Local Hero Award

I was really shocked when I received a call from BBC Radio Merseyside presenter, Dave Monks to let me know that I had won another award for my Lockdown Love Sings project.

This time it was through the Association of Independent Musicians (AIM) for my contribution as a “Local Hero”.

As with anything like that there is a whole team of people who are responsible for making it happen. So my thanks goes out to everyone who sang on the project, Zut Media and Parr Street Studios. Without the efforts of everybody involved I wouldn’t have a gorgeous award in pride of place on my mantlepiece. Thank to you all I now have smooch appreciation and love.

If you would like to listen to the interview you can do so here. It’s one hour and 3 minutes into the programme.

Cream Classical on the Waterfront

I had the pleasure organising the 32-piece choir and for lead singers for the Cream Classical performances on the Waterfront in Liverpool last weekend. 

The 2 shows on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th September were just what the doctor ordered. They reminded us that when we sing together we feel a million times better and after the last 18 months it was so needed.

Being able to rehearse and then perform to crowds of 8,000 entertainment hungry fans was the perfect tonic. We sang and danced to classic house tunes and the audience did exactly the same. It was a perfect exchange of appreciation and joy.

Huge thanks to Cream, Ameritz, my wonderful choir Sense of Sound Singers, Kaleidoscope Orchestra and the curators K-Klass who yet again curated a programme of music that didn’t disappoint. From a stage point of view, with the river Mersey on our left, the iconic Liver Buildings on our right and a full moon up ahead on the Sunday evening it really was one of life’s highlights that will never be forgotten.

Liverpool City Region Black Lives Matter manifesto

Following the recent recruitment of eight new Music Board members, the Manifesto’s action to increase the cultural mix of Board membership and sub-groups, with a commitment to a minimum of 30% Black members has now been accomplished. And the Board is developing a specific Black Lives Matter sub-group, chaired by Jennifer John, who played a significant role in the creation of the Manifesto.

Created in response to the Black Lives Matter Movement and born from the LCR Music Board’s dedication to diversity and inclusivity, the manifesto details the Board’s commitment to acknowledging the contribution of Black people to the local music scene, past and present, while also improving the support and incorporation of Black music professionals, Black-led organisations and their work, into Liverpool City Region’s music and music culture eco-system.

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“As a black female music industry professional, I know first-hand about the challenges that exist when trying to progress in an industry that’s historically not as inclusive as it should be.

As a Music Board we aim to be proactive in the strategic development of a sustainable infrastructure that includes and supports black artists working within the sector across all music genres.

The BLM sub-group is a collaboration of music industry professionals and creatives who have a wealth of experience and a cross-section of skills and experience that we can all share and learn from. This is an invaluable opportunity to redress imbalance and create a sustainable and dynamic sector that the City Region can be extremely proud of.”

— Jennifer John

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LCR Music Board, and specifically its BLM sub-group, is contributing to a research project led by The University of Liverpool, which focuses on the challenges and needs of Black music creatives and industry professionals, as well as those specialising in Black music, based in the Liverpool City Region. This research project will generate key recommendations that will inform actions to be driven into policy and practice by the LCR Music Board.

The Black Lives Matter sub-group is composed of local industry professionals. The members are:

• Jennifer John - Jennifer John Music (Chair)

• Barbara Philips - Positive Impact

• Yaw Owusu - The Playmaker Group

• Les Spaine - Les Spaine Music

• Paul Duhaney - Africa Oyé

• Saad Shaffi - 24 Kitchen Street

• Hannah Lynch - DJ

• DJ 2Kind - DJ & L100 owner

• Julian Gill - Songwriter & Content creator

• Mo Ogleh - 2-Tone Artist manager

• Mike Cave - Mix & Mastering Engineer

• Alicia Smith - Culture Liverpool

Going forward the LCR Music Board aims to consciously ensure that the city’s Black music scene is fairly represented in all marketing materials that sell the city as a music tourism destination. And the Board has made the decision to no longer use the acronym ‘BAME’, nor will it use “urban” as the generic term to describe music of Black origin.

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“If Liverpool is to be an authentic city of music then it needs to reflect the multi-culturalism and more specifically the contribution that Black people and Black music has made and continues to make, and the corresponding wealth of music, culture and business that results from this. We believe that this is also core to being a UNESCO City of Music in the 21st Century.”

