists will have a future music career worth working in. For more information check out our pitch - https://bit.ly/3BhEeia *Capital at Risk. And congratulations to our ticket winners! Earlier today gave away 2 Victorious Festival tickets to one of our social network followers and we hope they have a great time. Be sure to follow us on our Instagram @Jeenimusic to get involved with our other posts and keep in touch for future promotions and updates.