Something that I’ve come to understand, is that gaining writing experience, much like any creative endeavour, is a process of failing upwards. Be it an unpaid internship, or a personal project that you’re struggling to get eyes on, hard work and accumulated experience eventually adds up. Of course, not every opportunity will be quite what you expect, and sometimes you’ll feel discouraged or unsure. But every hardship presents us with a chance to grow as people, and time spent growing is time well spent. Maintaining their mental health is one of the greatest challenges an artist can face, especially when trying to balance their art with studying or employment. Which is why this March, we’ve decided to share a spotlight on some of our favourite mental health organisations. Help Musicians; the UK’s leading charity for mental health in the music industry, have established Music Minds Matter, a 24/7 confidential support line for those who need counseling and advice. Working on this issue of The MNGR has been a massive learning experience for me. Our interview with our wonderful cover star Tizi gave me the experience of my first photoshoot, as well as my first chance at filming video content for our website with our Vice of Editorial, Brenda Combs. Our interview with Glory Talks, a Broadcast Journalism student with her own show on Reprezent Radio, was also my first time overseeing an interview as Head of Editorial. I even took on our interview with NEACH after I happened to run into Lucas Rakotoharisoa, an LCM student and the band’s guitarist/pianist. It just goes to show that you never stop learning, and you never know who you’ll end up meeting.
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As this semester reaches its end, and the Student Committee Elections draw near, it’s important to remember what The MNGR is all about: opportunity. It’s entirely possible that the next time you see us we have an entirely different team, and have taken on an entirely different look. What will never change however, is how far we’ll go to help our fellow students, or the strength of the platform we provide for our fellow artists.
BEN JAMIESON head of editorial
MARCH / APRIL 2020
opportunities
ABOUT The MNGR is a student-led multimedia and events platform which aims to support local UWL/LCM talent and UK’s emerging acts. All students involved are members of the University of West London’s Student Union. Most are studying in the London College of Music and London School of Film, Media, and Design. Though an affiliate of the University of West London, London College of Music, and the University of West London’s Student Union, all opinions and views expressed in The MNGR are solely ours/those of the writers with no direct conjunction to the university.
ISSUE 8 TEAM HEAD OF EDITORIAL / Ben Jamieson @JAMIESONBEN12 VICE OF EDITORIAL / Brenda Combs @BRENWHOMST COVER PHOTOGRAPHER / Marie Junker @PICTUREMARIEH PRESIDENT, COVER DESIGN, MAGAZINE DESIGN / Eethan Bello @EETHANBELLO
CONTRIBUTORS WRITER / Madalena Brederode @MADALENABREDERODE WRITER / Kim Nickerson @KIMISTEFANIE PHOTOGRAPHER / Dani Torress @TORRESS_PHOTOGRAPHY PLAYLIST / Annalena Burger @JUSTLIKELENA PLAYLIST / Abigail Langley @ABELOJALA
FEATURE / JOIN If you would like to be a part of the team or be featured on our following magazine issues, website, social media, Spotify playlists, Believe the Hype podcast, or Grey Area acoustic lounge sessions, email us THEMNGRMAG@GMAIL.COM.
