Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Weekly Round-Up # 5

/ By Doug Phillips
Weekly Round-Up # 5

The latest news on all things Jeeni, music and entertainment. 

BRITs announce the shortlist for the ‘2022 Rising Star Award’ 

Last year, the shortlist saw a vibrant and colourful shortlist consisting of Coventry rapper Pa Salieu, experimental electropop sensation, Rina Sawayama and finally the victor, Griff, a master in emotive pop songwriting. 

This year, a trio of female powerhouses makes up the shortlist, each with a distinct and remarkable display of strengths; Lola Young tends to leave space in her compositions for the raw power and emotional impact of her voice to shine first and foremost, whereas, Bree Runway takes a more bombastic, loud-and-proud approach with her floor-filling hip-hop bangers. Holly Humberstone, perhaps the most known here, seems to combine parts of both Lola’s vocal precedence and Bree’s grandiose and full instrumentals to make well-rounded pop hits. 

An exciting and promising collection of British artists, one of which are destined to join the ranks of previous prestigious winners including Adele, Florence + The Machine and Sam Smith. 

64th Grammy Nominees Announced

Speaking of nominees, the Grammy 2022 nominations were announced last week, featuring both safe and some daring inclusions. 

Jon Batise featured all over this year’s nominations list for his uplifting and soulful RnB sound. From record and album of the year to Best Contemporary Classical Composition, Batiste was in total nominated 11 times. At Jeeni, Keithian features a similar sense of joy and jubilation in his RnB style. 

Check out Keithian’s page on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/?s=keithian 

Billie Eilish and her producer brother, Finneas also featured across many of the categories this year for their album ‘Happier Than Ever’. Other pop album nominees include Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande and Brandi Charlie. Finneas also found himself on the ‘Best New Artist’ category along-side Mercury Award winner, Arlo Parks and cousin of Kendrick Lamar, Baby Keem. 

If Jeeni were included on the decision-making process, Ariana May, Marley Blandford and Olivia King would certainly be up for some of the year’s best pop performances and releases.

Check out Jeeni’s pop channel: https://jeeni.com/channel/all-channels/pop/ 

Jazz legend, Tony Bennett features several times for his and Lady Gaga’s moving and nostalgic swing album, ‘Love For Sale’ as a respectable nod from The Recording Academy. Record, album and music video of the year are just a few of Bennett and Lady Gaga’s acknowledgments in the 64th Grammys. 

Check out Jeeni’s jazz channel: https://jeeni.com/channel/all-channels/jazz/ 

Licensing Leaders PPl and PRS Make Promising Action to Improve Progress on Diversity and Recruitment in The Music Industry

Tomi Oyewumi has been enlisted as PPL’s equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) partner as a step in the right direction to influence the industry towards a more diverse and inclusive future. Tomi explains the meaning of true diversity and the impact PPL could potentially make. “That’s not just for race and gender, but looking at other areas such as social mobility. It’s about how that has an impact on what we do at PPL, but also how we can then use that to influence the wider music industry as well.” 

PRS hired Colin Campbell-Austin as head of inclusion and employee experience in October. This position is responsible for recruitment, engagement and talent development in PRS. On the PRS website they had this to say about Campbell-Austin, “Throughout his career, Colin has ensured recruitment of diverse talent from all social backgrounds, created first-class inclusive recruitment processes, talent development strategies and leadership and development programmes, with a focus on people, diversity, and inclusion.” 

More diversity means more representation and experiences expressed in the industry from all corners, resulting in a more colourful and expressive world of music. An exciting development for the industry indeed. 

Splendour in the Grass, Truck and Download; Just a Few of the Recently Announced Summer Festival Lineups 

Although governments worldwide are currently assessing the risks of COVID-19 making a much un-welcomed potential come-back, it’s hard not to get excited for the potential wave of epic festivals that we could enjoy in the coming Summer of 2022.

 Australian festival giant, ‘Splendour in the Grass’ cautiously released their lineup after many reschedules and cancellations due to COVID. ‘Splendour in the Park’ typically showcases homegrown Aussie talent with UK and USA headliners.  

For 2022, the UK corner, features the previously mentioned Holly Humberstone, Liam Gallagher, Tom Misch and headlining the first evening of the weekend is the all-genre virtual sensation, Gorillaz. The American talent includes SITP veterans, ‘Yeah Yeah Yeahs’, New York rock icons, The Strokes and Tyler, The Creator. Australia’s representatives include the new and promising Genesis Owusu, Tim Minchin and Alice Ivy. 

