Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Spotlight on Children of The Beatles: Acorns and Oaks

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Spotlight on Children of The Beatles: Acorns and Oaks

by Kelli Richards, Jeeni MD USA

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Most people are aware that I am (and always have been) an avid Beatle-ologist from a very young age. One of the things I find particularly fascinating is what’s become of the children of the Beatles — between the four guys, they had 10 biological children in total, and all but George also have stepchildren.

I want to keep this blog relatively brief so allow me to share just a few examples to showcase the talents and passions of these amazing renaissance individuals and what they’re doing in the world as part of their legacy (I may well elect to do a more in-depth article at some point covering all of them).

The one I’ve been closest to myself is Julian Lennon (John’s older son) who is the same age as me; I’ve had the good fortune of connecting with him over the years and admire him greatly. Julian is a gifted, multi-faceted man of extraordinary talent, virtue and depth of character. He’s not only an extremely talented singer and songwriter, and a successful musician, but he is also a noted photographer, a passionate philanthropist, film producer, advocate of many amazing global causes, and an award-winning children’s book author.

Just recently I happened to catch an episode of a new cooking show by Mary McCartney who has carried on her mother’s dual legacy of being a noted photographer and a fantastic vegetarian cookbook author, chef and on-air talent. The show did a great job showcasing Mary’s personality, her humor and her charisma — as well as her obvious gift for creating delicious healthy meals.

Mary’s sister Stella McCartney has been a wildly successful leader in the fashion world for over 20 years. Her designs are sought after by some of the world’s most famous celebrities, and her clothes are eco-friendly mindful of the environment. Stella is also a lifelong vegetarian and a passionate animal rights and climate activist.

George Harrison’s only son, Dhani Harrison, is a multi-instrumental musician in his own right, a sought-after film/TV composer, and is among the most tech-savvy progressive technology-minded of the bunch having been instrumental in the Beatles being part of the hugely popular Rock Band video game developed by Harmonix in 2009. He also shares his dad’s passion for race cars.

What’s especially interesting to note is that virtually all of the Beatle children have pursued creative passions whether in music, photography, cooking, fashion, filmmaking, philanthropy — or a combination of all of the above. There’s a whole lot more to share about ALL of these talented individuals, and as I mentioned — stay tuned to this channel — as I’m likely to write more about them in a lengthier article hopefully showcased in a notable publication.

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12
Mar

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - 2021 Nominations

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Cleveland, Ohio USA The nominees are out and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2021 is as eclectic and diverse as ever. The list includes 16 extremely talented acts, with 7 receiving their first nomination. @rockhall made the announcement earlier today and invited fans to join in and vote for their favourites, to get them into this Cathedral of Legends. https://twitter.com/rockhall/status/1359489797056696325 The nominations are announced To qualify for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, all nominees have to have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before their first nomination. The nominations list for the Hall of Fame begins with Mary J. Blige, whose first album 'What's the 411' was released in 1992. This year's Hall of Fame contains seven first-time nominees. Pioneer of the Afrobeat, Fela Kuti, who passed away in 1997, released his first work 'Fela, Fela, Fela' in 1969. The Go-Go's, who formed in 1978 and released their first album, 'Beauty and the Beat' in 1981. Jay-Z began his hugely successful life in the music industry in the mid '90's and is now regarded as one of the most influential artists in Hip-Hop history. His first album 'Reasonable Doubt' hit the charts in 1996. Heavy metal legends Iron Maiden, having been around since the mid '70's with over 40 albums to their discography, have also received their first nomination. Three of the first-timers already appear in the Hall of Fame, though in different guises. Carole King has been nominated for the Hall of Fame 2021, but was inducted in 1990 with David Goffin for her songwriting talents. Tina Turner, was inducted in 1991 but with partner Ike Turner. This is her first solo nomination. The Foo Fighters also make their first appearance. However, Dave Grohl already has a place after being inducted in 2014 as part of the band, Nirvana. The remaining artists in the nominations are, Chaka Khan, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, Todd Rundgren and Dionne Warwick. https://twitter.com/foofighters/status/1359497561275392006 Foo Fighters receive their first nomination The nominees for 2021 will be announced in May, with the winners being decided by a combination of a voting body, of more than 1,000 artists, historians and music industry members plus the fan vote via the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s website.