STAY UPDATED THEMNGRMAG.COM @THEMNGRMAG SEARCH ‘THEMNGR’
ISSUE 8 FEATURES PG. 01
MENTAL HEALTH AND THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
PG. 07
COVER ARTIST: TIZI
PG. 11
UPCOMING RELEASE: NEACH
CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS PG. 13
LONDON COLLEGE OF MUSIC: ARTISTS & PRODUCERS
PG. 17
NO MUSIC ON A DEAD PLANET
PG. 19
ACCESS ALL AREAS MUSIC SEMINAR
PG. 20
POWER PLAYLIST_VOLUME FOUR_EXTENDED
PG. 21
THANK U, NEXT
PG. 05
PRESENTER PROFILE GLORY TALKS
MENTAL HEALTH AND THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
WRITTEN BY BRENDA COMBS & EETHAN BELLO
01
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The music industry is unique in a multitude of ways, but one of the most prominent factors is how the industry is viewed from an outsider versus insider perspective. An outsider may assume that an artist is spending 90% of their time listening, streaming, creating, and investing their time in music, but not know that same creative may not be knowledgeable about the music industry itself. There are endless misconceptions that lead to a disillusion between what the world sees and what the people in the industry are experiencing. One of the most significant drawbacks from the mysteriousness of the music industry and the expectations that follow is the effect that these views have on professionals, and especially on musicians. By now, we are all too familiar with the fact that there is a mental health epidemic in the music industry. In 2016, the most extensive study about mental health in the UK’s music industry was piloted between Help Musicians and the University of Westminster’s MusicTank. The two-part study ‘Can Music Make You Sick?’ was authored by Sally Anne Gross and Dr. George Musgrave. There were 2,211 industry professionals who took part in the studies, which included musicians, DJs, live crew, and artist managers.
71.1%
of respondents believed that they have experienced incidences of anxiety and panic attack.
68.5%
of respondents reported incidents of depression. Despite mental health becoming a hot topic for nearly every industry, these conversations have yet to be popularised within the music
industries. One assumed reason can be that music industry leaders might believe that the more creative someone is, the more work they will produce, thus ultimately generating a higher profit. This can be seen with painters like Vincent Van Gogh whose experiences with mental health have become a historical narrative to today’s current pop culture artists like Kanye West, who states in his song ‘Feedback’ from his album Life of Pablo: “Name one genius that ain’t crazy.” The romanticisation of the ‘tortured artist’ idea is so elegantly swept into our culture that many are unaware of the serious problem that these kinds of ideals implicate. This ideation dates as far back as 4th century B.C when Aristotle stated that, “All men who have attained excellence in philosophy, in poetry, in art, and in politics, even Socrates and Plato, had a melancholic habitus; indeed, some suffered even from the melancholic disease.” For an artist or musician trying to make it in the music industry, it often involves working full-time jobs on top of being a music industry professional in order to generate enough income for basic survival needs. Gigs are often unpaid or barely cover the cost of transportation, but the opportunity is taken with the hopes of gaining the attention of the audience. For the more established artists, musicians, and professionals, touring is a primary means of generating income. However, what comes with touring is the discomfort of sleeping in a vehicle or tour bus for multiple nights, distance from home-comforts, poor diets, and being surrounded by alcohol or substance abuse. These are just two examples of how leading a life in the music industry can affect one’s mental health.
KEITH FLINT 1969 - 2019
AVICII
1989 - 2018
In order to encourage a vibrant music industry, we must keep these conversations going. The music industry must work harder to open the discussion and provide a safe space for each other. In the wake of the recent suicides from Keith Flint, Avicii, Chester Bennington and Jonghyun, the music industry is being called on to provide more emotional support towards its professionals. More recently, pop culture icons such as Adele, Stormzy, and Dave have been graciously open voices in the media advocating awareness for mental health in the music industry while sharing their own battles. The voices of these musicians are essential, but the music industry still needs more access to mental health education, training, and help. The leading charity for mental health in the UK music industry is Help Musicians. The independent charity supports professional musicians of all genres, from starting out through to retirement. Firstly, the charity specifically helps emerging professionals to develop their talent and get started in their professional careers by offering funding. Secondly, they provide help to existing professionals who are facing any crisis in their life, whether it’s a financial issue or physical/physiological health problem. Lastly, they provide help to any music industry professional if they have any long-term injuries or illnesses. Music Minds Matter is a support line and service operating 24/7 for the whole UK music community funded by Help Musicians. The support line is free, confidential, and operated by trained staff. They offer emotional support, advice, and information, signposting to other specialist services, debt, and legal advice. Music Minds Matter provides support even if there isn’t a crisis or the issue isn’t about music. Access to free counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy, over the phone or online from qualified counsellors, may also be provided.