Oxfordshire’s ‘Truck Festival’ also announced a star-studded (albeit slightly less varied) lineup for their big weekend in July 2022. Typically featuring an exhibit of the biggest current indie acts with varying levels of something a little harder for those that want it and next year will be no different. The festival promises the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club, Blossoms and Sam Fender alongside the heavier Kasabian, Shame and Dinosaur Pile Up not to mention indie legends, The Kooks. 

Continuing the increase in heaviness, another massive festival lineup announcement comes from the legendary Donington Park ‘Download Festival’. Headliners, Kiss, Iron Maiden and Biffy Clyro are joined by heavy rock and metal peers such as Korn, Deftones, Megadeth and Black Label Society in a collaboration to deafen the entirety of Leicestershire next June 10th weekend. 

Jeeni News: 

Kissing The Flint’s New ‘100 Or Less’ Music Video Success

On the weekend, folk-rock act, Kissing The Flint released a dynamic and spirited music video for their equally feisty and powerful new single, ‘100 Or Less’. The video matches the emotional and hopeful message the single holds regarding covid and the arts not getting enough funding. Check out the video now, on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/100-or-less-kissing-the-flint-official-music-video/ 

And check out the review of ‘100 Or Less’ here: https://jeeni.com/blog/kissing-the-flint-single-review/ 

Brand New DarkStarGraver Single

Out today, ‘Gohan’ is the newest single from rising Portsmouth rapper, singer and poet, DarkStarGraver. Catchy and bouncy, DSG's newest track is textbook melodic hip-hop. Check it out now.

Find out more about DarkStarGraver with our Artist Focus here: https://jeeni.com/blog/darkstargraver-rapper-singer-poet/ 

Jeeni PCs Still Available after Black Friday Sale! 

Jeeni has partnered with Chillblast to bring customers exclusive branded PCs designed for musicians and creatives. Chillblast is the UK’s Most Awarded PC Manufacturer. Find out more about Chillblast here, and discover why Jeeni has partnered with Chillblast to bring Special Edition music PCs with exclusive Jeeni branding. As well as a year’s subscription to the Jeeni Platform with each order worth £85. Chillblast Jeeni PCs are perfect for all musicians and creatives, whether you’re an independent bedroom pop artist or a music producer working on the next number 1 one single. Get the best deal on music PCs with our black Friday 2021 offer.

Buy your Jeeni Music PC built and warrantied by the UK’s most awarded PC manufacturer here: https://www.chillblast.com/celebrity-pcs/jeeni-pcs. 

Jeeni Is Looking for You to Join Our Team! 

We are currently offering the roles of Sales Executive and Senior Developer as a part of the governmental Kickstart scheme and these roles are for ages 16-24 and on Universal Credit. 

We are also offering a sales internship for university students trying to get experience during their education. 

For more information, visit: https://uk.indeed.com/jobs?q=jeeni&l&vjk=a9b44f31a3321877 

We look forward to hearing from you! 

BACK
Ace Bermuda - ‘WTF is Ace Bermuda?’ (Feat. Jada Freeman & Profiiit) Single Review

07
Feb

Ace Bermuda - ‘WTF is Ace Bermuda?’ (Feat. Jada Freeman & Profiiit) Single Review

