Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Single Review: Gohan by DarkStarGraver

/ By Doug Phillips
Single Review: Gohan by DarkStarGraver

DarkStar’s newest single, ‘Gohan’ fully showcases his capabilities of structuring melodic hip-hop bangers, complete with ear-worm hooks, rumbling sub kicks and impeccable vocal production.  

Tracks like these are dangerous because you hear it once and you’ll be hearing it all day long. In DSG's newest teaser single, a delicate flamenco guitar provides the moody, minor chord progression, enforced by the sub bass kick drums. Production value like this is that what you’d expect from an act with DefJam or TDE, not a self-releasing rapper.

DSG uses a vocal effect here on 'Gohan' that has proved to be a massive crowd-pleaser before, on ‘CodeRED’ from last year’s ‘Burning Bridges’ EP. The rich harmonies and multitracking heard in the choruses on ‘Gohan’ is something that his voice takes to particularly well. DarkStar certainly isn’t scared of his own vocal capabilities; a confidence that really makes a difference on the mic. 

Last week, DSG disclosed some of his most prominent influences to Jeeni for our Artist Focus which included names like Tyler, The Creator, Skepta and OutKast. However, DarkStar’s sound doesn’t really seem to line up with any of these artists, at least not on a surface level. Perhaps it's the mindsets and lyrical tendencies of these artists that resonates with DSG because in actuality, DarkStarGraver is really paving his own path in the world of hip-hop, a path that truly, justly deserves so much more attention, appreciation and worldwide respect.  

And to think that this is DarkStar’s genesis, his early work, and he’s operating at this level of skill and artistic understanding, it is so exciting to think what’s ahead for this artist’s career. 

'Gohan' was released with a vibrant and psychedelic music video that emphasises the bouncy and contagious tone this single sets. As the track ends, DSG fades in the artwork for his new album, "Over The Bridge & Far Away", set to be released this Christmas Eve. With singles like these teasing the contents of this upcoming project, you can't help but get excited for the release of DSG's debut album.

Check out the 'Gohan' music video now on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/darkstargraver-gohan-official-music-video/

How can Jeeni support artists like DarkStarGraver?  

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 DarkStarGraver’s Jeeni page: https://jeeni.com/?s=DarkStarGraver 

12
Dec

Jeeni IMAP community tops 5,000 new members.

The Independent Musicians and Performers Community (IMAP) was set up by the founders of Jeeni, and recently celebrated our 5,000th new member. Our Community is for everyone and anyone creative: musicians, voice-artists, performers, poets, singer-songwriters ... the list is endless. We connect, collaborate, share and support each other, while we have some fun and make a real difference. We are a completely independent group and have no interest in political debate in this community. We encourage our members to share their original music and performances. Jeeni launched IMAP with the single purpose of helping and supporting fellow artists with relevant news, blogs, stories, videos and top tips on how to cope in these challenging times. We scan the media every day for what support is available for musicians and performers. We make it our mission to wade through lengthy documents and policies so you don't have to, and we grab the main highlights and takeaways to make it easy for you to absorb the plethora of information swimming around. We very much want our members to invite their friends, families and other artists, we are all in this together and your great ideas need to shared. It doesn't matter where you are around the globe, and we would love to hear more about what other community groups are doing to support their members. Take a look at the Independent Musicians and Performers Community and join us today. You will be welcomed with open arms. Click here to visit IMAP.  