CHESTER BENNINGTON 1976 - 2017
JONGHYUN 1990 - 2017
“WE’VE HIT A TIPPING POINT WHERE THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN OUR INDUSTRY — ARTISTS AS WELL AS CREW — ARE COMMODITIES. PEOPLE ARE WORKING TWICE AS HARD TO STAY IN THE SAME SPOT THEY USED TO. THE PRESSURES ARE RATCHETED UP.” KEVIN LYMAN, FOUNDER OF WARPED TOUR
HOW CAN I HELP?
The past ten years have been some of the most prominent when it comes to research in mental health, and mental health has even become a “buzzword” in certain places in the industry. Until there are more prominent aspects of the industry created to combat and spread awareness for mental health, what we can all do now is to try to remember to check in on friends in any creative industry, especially the ones who seem like they are doing great.
If you want to be involved more, on the right is a list of UK based organizations that are currently offering support to everyone in the music community to improve mental health in musicians, professionals, and everyone else in the music community. These organizations offer volunteer opportunities, seminars, as well as donation instructions. The MNGR released a podcast episode with an open discussion about mental health in the music industry. You can listen to Believe the Hype episodes on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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Glory Talks is not your typical Broadcast Journalism student. She’s a 19-year-old broadcast performer who lets her green head, as well as her energetic and loud personality, shine through and define who she is. For her, having something about yourself that makes you stand out from the rest is key when pursuing a career in radio. “It adds flavour to your content and it attracts an audience that’s different from everyone else’s,” she says. Although Glory has been working in radio for a few years now, this isn’t a field that she saw herself pursuing when she was younger. “From day one it was, ‘Acting, that’s it!’”. It wasn’t until her English teacher suggested that she spent a day at the radio studio, that Glory developed her interest in the broadcasting world. This led her to, later on, apply for work experience at Reprezent 107.3 FM, a radio station based in Brixton, where she currently has her own show. She started off by helping out on smaller things, such as social media and producing, and eventually got her own breakfast show. “Nine months later, everyone came in and said ‘You’ve got your own show now’,” she said. She currently has her very own Friday lunchtime show, which she believes suits her personality a bit better. She works out her segments around stories that happen to her or to the people around her. Glory finds it important, though, that the content isn’t forced, advising that it should “be about your life, but without making it about you, if that makes sense.” She is keen on finding out more about the people she interviews and learning more about their journey as a person and as a professional. Glory described interviewing the royal couple, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, as the golden moment in her career. She’s proud of where she is now and everything she’s achieved, but doing that interview is something she’ll never forget. Like most people, Glory also has a figure that she looks up to. British radio presenter, Julie Adenuga, a DJ at Apple’s Beats 1 and, according to Glory, she stands out because of her technique, presence and because “she doesn’t look like many female radio presenters now.” For Glory, this is important, as she believes no one should change who they are to please other people. “Don’t change your personality or image to be someone else, there’s no one else in the world like you.”
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“What interests me the most is the mixture of music and talking, and talking about music.” Tune in to listen to her show, Glory Talks, every Friday, from 12:00 to 14:00, on Reprezent 107.3 FM, where you can catch some tunes and chit chat as if you’re going over playlists with a friend!
WRITTEN BY MADELENA BREDERODE THE MNGR
ISSUE 8
STAY UPDATED WITH GLORY @GLORYTALKS @GLORY_TALKS
TIZI
is a Swiss-born singer and currently pursuing her MA Music Industry Management and Artist Development in the London College of Music. Her debut single ‘Lost Myself’ was released in May 2019 followed by ‘The Man I Wish You Knew’ this January 2020. Since moving to London, Tizi has started to pave her way in the bustling DIY scene. She has performed in the legendary Troubadour based in West London to support both single releases.