If the elusive, grand and electrifying Ace Bermuda were a TV show, ‘WTF Is Ace Bermuda’ would be their theme song. The collective’s first official release perfectly encapsulates the group’s innovative intentions and collaborative nature.  The first official emergence of Ace Bermuda has been literally years in the making and although they took their sweet time to release a track, the debut has smashed all expectations. Brand new to Jeeni, we’re so lucky to catch this group at the genesis of their refreshing and wild style of alt hip-hop/electronic fusion.  This act consists of a core partnership of Jake Thomas and Jacob Richardson, two evil-genius producers, who work overtime for the chief himself, Mr. Ace Bermuda. The semi-retired industry legend watches from a distance and nods his approval as the two do his creative bidding.  ‘WTF Is Bermuda’ is a living, breathing organism which shifts and morphs around whoever takes to the mic at any given time. Where other electronic based producers might copy and paste chunks of identical audio to flesh out a track, the Bermuda beat-makers give each bar attention, care and detail. Similarly, neither feature steals the show, but instead are balanced and work together incredibly well.   American rapper, Profiiit brings a stone-cold iciness to the middle section of the track. His second verse is accompanied by a harsh, yet distant synth that snakes alongside his un-faltering bars and propels the part even higher. East London’s Jada Freeman sing/raps her smooth, and captivating featured verse as the track begins to peak and wind down. The reverb settings and panning given to her vocalisations brings an ethereality to her voice which adorns the outro with charm and beauty.  A potential reason behind Ace Bermuda's ambiguous sense of identity is also subtly addressed here on the group's debut single, another reason why this track is important to the act's timeline and history. A repeating verse heard at the beginning of the track and throughout, criticises those who value their image above a message that they could be expressing, "Look, another self promoter, spread your face, not your voice". This ideology was infamously held by the late MF DOOM; the masked rapper was known for occasionally sending imposters in his stead at live shows to outline the unimportance of his actual identity. This is an interesting stance in the music industry, which luckily has been continued with acts like Ace Bermuda. Check out Ace Bermuda’s showcase on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/showcase/AceBermuda/   The Ace Bermuda masterminds have a lot more up their sleeve. Follow the group on socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ace.bermuda/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/ace_bermuda  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ace.bermuda.927   They also have an upcomming live show with ‘Naytiive’ at Fiddler’s Elbow, Camden on the 12th of February: https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/limited-tickets-naytiive-support-the-fiddlers-elbow-tickets/11537915?pl=hotvox&edpPlParam=%3Fpl%3Dhotvox   How can Jeeni support artists like Ace Bermuda?   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. 

Read more
A Christmas No:1 for 2020?

12
Mar

A Christmas No:1 for 2020?

