Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Weekly Round-Up #7

/ By Doug Phillips
Weekly Round-Up #7

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

Happy new year from Jeeni!

We're constantly trying to enrich our database with new art for listeners to explore and enjoy and so, on this edition of Weekly Round-Up, we wanted to keep everyone updated on the new developments and additions that have been going on here at Jeeni.

New Releases on Jeeni: 

Jeeni’s database of incredible new music has recently been expanded with new projects from a variety of artists ranging from hip-hop to country. Baby Panna, Ariana May, Richard Murray, Lennox Campbell and DarkStarGraver have all recently uploaded new projects onto Jeeni. Exciting new music is what fuels Jeeni and allows us to promote and boost the artists behind them. 

If you want to feature your work on Jeeni or if you’re already a Jeeni artist and want more of your work to be added to your showcase, contact us at doug@jeeni.com or ella@jeeni.com and we can sort everything out for you! 

New Review blogs: 

As more inspiring and inventive work is uploaded to Jeeni, as are more reviews. DarkStarGraver released an album late last year titled ‘Over The Bridge & Far Away’. Jeeni’s review of the album claimed that, “If you had any familiarity with this Portsmouth rapper’s refreshing and inventive brand of UK hip-hop, then it should be of no surprise that his newest album is as buoyant, animated and thought-out as it is.” 

We also had the pleasure of reviewing Maple Sky’s ‘Wearing Red’, a smoky and lush opening track from their self-titled EP. A “perfect sonic epitome of the smooth jazz inspired outfit”, ‘Wearing Red’ is certainly a must-listen for jazz-heads. 

Finally, Richard Murray’s anticipated new album, ‘Fire Sale’ was reviewed on Wednesday. “Richard Murray is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter who specialises in expanding the pre-conceived ideas people have about country music.” 

Jeeni University Partnerships: 

Jeeni is keen to operate and work with various universities to uplift blossoming and brand-new artists and to provide an ethical and supportive means of showcasing their talent to a worldwide platform.

As well as getting young students and artists interested in becoming a Jeeni artist and making use of our marketing and artist liaison team, we’re also offering roles to become a part of the Jeeni team itself. Right now, we have our roles advertised with BIMM and Middlesex Unis, as well as on our Indeed page (https://uk.indeed.com/jobs?q=jeeni&l&vjk=a98f08cca58bd410). 

Make sure you're following us on social media to keep up to date with new releases from our artists, our reviews and any job openings:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeenimusic/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeenimusic  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeenimusic  

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/33222018/admin/  

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Crowdfunding Prize Draw, Win-Win with #ilovelive

12
Mar

Crowdfunding Prize Draw, Win-Win with #ilovelive

There is currently an event happening, which reads like a memorabilia collector's wishlist. Using the hashtag #ilovelive, a Crowdfunding prize draw is a win-win, for the donation recipients and the prize winners. The event has so far raised over £575,000 and seen 64 Lots offered up by a variety of artists from right across the music world. These lots have now closed but there are still 21 up for grabs, including a DJing gig with Idris Elba, a signed snare drum from Dave Grohl, the original Spice Girls Union Jack Sofa and Frank Turner offering a 'Lifetime' guest pass for two. #ilovelive - Idris Elba The fund was set up by charity, Stagehand to raise funds for the behind the scenes and backstage crew of gigs and live events. Many of these staff are self-employed, so did not qualify for furlough or any of the grants offered. Some have suffered real hardship over the last year due to the effect of the lockdowns on the music industry. #ilovelive - Dave Grohl With the same charitable intentions, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have set up their own Crowdfund prize draw. Nick and his band have generously collated over 100 items between them. The items being offered include, signed guitars and keyboards, plus gig tickets, art and gift vouchers. Having been forced to cancel their 2021 tour at the end of last year, the band realised the impact and knock on this would have on their support staff, so felt compelled to soften the blow for them. https://twitter.com/nickcave/status/1362352225780183047?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1362352225780183047%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nme.com%2Fnews%2Fmusic%2Fnick-cave-foo-fighters-launch-new-crowdfunders-raise-funds-road-crew-2883669 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Entrants for both prize draws can purchase a single ticket for £5 and there is no limit on the amount of tickets you purchase. Both draws close in March 2021, so check the sites for details and to hand over your dosh to a great cause. ww.jeeni.com #ilovelive Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

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Ariana May - ‘First Love’ Album Review