AN INTERVIEW WITH
TIZI INTERVIEW BY BRENDA COMBS PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIE JUNKER
YOU RELEASED YOUR DEBUT SINGLE ON MAY 31ST AND YOU JUST HAD YOUR SECOND RELEASE ON JANUARY 1ST. TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE TO FINALLY OUT YOURSELF OUT THERE, THE BRAND YOU’VE BEEN CURATING AND CREATING FOR SOME TIME. It’s super scary to release music out in the world, especially because I’m based in London, but also from Switzerland. So, I’ve been trying to release it in both cities. But it’s not that easy to build a brand in like two different cities. ARE THERE ANY MAJOR DIFFERENCE THAT YOU NOTICED BETWEEN THE MUSIC SCENE IN LONDON VERSUS SWITZERLAND… WHETHER IT’S PERFORMANCE, GETTING ACCESS TO LIVE VENUES, ACCESS TO STUDIO SPACE? There’s actually a huge difference, especially when it comes to the quality of venues. I’m not saying that UK venues are not good quality, but often in London when you show up to a venue, the microphones are broken or the leads are just dodgy. In Switzerland, the quality is often like just really amazing. And you get there and the sound engineer is just spot on and on time. So, in London, you often have to wait till things get together. But I love it in both cities.
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WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO LONDON? My mum was actually born in London. So, for us as a family, it was always like just such a cool city to visit. And the opportunities in Switzerland aren’t that big for when it comes to the music industry. I always wanted to live abroad but America was too far for my family. So, we made a compromise and said, “Alright, London’s the place to be.” SO VERY COOL. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO STUDY AT A MASTER’S LEVEL? I KNOW WE DO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT & ARTIST DEVELOPMENT COURSE TOGETHER HERE. I think a lot of singers, just artist in general, might not have a lot of knowledge about copyright or marketing and all these things, and I thought it was just important for me personally to gain all this knowledge. DO YOU PLAN TO USE THIS KNOWLEDGE TO CONTINUE BEING A SELF-MANAGING ARTIST? IS IT A GOAL FOR YOU TO BE SIGNED OR DO YOU WANT TO KEEP UP WITH THE DIY SELF-MANAGING TRACK? I have not thought about this at all at the moment. I feel like I really want to do the self-managing for a long time, like definitely for the next two years. Well, you never know where things will take you, so I can’t really say. Life might be different in three months,
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but I definitely want to self-manage at the moment. LET’S TALK MORE ABOUT YOUR MOST RECENT RELEASE. FROM THE PROMOTION ON YOUR INSTAGRAM, I KNOW THAT THIS SONG HAD A VERY SPECIAL PLACE IN YOUR HEART AND THAT THE SONG AND RELEASE ARE SYMBOLIC FOR A LOT OF REASONS. The song is for my mom because she wanted me to write a song about my brother. I actually wanted to release this on his birthday, that was in August. But then I thought I wanted to start off this new decade and 2020 with a very personal special song. So, my brother, he was very a very special kid. He had a very serious immune deficiency illness, I don’t really know the full term. He had a lot of media attention around him because he kind of he ended up being one of the most important Swiss people in 2004. He wrote two children’s books, was in loads of interviews and was just a super, super special person. That’s what I really wanted to do, honour his life and how special he was.
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IT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL TRACK; I LOVE THE COVER ART FOR IT. I’M ASSUMING THAT’S A PICTURE OF YOU TWO? Yes, it’s the two of us. It was actually a really famous photographer who was a friend of my brother. He met loads of famous people, and so he took this picture of a special moment of the two of us. And we were just goofing around playing in our house. IT’S SO COOL TO THINK THAT ONE SPECIAL SMALL MOMENT IS NOW THIS BEAUTIFUL THING THAT YOU’VE CREATED WITH ARTISTIC VISION, TO THEN GET TO PROMOTE AND GET TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD. I LOVE TO SEE A GOOD FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT… IS THERE ANY CERTAIN VALUE IN FOLLOWER NUMBERS? A NUMERICAL VALUE THAT YOU SEE AND THINK, “THIS IS SUCCESS TO ME.” Honestly, to me, as long as I can sing and just perform, I’m good. And how many followers I have? I really don’t care. As long as I can sing and people can relate to my music, then that’s success to me.