Rob Copsey from the website Officialcharts.com has given us the low down on the runners for the coveted UK Christmas No:1 single slot. The winner of the biggest chart of the year will be announced on Christmas Day itself, Friday December 25. The Christmas Number 1 is a British institution and has been claimed by some of the world’s most iconic music stars. Queen, The Beatles, Spice Girls, Cliff Richard and, ahem, Bob The Builder have all landed Christmas chart-toppers in the past. In 2019 YouTuber and dad-blogger LadBaby claim the festive crown for a second year in a row, with his second sausage roll-themed charity single, I Love Sausage Rolls - a spin on I Love Rock N' Roll - in aid of foodbank charity The Trussell Trust. He also topped the chart in 2018 with We Built This City, making him only the third act in chart history, after The Beatles and Spice Girls, to land consecutive chart Christmas Number 1s. "It’s the best feeling in the world - a Christmas miracle yet again!" LadBaby, real name Mark Hoyle, told us at the time. "It’s going to the Trussell Trust – to the 14 million people living in poverty in the UK. Who doesn’t love a sausage roll at Christmas?" Could this year could see a festive classic bag the top spot? We recently reported that Christmas favourites have re-entered the Official Singles Chart earlier than ever before, and Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You has reached Number 1 in the UK for the first time ever this month.  However, they face competition from several big new releases for 2020. So who is in line as a challenger for this year's Official Christmas Number 1? The Official 2020 Christmas No: 1 Contenders 1. LadBaby - Don't Stop Me Eatin' https://youtu.be/s-shDEK85uA Can LadBaby make it three festive chart-toppers in a row? The dad blogger and his family are back with another sausage roll-themed song, this time to the tune of Journey's 1982 hit Don't Stop Believin'. Once again, the release is raising money for foodbank charity The Trussell Trust, who have seen a huge rise in demand after a difficult 2020. Out now 2. Justin Bieber ft. The Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir - Holy https://youtu.be/jXy0s9pexCo Five years after Bieber helped the choir claim the 2015 Christmas No: 1, the superstar has joined forces with them on a new version of his hit single, Holy.  Recorded at Abbey Road studios, proceeds from the song will be split between NHS Charities Together (which represents over 230 NHS charities) and the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust Charity in recognition of the extraordinary efforts of those on the medical frontline during the Coronavirus crisis.  3. Jess Glynne - This Christmas https://youtu.be/F6Py60ponQo Jess Glynne has recorded a cover of Donny Hathaway's This Christmas as part of Amazon's Originals series. It's already proving popular, set to enter this week's Official Singles Chart Top 100, and CD and vinyl singles will be available to purchase from December 18. Similarly, Justin Bieber's new Amazon Original, a cover of Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, is also shaping up to be a hit this Christmas. Last year saw Ellie Goulding's Amazon Originals track, a cover of Joni Mitchell's River, reach Number 1, so don't underestimate these. 4. Liam Gallagher - All You’re Dreaming Of https://youtu.be/TwX3_lQmYMQ A song that Bing Crosby would be proud of (according to Liam), All You’re Dreaming Of is a track that the Oasis legend says “is perfect for this time of year, considering the year that we’ve all had”. Billed as ‘Imagine meets Wonderful Life’ Liam is confident of his chances for a good chart performance; responding to a fan on Twitter who asked if it is going to Christmas Number 1, the rock legend said: “it’s gonna be rite up there you gotta be in it to win it.” All You’re Dreaming Of is available to stream and download now, with 12" and limited edition white 7" vinyl versions released on December 18. Proceeds of the song are going to UK charity Action For Children, who work to protect and support vulnerable children and young people across the country. 5. Rig Aid - It’s Christmas Time, It’s Time To Lash Archie Curzons is a social media influencer, the self-proclaimed CEO of London's Clapham, and is the host of The Rig Biz podcast - a comedy show with celebrity guests packed with lashings of #banter and #ladchat. He's roped in an impressive line-up of his so-called celebrity pals/podcast guests including Danny Care, James Haskell, Jeremy Irvine, Alex Paine and Darren Gough for a Christmas single - a light-hearted song to wave off a disastrous 2020 to raise money for Restart Rugby. Out now. 6. A Candle for Carson The Christmas Number 1 race is often about singles giving back to the community, and an example of that kindness this year comes from Blackburn music producers Chris Dewhurst and Andy Rose and vocalist Miranda Myles. The three have teamed up to record and release the track for Carlson,  who sadly died in November after battling congenital heart disease, which he was born with. Carson's family are hoping to set up a charity in his name with the proceeds. Out now. 7. Shine A Light To Fight – Together In Electric Dreams Recorded by a collective of choral and orchestral musicians performing from their Somerset bedrooms during lockdown, this heart-warming rendition of of Phil Oakey and Giorgio Moroder's Together In Electric Dreams is released on December 18, in remembrance of those we have lost in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic. The song is led by Jeremy Millington of music duo The Portraits, and social media group Shine A Light To Fight, which was set up in March as an online meeting place for those affected by Covid-19. 8. ICU Liberty Singers - Every Breath You Take The ICU Liberty Singers are made up of NHS Critical Care staff from all over the country, who have come together virtually to create this rendition of The Police's Every Breath You Take. Out now. https://youtu.be/pm3z0qoDbo8 9. Cameron Barnes & Blythe Duff ft. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers - Fairytale of New York Scottish actor Blythe Duff and singer Cameron Barnes have teamed up for a re-imagining of The Pogues' Fairytale Of New York to raise funds for freelance creatives and their families. Their version tells the story of single mum called Christina Chalmers – or Chrissy - who encourages her son Guy to leave Glasgow and follow in her footsteps to find fame and fortune in New York City - but it didn’t work out. Out now.  https://youtu.be/g911zLtlmUQ 10. Rock Choir - Keeping The Dream Alive The Rock Choir have joined thousands across England, Wales and Scotland to form one virtual choir to record a rendition of Keeping the Dream Alive. Led by Vikki Hewitt and creator/founder Caroline Redman Lusher, the track is to raise awareness for the Mental Health Foundation. Out now. https://youtu.be/bVrL9zdDlH0 More Official Christmas Chart Contenders: Russ Abbott - Atmosphere - Two Nottingham University student radio presenters - George Scotland and Damian Stephen - have launched a campaign to get Chester comedian Russ Abbot to Number 1 this Christmas with his 1984 single Atmosphere because, well, why not? The campaign has been endorsed by Abbot himself and Paul Chuckle.  The Dancing Binmen - Boogie Round The Bins At Christmas - Three binmen from Wolverhampton - Jack Johnson, Henry Wright and Adrian Breakwell – shot to fame in the city earlier this year for dancing on their routes during the first lockdown. Now they've got their eye on the Christmas Number 1 with Boogie Round The Bins At Christmas. Money raised from the song will go to charity. Out now. Gemma Collins & Darren Day - Baby It's Cold Outside - can the GC land this year's Christmas Number 1 with a cover of a festive classic? Sam Fender - Winter Song - The musician has released a stunning cover of the '70s folk track by Newcastle legends Alan Hull/Lindisfarne. Money raised from the song goes to social enterprise People Of The Streets. Out now. Matt Lucas – Merry Christmas, Baked Potato - a seasonal continuation on from Thank You, Baked Potato, Matt’s first UK Top 40 single that he released in during the first lockdown which benefitted the NHS. Out now. Robbie Williams - Can’t Stop Christmas - a feel-good tale about how we need to enjoy ourselves over our five-day Christmas bubble this year, complete with references to social distancing and Zooms. The Celebs - Merry Christmas Everyone - a cover of Shakin' Stevens' classic featuring Sam Bailey and Good Morning Britain's Richard Arnold and Laura Tobin, released in support of the Alzheimer's Society. Out now. Collabro - Christmas Is Here - The successful musical theatre group and winners of 2014’s Britain’s Got Talent will be donating 100% of profits from the download of their original Christmas single to military charity Help for Heroes. The Kut - Waiting For Christmas grunge ballad released on December 18, raising money for the Red Cross Coronavirus Crisis Fund. Tone Def Tony - I Got Pissed With Santa Claus - Novelty track which is giving 50% of its royalties to help those in the pub trade who a struggling this year due to Covid-19. More info here. Raise The Woof! - The first ever Christmas single for dogs. Christmas in Denmark Street - British punk band Spizzenergi teams up with producer Tony Visconti to release this 'punchy, festive protest anthem'. Tune in to The Official Chart with Katie Thistleton on BBC Radio 1 on December 25 from 2-4pm to hear the Christmas Top 40 countdown and the exclusive reveal of the winner of the Official Christmas Number 1 2020. You can also catch Top Of The Pops on Christmas Day, more details of the broadcast to come. The full Top 100 Official Christmas Singles Chart and Albums Chart will be published on OfficialCharts.com from 5.45pm.