— Jennifer John

The LCR Music Board BLM Manifesto can be downloaded here: Black Lives Matter – LCRMB Manifesto 2021

Light Night 2021

Recently, I announced that an installation by artist Haroon Mirza would be made as part of this year’s Biennial.

Watch Pathology in Three Parts 2021, created for this year’s Light Night:

About the commission:

Haroon Mirza’s presentation for Liverpool Biennial 2021 comprises two elements: a video work, Pathology in Three Parts (2021) and a new choral performance The Three /\/\/’s (2021).

The Three /\/\/’s (2021) explores social gatherings and ritual and is informed by the Fibonacci sequence and golden ratio – a mathematical phenomenon visible throughout nature and often applied in classical art. This ongoing performance featuring Liverpool based singers will not invite an audience while restrictions apply, and will instead be documented, with the resulting footage forming the central element of the new three-part video work. In collaboration with Mirza, Jennifer John has led the ensemble of composers and performers, made up of Anne Taft, Emma Bispham, Jennifer John, Steve Boyland and Tayo Aluko in order to evolve the vocal interpretations of the ritual.

Pathology in Three Parts (2021) follows Mirza’s “modular opera” structure, and features two scenes or “acts” from a previous iteration, Construction of an Act (2019), either side of this new performative element. As new acts join the repertoire, the narrative, based around a shaman who uses her voice to heal, unfolds exploring ideas of sound, medicine and mystical experience. Both works ask us to consider the sociological and physiological properties of the human voice, and explores Mirza's interest in systems of belief, waveforms and patterns of movement.

Pathology in Three Parts (2021), will feature on Mirza’s forthcoming album released in digital format on the TAKUROKU label as part of a collaboration with Café OTO on 21 May 2021.

Featuring material commissioned by the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art for the Melbourne International Festival (2019).

Pathology in Three Parts (2021) vocal performance by Sarah-Jane Lewis.

The Three /\/\/’s (2021) features performances by Anne Taft, Emma Bispham, Jennifer John, Steve Boyland and Tayo Aluko.

Commissioned by Liverpool Biennial, with support from Open Culture.

Premiering as part of LightNight 2021: Play

Supported by PRS Foundation

I was recently successful in securing some funding and a place on a new initiative run by Performing Rights Society Foundation (PRS).

The #POWERUP programme will enable myself and 19 other music industry professionals to be part of a national network that has equality and inclusion at its heart. One of my main ambitions for the programme is to develop a really dynamic vocal session agency that showcases the talents of singers who are based in the region.

I am really excited and proud to be included in the 1st #POWERUP programme which will develop and support my role as a music industry professional. I am looking forward to meeting and working alongside the other successful applicants.

Liverpool Biennial Commission

I am super excited to be part of a dream team of amazing singers for this year's Biennial extravaganza.

I have been musically directing and project managing an extremely challenging process of vocal improvisation in a collaboration with artist Haroon Mirza for his new presentation within the festival: The Three /\/\/\/’s (2021) . This particular piece will explore The Golden Ratio/Fibonacci sequence sometimes referred to as The Divine Proportion. It is fascinating and can be found occurring throughout the natural world. See here for more details about what it is.

My role is to interpret the concept for voices and I have loved every challenging second of it. I have chosen the singers who have been working with me throughout the process very carefully for their own unique artistry and courageous approaches to improvised singing. Anne Taft, Emma Bispham, Tayo Aluko and Steve Boyland have been developing the piece and we are discovering new techniques and approaches throughout the whole rehearsal process which has definitely made me want to develop my own personal skills within this genre of music-making.

An installation is planned for this year's Light Night which is happening on May 21st. Location and times are still to be confirmed, but keep watching this space.

Commissioned by Liverpool Biennial. Supported by Open Culture.

This is why we sing - Podcast

I was invited to be a guest on a new podcast to talk about my passion for singing and its role in social change.

‘This Is Why We Sing’ is a podcast that aims to open up the conversation around singing and explore how it can help us to lead happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives. Host James Sills Music is a musician, singing leader and author who is passionate about the transformative power of singing. He is also the founder of The Sofa Singers.

In Series One, James will be talking to choir leaders, authors, composers, psychologists and songwriters across ten weekly episodes, all offering inspiring insights on singing and the impact that it can have on communities, our mental health, wellbeing and more.