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“HONESTLY, TO ME, AS LONG AS I CAN SING AND JUST PERFORM, I’M GOOD. AND HOW MANY FOLLOWERS I HAVE? I REALLY DON’T CARE. AS LONG AS I CAN SING AND PEOPLE CAN RELATE TO MY MUSIC, THEN THAT’S SUCCESS TO ME.” IF YOU COULD… I HATE PUTTING THINGS IN BOXES, BUT IF YOU WERE TO PUT YOUR MUSIC IN A CERTAIN GENRE WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER IT? I would consider it soul, like an upbeat kind of soul and not neo-soul. I ask myself that question all the time. It’s like some songs come out as more R&B, some songs come out more as pop and soul. So, I guess I’m a bit like pop, soul, R&B.
A FULL VIDEO OF THE INTERVIEW CAN BE WATCHED ON OUR WEBSITE.
IF WE WERE TO OPEN UP YOUR PHONE RIGHT NOW AND GO ON YOUR FAVOURITE STREAMING SERVICE, WHICHEVER ONE YOU USE, WHAT SONG WOULD YOU BE PLAYING? It changes every day with my moods. I always go back to anything by John Mayer, I love John Mayer. Alicia Keys; her first two albums, they’re just amazing. I’ve just found Raquel Rodriguez. Jesus, she’s amazing. And this is very soul R&B music, she’s so good, she would be the person that I’d be listening to right now. IF YOU HAD ONE WISH AND YOU COULD CHANGE ANYTHING IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT MIGHT BE? I was thinking about this the other day and asked all my friends around. The only thing that came up that stuck with me was just honesty. Just being honest to yourself, just don’t try to be someone else that you’re not, and be true to yourself. DO YOU HAVE ANY UPCOMING RELEASES? I’m working on a song at the moment and hopefully releasing it in March or April, so springtime.
STAY UPDATED WITH TIZI @TIZIMUSICC @TIZIVASS
- NE ACH INTERVIEW BY BEN JAMIESON PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANI TORRESS
NEACH are a London based rock band comprised of brothers Andria and Lucas Rakotoharisoa, on vocals and guitar/piano respectively, as well as bassist Daniel Harkin, and drummer Jermaine Alexander. Lucas is studying Songwriting and Recording, and Jermaine is studying Performance and Recording, both at Level 3 with UWL. In anticipation of the release of their newest single, ‘Make Me Wanna’, we asked the Rakotoharisoa brothers a few questions about how they’ve grown as artists.
HOW DOES CONSIDERING YOURSELVES ‘OUTSIDERS’ AFFECT YOUR MUSIC? AR: Lyrically, our songs are deeply influenced by our experiences. Writing songs is a way of putting everything into perspective and putting some distance. All that time feeling different, being on our own, we were creatively “charged” and we used this feeling. WHAT DO YOU FIND TO BE THE GREATEST CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS ARTISTS? AR: Communicating. We know that musically we have a chance to convince people. But when the show is over and the lights are off, it’s hard. Using words is so much harder than singing. HOW WILL YOUR FIRST ALBUM DIFFER FROM YOUR FIRST EP, SOMETHING ELSE? AR: The EP was an introduction. With the album we want to go further. LR: Something Else is a very introverted EP, really. The recent songs we composed are likely to make it into the album. They are stronger and bolder. ‘Make Me Wanna’ is one of them. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM YOUR FIRST TIME IN A STUDIO? LR: The first time, you are drowning. And we learned it’s alright to drown because if you need some help, someone will throw you a line. Sometimes you need to jump in at the deep end and when you do, you must not let your pride drag you down. WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU CONSIDER YOUR FIRST ALBUM AS A SUCCESS? AR: If the album helped us get some recognition so that we could play our songs in different places, venues in front of a new audience it would be a success. LR: I think you are never the author of your own success. If people are somehow touched by it, then it’s a success for us. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE IN WHICH YOU’VE PERFORMED LIVE? AR: It wasn’t in London, there haven’t been many gigs here anyway yet. But as for my best gig memory, it was in France with one of my previous bands. The crowd booed us when we came on stage cause they wanted