04
May

Ariana May - ‘First Love’ Album Review

Ariana May’s first instrumental album is a delicate and stirring collection of piano excellence.   Ariana May has been a vital Jeeni member for a while now and has developed an incredibly in-depth and fascinating showcase full of art-pop and remarkable talent. Recently, she has uploaded the entirety of her new instrumental album, ‘First Love’ on to Jeeni. Listen now via Ariana’s showcase available here: https://jeeni.com/showcase/arianamay/.  As sweet and melodic her voice is, Ariana’s choice of expressing her compositions purely through her piano means that the structures are much more freeing and aren’t constricted to modern pop’s verse, chorus, verse, chorus, chorus forms. Her musicianship flows almost spontaneously; tempo decreases and increases as Ariana sees fit and phrases are fluid in length and timbre.  The titles are excellent tonal suggestions as they act as a sort of starting point of picturing the imagery that Ariana clearly has in mind during both composing and performing these dramatic and theatrical pieces. Ariana May shows a real knack for cinematographic songwriting as it’s not difficult at all to imagine any one of these pieces as a perfect accompaniment for a location-setting scene in cinema.  The final track, ‘Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow’ is exceptional, especially considering the tonal balance Ariana creates. A moody left hand mostly mumbles in a depressed, constant rotation of dark notes; meanwhile, the right is desperately trying to sound uplifting and optimistic through bright, ascending melodies and phrases. The two parts feel like two characters that are trying to influence the other to behave more like them at different moments of the piece, showing a vivid internal conflict, hence the ‘Sweet Sorrow’ in the title. The changes between these mindsets are sudden and frantic, a perfect representation of a troubled mind.  What’s special about these types of projects is that a breakdown or analysis of these compositions could easily be miles from what Ariana had envisioned when writing it, but the freedom given to the listener with a vague title and complete absence of lyrics allows your imagination to fill in gaps and colour in the compositions with meaning and intention that makes most sense to you; it becomes personal.  Throughout 'First Love', Ariana constantly shows an unprecedented level of emotion and control in her playing through her soft and poignant broken chords and melodies. Check out the entirety of this enchanting record on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/showcase/arianamay/

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Artist Focus: Cassius Gray

18
Feb

Artist Focus: Cassius Gray

With casual, effortless rhymes and relatable vibes, Cassius Gray is making huge waves in the UK jazz rap scene.  Cassius Gray has expanded and diversified Jeeni’s hip-hop, rap and RnB channels with six incredible tracks, each one different to the last and totally refreshing. His last single, ‘Sunbeds’ is a lush and lavish piece, fueled by smooth, old-school RnB samples and sentiments; listen on Jeeni here: https://jeeni.com/sunbeds-cassius-gray/. And check out Cassius’ showcase here: https://jeeni.com/showcase/0xr7kzzd8v5p/   Cassius has been making music for seven years now and has been developing his sound with every chance he’s had. His track from 2019, ‘A.M’ has nearly 1 million listens and according to Cassius is a surefire crowd-pleaser, “my favourite to perform was my song A.M with Souleymane Noe/Luther King, it bangs so hard live man!” Luther King contributes an icy cold verse on ‘A.M’, as well as providing the dangerously catchy “I don’t care if this tune don’t bang” hook.   One of many successful collaborations, ‘A.M’ set a trend of sorts; ‘Jp from 640’, Teddy, J P Rose, and producer San Tino all followed with collaborations after the 2019 single. Cassius especially praised the latter for the creative synergy the two have, “Specifically shout out to my guy San Tino - the producer of our 2021 Single ‘Cookoo’”. This track from last year saw Cassius venture into an entirely new direction for his vocal talent: garage. San Tino lays down an unmistakable modern garage beat over which he plays calming synth pads and minimal, yet effective added percussion. As well as just rapping, Cassius also sings over the freeing instrumental in the form of expressive, auto-tuned vocalisations and humming. This stylistic risk and subsequent pay-off makes ‘Cookoo’ a clearly special moment in Cassius Gray’s young discography.  ‘Chillhop’ and ‘jazz rap’ are broad genres that Cassius is often inclined towards, but to expect one style from this artist is pointless. Cassius’ influences act like a rolling snowball, picking up anything and everything in its path and using it to make it stronger, more complex and layered. His inspirations stem back to early 90s hip-hop, namely ‘A Tibe Called Quest’. Q-Tip's crew redefined hip-hop and continues to stir the imaginations of entire generations of artists even now. Tribe’s approach to samples, beats and attitude can regularly be seen in Cassius’ own work, especially with tracks like ‘Mum Called?’ and the collaborative, ‘World Spins Too Fast’.  Cassius is an essential component of this new and exciting wave of UK hip-hop and Jeeni, along with all of his fans, can’t wait for his debut album, which he promises is lined up for this year. Make sure you’re following Cassius on social media to stay in the loop of his ever-developing sound.  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassiusgray_/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cassiusgraymusic   Jeeni showcase: https://jeeni.com/showcase/0xr7kzzd8v5p/   How can Jeeni support artists like Cassius Gray?   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.  artist biography

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