Battling Mental Health Through Guitar and Song with Former Hero

Yorkshire singer/songwriter Former Hero is no stranger to suffering from mental health. In his debut album ‘footpaths,’ out now on all streaming platforms, the guitarist delves into heavy issues while pairing the lyrics with catchy and danceable tunes. In this interview with Jejune Magazine, Former Hero goes into depth about the impact growing up as a queer man in a sheltered part of the UK has had on both his life and music. Additionally, he explains how he is giving back to the LGBTQA+ community through the online festival MindOut UK, which will be livestreamed on September 25th, 2021. Read on to learn more about the details of this event and Former Hero himself!

Hailey Nicole Ralston: Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

To all the people that say teens are too young to know their passion, Hailey Nicole Ralston is here to prove you wrong. She knew her goals since just over two years old and is currently embarking on an exciting journey to get there, with no plans to slow down. At just the age of 17, Ralston has been in numerous films and TV series with Nickelodeon, HBO, and Fox Searchlight Pictures. Not only that, she is presently producing her own short film, The Creature, on top of her existing lineup of several creative projects. When she’s off-screen, she spends her time doing humanitarian work. A star not only with talents but with a huge heart. Check out our interview with Ralston as we go in-depth to find out more about her talents, as well as, the inspiration behind her creative and humanitarian endeavors.

Into the Hidden Dangerous World with George Gittoes

You definitely don’t want to miss out on George Gittoes! No one is more daring and adventurous than him. The Australian native is not only an artist and photographer, he’s also a filmmaker. Gittoes has spent over 25 years witnessing life-changing moments in some of the most notorious places in the world. Despite the uncountable encountered dangers, he continues to strap on filming equipment and goes into battlefields to fight for justice and equality. The talented director and his lovely wife, Hellen Rose, have brought positive social change and shun light on the local community through a non-profit they founded, The Yellow House. Come with Jejune to understand more about his experience in the hidden dangerous world and the impact his artwork has brought to the world with our exclusive interview below.

Tsu Nami: A Party You Just Don't Want To Be In

You are at a party. The music is loud and you are surrounded by many strangers. The anxiety wave is coming to your body. With Covid-19, we forget this feeling with the craving of socializing, but this feeling of anxiety has always been there. Producer Tsu Nami makes us feel this emotion with her recent song 'Party'. It is not like any other song about partying; it reflects the social anxiety of not wanting to be at a party, and even the energy of the song holds the anxiety. In addition to her music, Tsu Nami inspires other women, especially women of color, who want to pursue a career in electronic music, which is a male-dominated industry. She has some very illuminating ideas on the topic. Currently, Tsu Nami is sharing her music to thousands with the emergence of virtual festivals. We talked to Tsu Nami about her music career, anxiety, sexism, and being normal again. Please read our exclusive interview below to learn more about Tsu Nami.

TROY: Transforming Pain Into Music

Many people have felt the pain and grief that can remain from an old relationship. However, many of them ignore their emotions and tend to reject their pain. Nashville/LA/Artist/Songwriter TROY turned everything upside down and created his latest song Foolish by showing his vulnerability. It makes us feel our heartbreaks, and at the same time, embrace our flaws, and realize that it is natural to suffer. TROY’s music is like a medicine for healing heartache. TROY got his start in New York City musical theatre at age 12, and he continued his acting career in many shows like Victorious, The Last Ship, This Is Us, and New Girl. While he wrote music for himself, one day he decided to pursue music with more purpose and wrote Foolish, which is produced by Marti Frederiksen. We talked to TROY about his acting, music career, future of music, and voluntary works. Please read our exclusive interview below to learn more about TROY.

Claire London: The Dark Pop Princess, Romance, & Her Happily Ever After

Using romance as her muse, Claire London has released her single, “Young,” a track that accounts the ups and downs of her journey towards uncovering true love. Claire, now a mix of Neo-Soul-Pop, takes a subtle shift from the sonics of her discography since her debut album “Like A Machine” in 2011, filled with distorted bass lines and bluesy pop/rock. The once hailed as a dark pop princess has settled down, yet remains sharper than ever.

Her move from NYC to LA in 2016 could be considered a life altering fateful moment where she met her husband, developed a love for the outdoors, and co-founded a music community designed to empower women in the music industry called Female Frequency. Female Frequency’s goal is for every component of their music-making to be done by women, from start to finish, including all writing, instrumentation, arrangement, performance, production, engineering, mixing, mastering, marketing and creation of visual media. Please read our exclusive interview to learn more about Claire London.

Montana L. Jacobowitz Proves You Can Do It All

At 18 years old, Montana is an accomplished actress, musician, and writer. As a musician, she is a multi-instrumentalist, skilled in the electric and acoustic guitar, ukulele, piano, alto saxophone, etc. At the mere age of seven years old, Montana created her first play, in honor of her brother, Arizona, who is autistic. Her call to advocacy runs deeper than familial ties. She can be seen working hard to assist children and adults with special needs via the Special Olympics, 401 A League Of Our Own, and Power Of You Teens, an organization that helps young women in New York City plan their future through mentorship. Montana and her brothers even created an organization, Children’s Voice, which gives kids a platform to speak out about issues that affect them. Please read our exclusive interview here to learn more about Montana Jascobowitz.