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to see another band. But then we started playing and we won the crowd. The feeling was exhilarating at the end when everybody was shouting. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR NEXT SINGLE ‘MAKE ME WANNA’? LR: I think it could have fit in the AC/DC catalogue. WHAT DO YOU EACH CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST STRENGTHS? AR: Artistically, it would be my sensitivity. I’m oversensitive. It didn’t help in my personal or professional life but that’s where my inspiration comes from. It also helps me on stage, because I feel like I can connect more easily with the public. I let my sensitivity take control during the shows and I behave quite naturally just feeling and following the music on stage after that. LR: When I was younger I thought empathy was a superpower. Now I know it can change the world and I think today, we need it more than ever. HOW HAS YOUR TIME AT YOUR RESPECTIVE UNIVERSITIES AFFECTED YOUR MUSIC? AR: It helped me grow, gain a certain maturity and definitely realise that music was my real passion. LR: When you are in a place with incredible people, you want to say incredible things to them. UWL is one of those places. It makes us want to create the best music possible. WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST NON-MUSICAL, ARTISTIC INFLUENCES? AR: Writers. It’s hard to create complex pieces of music that last for hours. It’s definitely not the trend today. But when you read a book or a series of books where the author pays attention to the tiniest detail… and at the same time builds a coherent, tasty, vast universe, it’s really impressive and inspiring. Tolkien, Asimov, Herbert are really wonderful minds. Athletes also inspire me. Particularly Lewis Hamilton: not what you’re used to seeing in Formula 1, but still the best. LR: Same. Although I would add Rabearivelo to the list.
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LONDON COLLEGE OF MUSIC:
ARTISTS & PRODUCERS Ana Bulnes is a multi-genre producer and singersongwriter. She was raised in Honduras and currently based in London pursuing a degree in Music Recording and Production. The 23-year old artist has contrived her music with a variety of international rhythms, making her music belong to a non-genre category. Throughout her life, she has lived in various countries internationally which has allowed her to build an extensive network with different artists and musicians.
@ANABULNESMUSIC
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Eline Mann is not your average singer-songwriter, but a soulful and versatile R&B/pop singer from the Netherlands. You might know her voice from her debut single ‘Paint it Black’ (an electronic remake of the Rolling Stones original), which has been streamed over 1.5 million times on Spotify. Last year, she released her debut EP called Tantrum which is now available on all streaming platforms. Live, she likes to perform either full band or solo. Expect catchy choruses, authentic adlibs and a whole lot of attitude!
@ELINEMANNMUSIC
Léo Foulloy is a new French singer-songwriter. He started out by posting covers on his YouTube channel and Instagram page in 2018 and is now working on releasing originals to these same platforms. Mainly influenced by pop artists in the likes of Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi and Khalid, his acoustic style is slowly transitioning to more produced tracks and modern pop approach.
@LEOFOOY
By all rights, Ayanam should not be a good musician. Coordination came as a struggle to him due to his dyspraxia. He suffers from anxiety. He was woeful during his piano lessons and can only play 6 chords on the guitar. He learned how to sing by listening to Backstreet Boys CDs (actually this one makes a lot of sense...a music career was inevitable). Yet he was a quarter-finalist on The Voice UK 2019 under the mentorship of Sir Tom Jones and has now performed at some of London’s best venues including The Ned Hotel, Nobu, The Troubadour and The Bedford. He has a trio of soulful numbers on Spotify already but, this year, he wants to go all out. He has a dream of going to the studio and developing an entire EP right there and then, with songs coming off the top of his head. Whether this works and becomes a commercial success is improbable, but so are a lot of things that have happened in his life thus far.
