Jazzmine - North London's Rising Star

Like many musicians, 17 year old Jazzmine, grew up listening to the likes of Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Coldplay, but after watching Leona Lewis win the X Factor in 2006, the North London songstress decided to turn her hobby in a profession and hopefully make her dreams a reality.

I caught up with Jazzmine to find out what she focuses on when making music, any sacrifices her plans for the future.

My mum always told me, you’ve gotta be happy in your job, so I thought if music was my career, nothing would make me happier. God gives people talent for a reason and if you love something you should pursue it, so I decided to take the first steps.

At college people were studying for careers they love and could get a job in. But, studying music and getting a job in the industry, seemed so far away, so I studied hairdressing and worked part time as a hair stylist.

Where it started…

But after being made redundant, I thought it was a now or never so I began to take my singing more seriously. In late 2011 my best friend suggested I start doing covers on Youtube just to get my voice heard, it was always was something I’d considered but didn't know how to go about it - I didn't even have an account.

I had to start somewhere, so I jumped straight in, made a quick video and shared it online and as a result I got a lot of positive support and good feedback.

I remember watching Leona Lewis on X factor back in 2006 and when she won I realised that dreams really can come true. Singing always helped me concentrate I used to hum a tune to myself and then words from whatever I was thinking about just followed, so I started to write them down.

They started out on paper as notes which turned to poetry and then eventually song lyrics. I've always sung around the house, school, on the bus whenever I had a song in my head I would have to sing it out loud.

Her musical message…

Music has to mean something so it connects with listeners. I tend to focus on whatever's in my head and then let it flow, everything has a deeper meaning.
I focus on breaking the mould and making a better life for myself and my family. I don't want to just wake up to fortune I want to make it through something and that is music.

She recalls ‘one day I was looking out my window, thinking there's so much outside, so much more than what I had inside, it wasn't fulfilling.

Sacrifices…

Time is my only sacrifice, I have put a lot into my music which could have gone towards college work, but the way I see it is there's got to be sacrifices if you really want something and I anticipate a lot more in future. No pain no gain!

Hobbies…

Irish dancing, it’s a a great way of keeping in shape. I competed professionally when I was 7 and travelled a lot to different countries through such as Spain, New York and Ireland of course!

Her audience…

I'd like to think my voice appeals to a wide audience and I have a range of listeners. I think my audience will develop more over time.

A variety of ages can identify with me musically because as I interact a lot with different genres and styles which have a lot of similarities and musical interests.

The music industry…

Being a new artist in the UK when there's so much talent out there I'm bound to face comparisons. It’s hard to come out as something no one's seen and will accept. Even if you’re genuinely just being yourself people might say you're trying to be like so and so or you're similar to this person.

I think every artist should be known in their own right instead of being ranked against everyone else out there. There’re a lot of female artists doing big things at the moment and they’re all individual and bring something different to the industry, especially with a lot of British ladies coming through so quickly.

She adds ‘in a male dominated industry people think girls should be a certain way. The raunchy thing is in right now, so there's pressure on females to be sexualised and as a young female artist there's pressure to be a certain way, but I don’t have Nicki Minaj's body or Rihanna's raunchiness.

I'm just Jazzmine, so all I can hope is that people are able to appreciate that.

Her inspirations…

‘Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Rihanna, Adele, Jesse J and Leona Lewis’ – she explains ‘they had a dream from a young age and not only made it a reality but pursued it relentlessly.

Alicia Keys, I've loved her ever since I heard Fallin. Rihanna, she made it big in such a short time and wasn't afraid to reinvent herself, Adele her voice and her level of achievement is inspiring. Jessie J, her song writing ability is amazing and she writes in a way that a lot of young people relate to. Leona Lewis, she's so humble, I don't think she knows how great she is!

I'm generally a fan of strong female vocalists but I also love Snow Patrol, Coldplay, The Script and growing up I was a big fan of Avril Lavigne!

Future plans…

I don’t just want to be a Youtube cover girl; I'm working on my original material. My 1st track should be out this year and I am also working on a demo/EP.