Read more
Zed, The Dreamer – ‘I died too’ Single Review

08
Jul

Zed, The Dreamer – ‘I died too’ Single Review

Charming, layered and dreamy, the latest single from this starry-eyed balladeer might be his most impactful yet.  With a rich roster of influential artists like Bon Iver, Michael Kiwanuka and Matt Corby, Zed, The Dreamer has a wide and varied well from which he draws inspiration and these influences reveal themselves quite clearly across Zed's young, bright discography. The style of the previously mentioned muses can essentially be reduced to an initial representation of the broad genre of folk music, however, they all individually decide to expand beyond that folk core by enriching it with their own individual styles, experiences and personalities. This is a skill that Zed has adopted in full-effect. A notable element of Zed’s style is his subtle embrace of lo-fi aesthetics. Before, this has materalised as some unfiltered-out background fuzz in tracks like ‘Comfort (Not Love)’, but Zed's latest track takes this raw, casual sentiment to a further level as he uses it to almost reinforce the heart aching messages that he displays in ‘i died too’. The track whirs to life like a tape machine accelerating to the right speed, instantly giving off a warm, analogue tone to the track. The sudden click to silence after just a second of guitar also contributes to a feeling that this is an impromptu recording, straight from the heart, to the microphone.  As more elements are introduced, this nonchalant façade crumbles and Zed’s ballad blossoms into a polished and astonishing chorus of love. Intricate and symbolic lyrics aren't needed for the confessional “Baby, I love you” chorus, because the verse has already provided poetic details into the relationship.  Interestingly, after the first chorus, Zed doesn’t use its natural momentum to maintain the energy, but instead, he brings the composition back down to where we began with an interlude of radio-effect conversational samples and background ambience that replaces the full, lush textures that we just heard over the chorus. Once back down to the ground, Zed’s forlorn vocals begin to slowly levitate the piece once more with the next verse. The second verse consists of simple guitar-tapped percussion, rumbling bass and shimmering chords, all ornamenting Zed’s gentle acoustic guitar and crooning vocals which creates the folk centre of the piece. The second verse much more seamlessly feeds into the second chorus which now professes the title of the piece, “I died too” in replace of “I love you”. This heartbreaking variation to the chorus is such a clever story-telling device. It’s not often that a chorus is altered to reveal an entirely different side to an emotive narrative, it adds a stunning amount of weight behind an already compelling single. The piece winds down one final time as a more distant and mournful "Baby, I love you" is heard underneath auto-tuned vocalisations and a self-comforting "It's alright, now" repetition. This extended ending at almost a minute long is a beautiful finish to an already unorthodox song structure. A final, pensive guitar chord rings out to finish the piece with one last poignant resignation. Zed, The Dreamer will be performing at Victorious festival this August (26th-28th) so be sure to check him out if you have tickets!

Read more