@AYANAM_MUSIC
PRYNNE is a New Zealand raised artist whose music carves an intriguing path between dreamy atmospherics, lyrical finesse and beat-driven electronics. Barefooted, wild, ocean roots and a yearning to share with her listeners those tender, electric moments that give the blood wobbles. Her debut single ‘apology to an ex lover’ is an unfiltered ode to a past relationship. An honest, soothing sincerity and raw vocal presence are tied together with natural, vibey sonics. The single is self-produced by PRYNNE and mixed by the evertalented Matías Torres Solé and Rob Plummer.
@PRYNNE.TUNES
Simona Zemgulyte is a guitarist and electronic music producer from Kaunas, Lithuania. She is currently in her second year studying Electronic Music Production. Since eight years old she started to go to the music school where she learned how to play with the classical guitar. At the age of 14, Simona gained interest in music production and DJ’ing, therefore, she attended to some DJ societies and started to make her first tracks. In 2016 Simona graduated from music school. She also left her high school and decided to study the sound directing course in Conservatoire in her hometown. There she had not only recording and producing classes but also piano, classical music theory, history and harmony lessons. The years in the music school and conservatoire created a big impact on her music production. Nowadays, she writes music that has electronic and classical musical elements.
@SZMGLT
Glass Locus is the musical alias of Matthew Holloway and half of duo Vegetable Milk. He is an Electronic Music Production student that has been making electronic music for the last 7 years, releasing with multiple independent labels in the genres of ambient music and techno. His work takes the form of an ethereal blend of synths and manipulation of found sounds, making music that is for both listening in headphones and playing in the club. His debut album Escapism was released in 2018, with multiple upcoming singles and an EP releasing soon.
@GLASSLOCUS
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WRITTEN BY KIM NICKERSON 2019 is the year that we saw the rise of the movement towards tackling the climate crisis, which was spearheaded by teenage activist Greta Thunberg. Music Declares Emergency (MDE) is a group of artists, music industry professionals and organisations that believe in the power of music to fight for a cultural change that is needed to create a better future. The group came together to declare a climate and ecological emergency and call for an immediate response from the government to protect all life on Earth. The global climate has been changing since the dawn of time. However, the composition of the atmosphere has changed since the beginning of the industrialisation due to greenhouse gas emissions. The humancaused warming of the earth’s core only intensifies the natural greenhouse effect, which led to a slow but steady change of our global climate over the years. Even though this threat to our planet has been a leading topic in advocacy, politics and media until late 2010, no significant action was ever taken to try and prevent this change in the climate. However, in the January 2020 issue of the scientific journal Bio Science, over 11,000 scientists agreed that declaring global warming as a climate emergency or climate crisis was not only appropriate but necessary. Constant increase in livestock populations, meat production, tree cover loss, fossil fuel consumption, air transport and CO2 emissions have already shown the effects it has on the climate with rising temperatures, global ice melt and extreme weather. And this will only continue to get worse.
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The music industry is an ecological wasteland. With hundreds of live events happening every weekend throughout the UK, that’s thousands of disposable plastic cups used in venues only to be collected at the end of the show and thrown into the recycling bins left to decompose for 1,000 years. However, steps from industry leaders are slowly tackling the climate crisis by trying to find a more sustainable way to run the music industry. Glastonbury Festival went plasticfree in 2019, encouraging festival-goers to bring reusable water bottles and providing water refill stations throughout the fields. MDE believes that music, musicians and the music business have a unique cultural and economic power to demand systematic changes required to secure all life on earth. The group calls on every professional within the industry to join the movement and declare a climate emergency. Only when the necessary cultural and operational changes occur, will it be possible to work towards a carbon-neutral future and a safer planet for all life. 1,425 artists, 725 organisations, and 595 individuals have declared their support to MDE, including the Big Three: Universal, Warner, and Sony. MDE has provided a list of ‘actions’ that one can take to support their declaration; the lists are separated in categories for creators, labels, publishers, venues, festivals, promoters, managers, agents, and fans. The tailored list takes every individual, professional, and organisation into consideration.