Treasure's "Suffocation & Air" EP Is A Re-Calibration Of The Ego

Music is well known to have a significant beneficial impact on mental health — both for creator and listener. The therapeutic aspects of composition and soothing harmonies are thought to engage a variety of brain areas involved in emotion, motivation, cognition, and motor functions. Musical interventions have been used to increase socialization and cognitive, emotional, and neuromotor functioning. North London musician, Treasure, utilizes his passion to explore the therapeutic and creative components melody. Coincidentally, he works for a mental health hospital, which is a valiant testimony to his authenticity and intrigue in psychology and mental health.

The nine track EP “Suffocation & Air” is a revelation to emotions held close — it’s an entry into the psyche, the trauma, and ego. It chronicles his journey to coexist with his demons. The release skirts on modern genres of R&B, pop, with a blend of funky synthscapes. Please read our exclusive interview here to learn more about Treasure.

Izzy Thomas: Fed Up & Compassionate

Music, as with any art, literature, theatre, visual, tend to take a philosophical stance whether deliberate or not. Once released, every note, stroke, or sentence can be dissected and interpreted, where meaning is relinquished to the observer.

On singer songwriter Izzy Thomas’s new single, “Mad,” Izzy makes it unmistakably clear how she feels towards the modern dating scene. Lyrics like “You’re so full of shit ‘cause you won't admit that you want me,” conclude any lingering uncertainties pertaining to theme and message.

Izzy’s fierceness is equally conveyed in her autism awareness campaigns. She spends much of her time visiting educational institutions advocating for autism awareness and anti-bullying efforts. Please read our exclusive interview here to learn more about Izzy Thomas.

Annie Tisshaw Is A Firecracker

Are you a woman, or man, who goes to the Women’s Marches? Are you looking for the right music to pump you up for the ever increasing revolution of our time? Wonderful, you need to immediately download all of Annie Tisshaw’s music now. You are welcome! This no nonsense Brit will have you cheering with her tunes in no time. Annie’s feminist nature comes out in her music as she sings about men sexualizing her and her body. Please read here to learn more about this fierce woman, her bad ass music, and her experiences with sexual assault and helping others.

SONIA On Romance, Reflection, And The Refugee Crisis

On “I Don’t Know,” a single off her eponymous debut EP, we bear witness to SONIA’s display of raw unperturbed emotion. The setting: a room inside a large daunting medieval European style castle in Belgium. SONIA destroys her room and its furnishings, smashing plates and glass, presumably in anguish from the aftermath of heartache.

The theme of romance, relationships, and the emotions associated with love are a constant in SONIA’s music. She divulges her personal journey towards maturity and adult love. SONIA also lends her voice for refugees displaced by war and poverty via Everyday Refugees Foundation. To learn more about SONIA and her work, please read our exclusive interview here.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 18, Most PopularJejune ContributorDecember 30, 2019refugee, music, musician, singer, #singer, #song, singer song writerComment

Karima Francis Sings From Her Soul For The Homeless

As you maybe aware, there is a massive homeless crisis in the United States, but it really smacks you in the face in LA. LA has Tent Cities and Skid Row, but the problem does not seem to be getting better. Is this why Karima Francis’s song “Shelf Life”, which is about the LA homeless crisis and follows around a homeless man in the beautifully shot video is so powerful. Her soulful heartfelt melodies of introspection explores the perfect combination of laid back west coat with sultry purpose. To learn more, please read our exclusive interview here with Karima.

Art, zIssue 17Jejune ContributorDecember 13, 2019music, singer song writer, singer, #singer, #song, homeless, activism, #positivityComment

Beth Keeping Is Helping To Write Women Into The Future

Music is often seen as a universal and fluid language, but did you know that there is a lack of female representation as gender inequality continues to persist within the industry? Singer-songwriter Beth Keeping has been working to empower female voices and songwriters, not only through her music, but also through her initiative Write Like A Girl. As a passionate supporter of women in music, she looks to champion and encourage female artists on both a local and global level. To learn more about her work, please read our exclusive interview here!

Penelope Robin Sings for Mother Nature

Amassing over 11 million views on YouTube and a combined following of over 100,000 across Instagram and TicTok, it is safe to say singer-songwriter Penelope Robin is making her name known throughout the internet. Despite her young age and early rise to fame, Penelope exudes an aura of maturity and poise while discussing her role in spreading awareness to social and environmental issues. Penelope is a passionate animal rights activist and autism awareness advocate - just to name a few. To learn more about Penelope and her work, please read further in our exclusive interview here.

"Prototype" With Viktoria Modesta

"Prototype" is a song by Latvian/British singer-songwriter Viktoria Modesta. The song was written by Modesta and Hero and was produced by Roy Kerr. Check out here in Jejune a video with the song.

Editorials, Reviewed, zIssue 2Jejeune MagazineAugust 13, 2018#viktoriamodesta, #bionic, #singer, #song, #prototype