Jenny Beck

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Interview with Jenny Beck

Published on 11/3/2005

By Artistopia

Q. At what age did you realize you wanted to become a music artist and why? A. I have always been into music and grew up in a very creative and musical family. I used to dance to The Beatles music when I was only 2 years old and it took off from there. I was fed with Sixties music from the start and it’s been a huge influence and inspiration to me throughout my life. At school I started playing the flute and was trained in classical music and at the age of 15 I picked up the guitar and started writing my own songs…very simples songs with pretty much two chords, but it was fun and it made me realize I preferred to play an instrument to which I could sing, rather than only playing the flute, as it allowed me to express myself at a difficult age. It was when I started media school where I studied sound engineering and video production that my interest in music became more serious and I started performing a bit at school and recorded my very first demo in the school studio. I moved away from home at the age of 19 and started a sound engineer education and was awarded a sound engineer diploma. During that education I got to work in professional studios with other musicians and bands. That’s when I realized I wanted to work with music in one way or another. It was when I moved from Sweden to England in 2001 that I started taking my own music seriously and have been writing, recording and performing my original songs full-time since. Music is my life and has pretty much always been. It’s a necessity and a passion. It’s my language of choice. Q. Most music artists have that special someone or thing that influenced their decision to do music. Did anyone or something in your life play a major role in influencing you to go into the music business? A. Yeah, there’s been a few very important influences in my life. Firstly, my Dad. He’s always been a music fanatic…he was the one who used to play all the great Sixties music to me when I was little. Dad used to play the guitar and was a photographer. He inspired me to use my creativity in life. My granddad was also an influence, but in a different way. He was into Classical music only and taught me to listen. My Nan is a very talented artist. She’s also been a major influence and reason why I’ve chosen a creative path. Later on in life it’s been the people I’ve been in relationships with or have met through sound engineering school. My partner, Mitch, who is also my co-producer and drummer has always been a big inspiration and encouragement. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be able to spend so much time on my music and would probably have given up on my dreams and goals a long time ago, so it’s very much thanks to him…it’s also very inspiring to be with someone who believes you can do anything, who believes in music and who’s been working hard all his life to get where he wants to be. Q. In terms of the music, which major artist(s) influenced your style and why? A. I’ve always been influenced by bands and artists from the Sixties…The Beatles, Joni Mitchell…but overall it’s artists who have something to say and who write. Sheryl Crow, Tori Amos, Alanis Morisette, Shania Twain, Sting, Suzanne Vega, Seal, The Corrs. I think my style is a mix of them all really…it’s all my influences put together. Some of my songs have a Country twist to them, whilst some are very Joni Mitchell type Folk songs. I get inspired by songwriters who tell stories and have something valuable to say. Most of my songs are little stories about things I’ve experienced…they’re about life as we go along. Q. With so many independent artists trying to make it, what makes you stand out from the competition? A. There are so many artists doing the same thing nowadays and most of the music in the charts sound exactly the same…unfortunately, people pretty much only buy the music they hear…the music that’s “out there” and have major financial backing and PR…the music the majors throw out there…most people don’t dig deeper below the surface and rarely find independent music and independent artists. My music isn’t commercial, chart topping music and I don’t think it ever will be, but I think it’s got a quality, depth and honesty that a lot of people appreciate in today’s ocean of “plastic” artists who are created by the majors and have commercial songs written for them…it’s just so false. I will just keep on writing about things that mean something to me and if I manage to touch people with it I’ve succeeded. Q. Music industry professionals are quick to say that being an artist means to gracefully fit a marketable niche in the industry. If you were offered an opportunity that asked you to be something you are not, would you do it to get your foot in the door? A. No. I’ve had that sort of offer in the past and if it isn’t me I can’t do it…it’s as simple as that. I will or cannot ever be a Britney Spears kind of artist…it’d just not work and would just look silly. I don’t want to be molded into something I’m not as I don’t think it’d work. There’d be no point. There are plenty of other singers or artists out there who it’d work for and they could adapt to anything like that as they’re pretty much an empty canvas. I’m not. I’m 27, which is considered old in today’s music biz and I suppose I’m already settled in my ways. You find yourself as you go along and I have and it’d just seem stupid to try to be someone or something else now. When it comes to music I’m open to a lot of different styles and am always very curious about various genres, but it’s a fact that my voice only works for certain styles and genres, which is mostly folk/rock and acoustic music and my image and style is just “me”…it’s real…I’m not pretentious and can’t be…it doesn’t work. Q. Making music is one thing, selling it is another. What types of strategies do you use in promoting your artistic work and getting it heard by the proper professionals? A. I am mostly promoting my music through my website, but I’m also gigging around the UK and have done a few showcase performances in London. It’s difficult to get to the “proper professionals”. They’re not the ones opening your press kits and they’re not the ones listening to your demos or replying to your e-mails. It’s important to build a network of contacts and I’m lucky enough to know a few people in the music business that I’ve been in touch with since I came to the UK. I’m past the stage where you’re hoping someone will “discover” you and sign you and past the stage where you depend on other people to get you where you want to be. That’s after a long time thinking that’s how it works and that’s how I want it to be. I’ve moved on from that way of thinking and am more in charge now. My philosophy is that I will always keep on writing and recording music, with or without interest from record labels, etc. I am releasing my own CD through my website and other online music outlets and at least my music is out there and it gets heard. Q. In regards to wheeling and dealing, how important do you feel business knowledge is to making it in an industry filled with much heartache? A. I think the most important thing is to be aware that, in the music business, no one is ever out to just help you because they really believe in you and like your music. They’re interested because they can potentially make money off you and your music. Trying to make it in the music biz is like swimming in shark infested water. It’s dangerous to be naïve and you should always take your time making decisions ad you might regret them in the future. I think you have to have a basic knowledge in how the industry works and who does what…managers, agents, publishers, PRS, MCPS, labels, business managers, PR companies, distributors, etc. There are lots of people who want a “finger in the pie” and if you don’t know who are entitled to what or how much it’s easy to end up the one who don’t make any money off your own music in the end. Q. Let's fast forward to 5 years from now. What advice would you offer to struggling independent artists? A. If you believe in what you’re doing and you’re still having fun, keep on doing it! The key is to believe in your music…how can you convince anyone else if you’re not 100% sure yourself? Q. Most successful artists are involved in charitable organizations that stand for a cause that hits close to home. In that regard, once you reach success, what charitable cause(s) would you like to be involved in and why? A. I am already involved and it’s a very important thing for me already to help people less fortunate. I have a sponsor child in Senegal called Awa and we’re sponsoring her, her family and village every month. The living standards for them have become so much better and disease isn’t a severe problem anymore. They’ve also got a well and toilets in their village and Awa is able to go to school. These are things we take for granted and a lot of us don’t give it a second thought. What’s to say we’d be born into this standard? It could have been us and we’re all just people. We’re the same and we need to help each other. For a lot of children born into poverty daily life is a struggle to just staying alive and surviving another day. Make Poverty History is a very important project. I am also passionate about animals and animal rights as well as saving nature reserves and rain forests and am a Greenpeace supporter. Artistopia: Well, we thank you for taking the time to interview with us and certainly wish you the best in your music career endeavors. There you have it ladies and gentlemen, an inside look into the mind of an independent artist struggling to bring their hard work to fruition in an industry where perseverance and thick skin means survival. No one said it would be easy.



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Interview with Jenny Beck