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“WE ARE IN A SYSTEM WHERE COMMODITIES ARE SHIPPED AND FLOWN AROUND THE WORLD CONSTANTLY. AS A MUSICIAN, YOU ARE ONE OF THESE COMMODITIES. THIS IS A SYSTEM THAT EVERYONE IS PART OF AND NOT JUST THE TOURING MUSICIAN. IF YOU’VE EVER BEEN TO A FESTIVAL OR A GIG BY A BAND THAT’S NOT FROM YOUR LOCAL AREA, THEN YOU’RE PART OF THIS SYSTEM.” FAY MILTON, FOUNDER OF MUSIC DECLARES EMERGENCY
STAY UPDATED WITH ACCESS ALL AREAS @AAASEMINARS
Access All Areas is a brand-new music seminar, industry networking event, and artist showcase. The event is founded by Hakeem Stevens (MA Music Industry Management student and CEO at USM Media Group) and Celetia Martin. The event is scheduled to take place every two months at the music industry hub, Tileyard Studios Gallery. Access All Areas is partnered with Tileyard Impact and Kol Social, with sponsorship from The Glass Hive. Their inaugural event that was held on 14th March held the theme “Unlocking The Next Level” and boasted a strong panellist lineup: DJ Ace (BBC 1Xtra and Record Box), Shaurav D’ Silva (2TE and Warner Music), Jasmine Dotiwala (BBC London, The Source, MTV, and Media Trust), Anthony Layiwola (Loski and Base N Rebulz), and Ben Wynter (PRS Foundation and Unstoppable Music Group). The panel was moderated by Ras Kwame (Capital Xtra and Orange Hill Productions), who steered the discussion with advice to the audience on what steps they need to take to elevate their career. The networking event was hosted by a set from DJ Longers and closed with an exclusive artist showcase from unsigned UK talents: Esther Durin, Flynn Marks, and Jae. The Access All Areas events will provide up-close and personal experiences with top executives in the music industry to discuss ways of breaking in the music industry and gaining the tools required to succeed at the very top of the game. If you’re gutted to have missed their launch event, make sure to stay updated with Access All Areas through their social media platforms for their next event this May! WRITTEN BY EETHAN BELLO
listen to the full playlist on our spotify, search ‘themngr’
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THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU To all of our society members. To all of our non-society members who helped us achieve any of our projects or goals. To all of the societies we collaborated with. To all of our previous committee and society members since our inception in 2015. To anyone who attended any of our events. To every artist, band, musician, or producer we featured. To the Student Union staff, especially Zander Lavall. To London College of Music, especially Danny Hagan. To you, our readers and supporters.
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THE MNGR
ISSUE 8
PRESIDENT Eethan Bello* / @eethanbello VICE PRESIDENT Joana Carvalho* / @joanapereiracarvalho HEAD OF EVENTS Toby Dwyer / @tobyd98 VICE OF EVENTS Monika Dincheva / @monika_zander HEAD OF EDITORIAL [TERM 2] Ben Jamieson / @jamiesonben12 VICE OF EDITORIAL [TERM 2] Brenda Combs* / @brenwhomst HEAD OF DIGITAL MARKETING [TERM 1] Érica Catarina* / @eriberries_ HEAD OF DIGITAL MARKETING [TERM 2] Elisabet Leppänen / @lizzieviolette VICE OF DIGITAL MARKETING [TERM 2] Kim Nickerson* / @kimistefanie
We hope that the new committee in the upcoming 2020-2021 academic year will continue on our success and progress, and we wish them all the best. So what’s actually next? Stay tuned on our socials to find out!
WHAT’S NEXT WITH THE MNGR? WHAT’S NEXT WITH THE MNGR? WHAT’S NEXT WITH THE MNGR? WHAT’S NEXT WITH THE MNGR?
It’s the end of the 2019-2020 academic year, which makes this is the last magazine issue with our current committee. The MNGR has been an immense success this year, and it’s all thanks to the hard work of our team! Half of our current committee will be graduating*, and we hope that their experiences with The MNGR have helped push them closer towards their goals.
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