Listen on iTunes, Spotify and Youtube or on www.thisiswhywesing.com

Vice Chair of 20 Stories High

I am really honoured to have been appointed Vice Chair of 20 Stories High.

20 Stories High is an award-winning youth theatre company based in Liverpool. They make theatre with young people from excluded communities, emerging & world-class artists. They bring young people into theatre venues and go out into their communities.

Equality and inclusion are at the heart of what they do. I love their work and the social changes they are able to make by doing so.

We Are She - Collaborative Virtual Choir Creation - International Women's Week 2021

WE ARE SHE is an original choir piece about female empowerment, composed with girls and young women from Liverpool City Region, for the Breaking The Record music programme.

This online choir project was made up of vocal coaching sessions and collaborative songwriting workshops alongside discussions about female empowerment and equality. After some amazing conversations with the participants about what it is to be a young woman in the 21st century and particularly at a time when life is extra challenging, the song We Are She was composed.

As International Women’s Week is coming to an end, we're happy to present the virtual choir performance featuring all of the girls and women who have taken part. This video was produced by another talented woman from the Liverpool City Region: Jazamin Sinclair.

100 Women's Voices - Celebrating International Women’s Day 2021

I would love you to join me on International Women’s Day by attending this online singing workshop. I have composed a song specially for the occasion and will teach it to you all on the day.

I've called it ‘I'm choosing to Challenge’ which is in keeping with this year's official theme #ChooseToChallenge.

The workshop is open to all women aged 16 and above from around the world so please help me to spread the word and make it a momentous occasion. One that we can all be proud of forever.

WHEN   Monday 8th March, 6pm-7.30pm

WHERE   On Zoom

WHO   Open to all women aged 16 and above, from all around the world

More info and sign up form here

100 Women’s voices

LCR Culture and Creativity Awards - Winner!

So thrilled to have won the Impact Award for the individual Covid-19 response in the Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards for Love Sings, the lockdown virtual choir made up of 180 people from 15 different countries.

Thank you so much to all of the amazing singers who took part and made it so special.

Love Sings From Liverpool was made possible thanks to the collaboration with two other Liverpool businesses: Parr Street Studios for the sound, and Zút Media for the video.

The project raised £1,580 for two Liverpool-based charities impacted by the Covid-19 crisis: The Florrie, doing an amazing work checking on Liverpool 8’s most vulnerable and isolated residents by delivering food parcels and cleaning products, doing welfare visits to check up on people, running online classes and giving out masks to help their members and volunteers feel safer, and All Together Now, a free health and disability news magazine that gives people who are affected by disability information about opportunities to improve their lives.

It was a real community project with complete heart, soul and life affirming generosity of spirit in such uncertain times. Thank you so so much.

New disco track from Sense of Sound Singers

Sense of Sound Singers releases next month a brand new club Disco single with Liverpool production house Duo-Tone Productions: ​‘Show Me’​.

Duo-Tone teamed up with ​Sense of Sound Singers last year to deliver the choir’s first original single ​‘Time and Time Again’.​ The collaboration landed a ​Top 15 place in the Upfront Club Charts as well as notable playlist recognition on ​Hed Kandi’s Ibiza 2020 playlist and the ​Traxsource Essential Disco list.

‘Show Me’ ​dives even deeper into clubland than the previous release with a powerful electro beat meeting the fun uplifting vocals of ​Sense of Sound Singers​.

Introducing Amber Kuti

Amber Kuti ​takes the lead this time round bringing a smooth yet forceful vocal versatility to the track. By 24, Amber had already performed at ​Abbey Road Studios​, ​The Royal Opera House​, countless festivals and featured on the ​Black Panther ​soundtrack. With her captivating vocals combined with the track’s upbeat energy, ​‘Show Me’​ carries an infectious party atmosphere.

The release will also feature a remix courtesy of London duo ​Qwestlife​, the cross-european collaborative project from ​Tom Layore and ​Andy Williams​. The pair are dedicated to crafting authentic and heartfelt Disco using old-school methods. They have poured their retro infused dance energy into ​‘Show Me’​ to create the perfect track for the Disco dancefloor.