15
Feb

Artist Focus: Alana Sukul

Stirring together funk, dancehall and electronic ingredients, Alana Sukul is rapidly building momentum with her unique take on modern pop.  Brand new to Jeeni, Alana Sukul has contributed five new tracks to several of our channels due to her music casting such a huge stylistic net. Born and raised in Fulham, Alana is currently studying Popular Performance, Vocals at BIMM, London where she continues to hone her already impressive skills as a vocalist, instrumentalist, producer and songwriter. Only recently, for her more dancehall inspired tracks, has Alana used external talent in the form of a producer to help her capture the tone and intention she has in mind. Aside from that, Alana is a total DIY bedroom pop artist and has done extraordinarily well for herself, particularly with her recent track, ‘Closer’ which currently has over 50,000 listens. Check out Alana’s Jeeni showcase here: https://jeeni.com/showcase/alana-sukul/   The poeticism in Alana’s lyrics is perfect for expressing emotive imagery that plain language simply can’t. ‘Emotions, heavy like water and you let me drown’, this particular line from ‘Healing’ seems reminiscent of the Mexican idiom, ‘blood is thicker than water’ meaning that family bonds are stronger than that of friends or love; the connection between the two adages is especially relevant considering the heart-broken yet regenerative narrative of this stellar track from 2020.  Although it would seem that the double single of the aforementioned ‘Healing’ and ‘IDNYT’ is Alana’s first release, she actually created a since-deleted concept project in college, as Alana puts it herself, “I made my first EP called ‘Genesis’ purely based around the struggle of mental health and how it can take a toll on one person.’   Nobly, Alana decided that the EP could be too honest and beak a project for fans to initially be exposed to, “I decided at 19 to remove the EP since I wanted to become a better inspiration for those who listen to my music and encourage them more lightly”. Ironically however, the ‘Genesis’ project and the creative decision that it inspired still formed her origin as an artist as is inspired her to begin again with a new mindset. This is when Alana began to work on ‘Healing’ and ‘IDNYT’ from her bedroom.  Alana’s broad sense of style is of no surprise when you consider the colourful collection of inspirations that she collected growing up. Motown, soul and hip-hop have influenced a lot of creative choices from Alana, however Caribbean-originated genres literally run through the veins of her more recent singles. Alana grew up with a variety of Caribbean styles thanks to her parents, “dancehall, soca and bashment have greatly influenced me since my parents are from the Caribbean”.  Alana also has an extensive list of artists she looks up to and dreams to collaborate with, “Vocally, my favourite artists nowadays who have impacted me would be Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Kehlani, H.E.R, Beyoncé and so much more.” Alana specifically credits Korean group, BTS for inspiring more in-depth meaning behind her music and lyrics. The newest track from Alana, ‘Good to you’ is an atmospheric and stunning single and is available on streaming platforms now. Check it out on Jeeni here: https://jeeni.com/good-to-you-alana-sukul/?channel=alana-sukul&rtn=btasc&artist=alana-sukul   How can Jeeni support artists like Alana Sukul?   JEENI is a multi-channel platform for original entertainment on demand. We’re a direct service between creatives and the global audience.  artist biography • 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. 

04
Jun

Tony Klinger joins the Jeeni Team

JEENI is proud to announce their new Ambassador, the award-winning film maker and writer, Tony Klinger. Klinger has made internationally acclaimed documentaries including The Festival Game (Jack Nicholson and Ronnie Scott) and Extremes (Supertramp), both currently grabbing the headlines alongside his book The Who And I about his exploits producing The Who movie, The Kids Are Alright. Tony says, “I was thrilled to be invited to become an Ambassador for JEENI. I applaud and echo their ethical approach, and I was equally excited to engage with their amazing team when they offered me the opportunity to share my knowledge of the music business, film making and creativity.” Tony Klinger Klinger’s fascination with ways of sharing the creative processes with business and commercial know-how has seen him instrumental in Artists United, bCreative and his Give-get-go.com organisation. “I discovered this need for sharing and spreading knowledge when I was a university academic,” and his outstanding success led to his students winning many awards leading to illustrious professional careers.Klinger makes it very clear, “I want to be involved in projects that continue and grow my dream to enable everyone to enjoy their creativity. Jeeni is another big step in this search, without me being sanctimonious or unreal, it still excites me, and also enables our audience to fully enjoy and think about the world we share.”