I'm really working hard so you can expect a lot from me. I don't wanna say too much, everything is a working progress so catch up with me in the near future to see where I'm at

You can now catch follow Jazzmine via Twitter and Youtube. :)

Juliyaa - The Rhythm

During her teens she was involved with Bigga Fish which allowed her to tour with artists such as Estelle and Heartless Crew, she has continued to pursue her music career whilst redefining her craft, inspired by the likes of Alicia Keys and Ms Dynamite. Juliya is a singer and songwriter from North London who has recently released her debut video The Rhythm via Youtube which has accumulated over 3,000 views to date.

I thought I’d catch up with Juliya to find out where it all started her sacrifices and plans for the future.

Music was always a part of my life growing up. I started singing in mum's church as a child and wrote my first song when I was 7.  My Dad was in to reggae and soul, and I always remember him playing his favourite artists on the record player in our front room’, she names ‘Bob Marley, Toots & The Maytals and Al Green’ as some of his many favourites, she continues ‘Mum was in to Ghanaian gospel and hi-life which meant that every Sunday morning I woke up to the sound of her cassette player blasting out songs - they were good times’.

She recalls ‘growing up music was about family and culture; it’s always signified something about who I am and what my parents have passed on to me.  In my teens continued singing as a vocalist on the UK garage scene and refined my vocal and song writing skills’. She feels the combination of all the different phases of her life have shaped the type of music she makes today. 

'The Rhythm' is a song that’s all about the effect music has on you. Sometimes you can be sitting there in a room and your favourite song comes on, and before you know it your shoulders are moving, your feet are tapping and then you're up on your feet dancing wildly. That’s what 'The Rhythm' represents to me - the effect the bass, the beat and the melody can have on you as a listener’.

‘My main aim with music is to accurately reflect different emotions that we experience in life – such as love, anger, faith or hope. For me, joy is a big emotion that comes through in my music and I hope my listeners can be uplifted by my music and performances’.

Juliya identifies ‘time and energy’ as her biggest sacrifices in pursuing her music career, she explains ‘as an unsigned artist you’re managing your career independently - doing a lot of gigs without pay, spending spare time doing music administration and generally trying to promote yourself. Music is a round the clock pursuit and you have to be careful not to let it infringe too much on your personal life.’

Yet she feels ‘this sacrifice is worth it’, she continues ‘I believe that I've got a talent and I’m called to share it with the world, so when I see people enjoying my music and I see the joy that it brings them, it all feels worthwhile!

I think female musicians can be limited by negative gender stereotypes in music. Most bands that I’ve been involved in have been male and there can sometimes be senses that if you’re a female musician, people in the music industry don’t take you seriously.

She also feels ‘female artists have a huge pressure to conform to certain unrealistic expectations in terms of their image and appearance.’ She says ‘I am eager as an artist to be respected as a female artist for my music and not to be forced to objectify myself’.

When asked who she thinks is next to blow she says ’my good friend Michael Kiwanuka.  He has recently come off touring with Adele, and sings heartfelt retro soul that sounds like Bill Withers or Otis Redding.  Michael reflects what true music is about - he's amazingly talented and yet humble and let's his music do the talking’.  

‘At the moment the industry has a lot of great artists, and the UK is shining bright globally with many artists seeing success overseas.  At the same time it’s a hard time to be a musician, the market is quite saturated and it has become harder to stand out from the crowd and get your music heard’.

‘Musically, I am inspired by artists such as Alicia Keys. I love her musicianship and her strength. Ms Dynamite, she’s always been an inspiration to me, she grew North London like me so seeing people like her around you succeed, helps you to see what you could achieve’. 

‘My personal inspiration would be my mum.  She is a strong African woman who has shown me what’s important in life and taught me to prioritise my faith and family. She’s always given me the space to pursue my dreams and believed in me even when it has been hard to believe in myself’.