03
Mar

Artist Focus: Nnaomi

Describing her own music as “euphoric, experimental and nostalgic”, Nnaomi is paving her own exciting path in the RnB and neo-soul corner of music.  Portsmouth based Nnaomi has been an essential Jeeni artist for some time now and has most recently added her newest single, ‘Hate Me’ to one of Jeeni’s most rapidly advancing and growing channels, RnB (https://jeeni.com/channel/all-channels/r-and-b/). “At just over 2 minutes long, 'Hate Me’ still manages to progress so organically and timely; it takes its time to set the pace and tone of the story told in the lyrics. At the climax of the track, it feels like Nnaomi’s painful memories begin to swirl more unstably around her head as samples and synths begin to distort, warp and spin around the stereo space. These flittering pieces of audio eventually start to drown out Nnaomi’s voice, painting a tragic image of her thoughts and guilt becoming overpowering and too much to process.” Check out the full review of ‘Hate Me’ here: https://jeeni.com/blog/nnaomi-hate-me-single-review-blog-jeeni/   This newest track promises a lot from Nnaomi and if her short collection of singles says anything at the moment, it’s that she can deliver on them all. Nnaomi describes her singles as “little stories”, “I say this because the songs I make come from my real emotions and real experiences, the beats I choose actually bring emotions and thoughts out of me I feel like I suppress because I’m surprisingly not very good at talking about my feelings, so instead I put it in songs. It’s the easiest way for me to express myself”. From this analysis into her own work, it’s no longer a mystery as to why so much emotion is contained in tracks like ‘Like Me’ and ‘Hate Me’.  Mental health, and processing emotions healthily is certainly a recurring theme in Nnaomi’s work, as she explains, “Something that inspires me is my own ability to take advantage of the fact that sometimes my emotions are intense, finding a way to execute it in a healthy way has been amazing because I’m so used to bottling it up, which wasn’t beneficial”. Besides from her methodology in utilising emotions as a key inspiration for her work, Nnaomi’s has some specific masters in the alternative RnB genre to thank for her curious and adventurous creative tendencies. Progressive soul artist, Frank Ocean is a major influence for Nnaomi, as is modern neo-soul singer, SZA.  When asked about the similarities in the titles of ‘Like Me’ and ‘Hate Me’, Nnaomi noted that the connection was both coincidental but likely sub-consciously intended at the same time, “I wanted to portray my mental state in a way that was artistic. “Like Me” was written when my views and thoughts on certain things were hopeless and reminiscent. “Hate Me” is like the healing sister. The one that’s accepted the way that “love” and its experiences can sometimes change you for the worst. A much more self-aware and grown-up outlook on love and how to deal with it”; a poignant and layered insight into this partnership of singles.   Nnaomi hints at longer projects in the future, however she's currently happy “taking it one step at a time” with fantastic singles like ‘Party’s Over’, ‘Like Me’ and ‘Hate Me’. She’s also excited to arrange more live shows this year as restrictions are the lowest they’ve been in years.   Follow Nnaomi on socials to stay updated on what she’s working on:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/nomesm_   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naomim_0/   Check out Nnaomi’s showcase on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/showcase/nnaomi/   How can Jeeni support artists like Nnaomi?   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. 

10
Jun

26,426 views of Jeeni Blogs since we launched Crowdcube

With 5 days to go on Crowdcube we are reflecting on what we could have done better and how we could have improved our campaign, as well as on our successes. Even though we "bust a gut" working 7 days a week for 5 months, we always want to reflect and improve where we can. Both Mel and I are academic in terms of looking at all the options and possibilities and like to analyse our work, and most days we take time to look at how things could be improved. We are not critical of each other, just honest and reflective in an open and supportive way. Jeeni, the social music platform that brings artists closer to their fans and shares revenue ethically, has successfully raised over £340K on Crowdcube across three rounds. If you want to see our pitch click HERE. As part of the campaign we launched Jeeni.blog which has been a huge success and we have had over 26,426 active views, and my LinkedIn has over 12,000 followers. LinkedIn has become my preferred social media and we have genuinely started moving away from Twitter and Instagram. I find it much more professional, interesting and informative. So as part of our learning we are going to learn how LinkedIn can best support Jeeni going forward. Our Facebook Group Independent Musicians and Performers has also been a huge success with over 2,500 new and active members with organic growth, and over 1,300 posts, comments and reactions with no advertising spend, engaging with over 30,000 unsigned artists with a zero cost of acquisition. Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com