‘In my teens I was involved with a youth organisation called Bigga Fish that saw me tour with artists such as Estelle and the Heartless Crew.  It was an exciting time being a teenager and touring alongside such big London artists who have now gone on to such musical success. They’ve inspired me to think big for the future’.  

In the future, I want to continue to collaborate with great musicians such as the ones I have already been working with and I want to build on amazing relationships that I currently have with friends and musicians such as Si Cliff and Niji Adeleye.

In the future we can expect an EP from Juliya in 2012 as well as ‘more gigging, more songs and more dancing! She says ‘After that, I don't know but I'm excited about what is in store for me’.

You can now follow via her Official Website, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. 

Sir Spikes - Cast the First Stone

‘I’ve always been into music from a young age, I used to turn all the pots upside down and beat them with sticks' says 21 year old Samuel Jimmah formally known as Sir Spikes from East London, who is a musician, poet and aspiring actor. After migrating to the UK, just over 10 years ago he found his love for music. Samuel is currently working on his forthcoming mixtape 'Cast the First Stone' which débuts July 2011.

I thought I'd catch up with him to find out where it all started. 

'I'm a poet, rapper and an aspiring actor' I have always been into music from a young age. When I moved to the UK ,I fell in love with Grime’. This is where it all started for Sir Spikes, who originally claimed the alias 'Spikes' due to his love of knives. ‘I used to listen to and record sets on my mums old tapes, which she wasn't too happy about.' What he loved about Grime, was the rawness of the scene, the ability to say anything. Sir Spikes found himself writing lyrics which he then recited over the beats recorded making him feel as though he was really there on the radio himself, but it wasn't until year 8 where he decided to write more. 

'I was way too shy to let anyone hear, but as I got older my confidence grew. I was a very angry and violent growing up which influenced a lot of my early material. I felt like an outcast the only tune I felt that people listened to was when I rhymed so to me that was my voice.' As he got older 
he started to realise that he could do more with his gifts, but it only really hit him after loosing two of his close friends and coming close to loosing his own life. From his experience he started writing poetry, as he found it easy to put his words on paper. For him 'poetry quickly became a release rather than waiting for a beat' to record music. 'My music has grown and matured a lot and have finally found my self through music. '

'No other musician is like me', he says when I ask how he differs from other artists. 'I'm far from big headed, but I feel that the scene hasn't experienced a mind like mine. I bring soul to a track which enables the listener to fall in a trance and be taken on a journey. I appeal to a lot of people from males to females and to a general age simply because I am very versatile. I don't tie my self down to one thing, like to explore to create new things'.

It's obvious to see that the UK music industry has opened up and allowed a variety of artists to take the mainstream by storm, but for Samuel all he can see in the current industry 'is people who really don't have a passion for music'. He says 'most people go into the industry simply for the money so the messages they reveal are shallow. I would like to bring back heart and soul to music. I am inspired by singers such as Adele because she is real. Nowadays when you switch on the TV all you see are recycled versions on a few people. No one is original any more.'

Michael Jackson, Alicia keys, Jessie J, Adele, Eva Cassidy and Tracy Chapman are just a few of his many inspirations he feels 'they are true to themselves and they truly care about the influence of their music.' In the same vein he admires artists from the rap scene such as ‘Kanye West, Dizzie Rascal, Wretch 32, Tu-pac, and Gigs’. He feels inspired by them as they prove that it is possible to make it in the music industry, despite all the negativity around. He says 'if you work hard and push for it then nothing is impossible’. He is also inspired by a lot of Nigerian artists such as Debanj, 2face Idibia and Ice Prince, he says ‘I am a proud Nigerian so I support the music’.

'Open your eyes and go for it' is the advice he gives to up and coming musicians 'you only loose when you stop trying. Hard work plus determination gives birth to success. Clear your minds and vision how your life will be when you make it'. In the future, Sir Spikes hopes to have a successful career in music and give back to others by 'helping the less fortunate'.

His mixtape ‘Cast the First Stone’ is due to be released July 2011 so be sure to support him. For more of his music check out his Soundcloud, Youtube and follow him via Twitter.