About Duo-Tone

Liverpool based record label ​Duo-Tone initially made a name for themselves with a series of club nights in the city before evolving into the label dynamic with a series of eclectic mix of House, Electronic and Nu-Disco releases. They have now expanded beyond this format and built an in-house production team releasing their own tracks together with their favourite DJs and vocalists under the name of ​Duo-Tone Productions​. Recent collaborations with vocalist Tori Cross​, ​Defected Records’ Glitterbox DJ ​Natasha Kitty Katt and ​GRAMMY nominated K-Klass have received consistent Upfront Charts placement and nationwide support from ​BBC Introducing​ and more.

About Sense of Sound Singers

Sense of Sound Singers is an award winning collective of phenomenal vocalists, renowned for their thrilling live performances, nationally and internationally. Their incredible talent has led them to becoming the resident singers for ​CREAM CLASSICAL as well as backing the likes of Paloma Faith​, ​Damon Albarn and ​Nile Rodgers & Chic​. Their recording career began with a Gospel Choir cover for ​Blossoms which has reached nearly 400,000 Spotify streams, followed by a reworking of the ​Aly-Us ​classic ‘Follow Me’​, which was featured on the ​MIdnight Riot ‘Take Me To Church’ ​compilation when remixed by Swedish DJ ​OPOLOPO​. Their first original release paired the thick Disco beats of ​Duo-Tone Productions with the collective's soulful vocal power, led by manager and creative director ​Jennifer John​.

LCR Culture & Creativity Awards - Finalist!

I am very happy to be nominated in the Liverpool City Region Culture & Creativity Awards in the Covid-19 Creative Response category for Love Sings From Liverpool, the lockdown virtual choir made up of 180 people from 15 different countries.

Thank you very much to everyone who nominated me!

Love Sings From Liverpool was made possible thanks to the collaboration with two other Liverpool businesses: Parr Street Studios for the sound, and Zút Media for the video.

The project raised £1,580 for two Liverpool-based charities impacted by the Covid-19 crisis: The Florrie, doing an amazing work checking on Liverpool 8’s most vulnerable and isolated residents by delivering food parcels and cleaning products, doing welfare visits to check up on people, running online classes and giving out masks to help their members and volunteers feel safer, and All Together Now, a free health and disability news magazine that gives people who are affected by disability information about opportunities to improve their lives.

Sense of Sound Singers back on stage at The Everyman

3 beautiful nights of live arts to brighten up the end of 2020.

Sense of Sound Singers took part in the Everyman Christmas cabaret.
An evening of poetry, burlesque and music, with a lineup of independent arts organisations from across Liverpool.

Breaking The Record

Breaking the Record is a high-profile accessible high-quality music-making workshop programme supporting ways into music-making, developed in consultation with girls and young women from around the Liverpool City Region.

I am leading a collaborative online choir. The project entails discussions about female empowerment and equality, which I will turn into an original choir piece. The composition will be performed online by all of the girls and women who have taken part.

I've always been an advocate for true gender equality and multiculturalism where as girls and women we can freely get to the heart of who we are and through creativity and express it without fear of condemnation or subjugation. Women are at the heart of humanity and when we find our true voices we find our confidence, self worth and strength. The creation of BTR choir will be a process of conversations about the positive aspects of who we are as girls and women, the strength there is to be found when we  collaborate and the magic that can be produced when we share our collective talents.

The aim is to attract and recruit a wide range of representation from different communities, cultures and creative experiences so that we can truly learn more about ourselves and one another. I'm honoured to be facilitating the conversations and composing the choral work that will be performed by the virtual ensemble and also to create a sustainable foundation on which future musical development for girls and women can be recognised, respected and supported.

Learn more on www.breakingtherecord.co.uk

Liverpool Black History Month

I have been commissioned by Culture Liverpool (Liverpool City Council) to compose a piece for Black History Month. I wanted to create a piece that acknowledged and paid homage to a diverse range of black artists, established and emerging, who create original music from across the City Region. My piece, AMALGAMATION, is made up of some of my own original writing coupled with segments of songs by other black local artists. You will hear it performed by Sense of Sound Singers live on stage at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

ON RECORD: UNTOLD & RETOLD. Welcome to a celebration and exploration of black music in Liverpool, the role it has played in the city and in communities over the past 70 years. Along with reputable Merseyside artists such as The Real Thing, The Christians, and MiC LOWRY, we are taking you on a journey through Merseyside's black music scene from the past 70 years through a truly impressive line-up of live performance, debate and film.

The festival brought together a streamed showcase, exhibition, screenings and a number of exclusive in-conversations as well as specially commissioned original content, including film shorts, live sessions, podcasts and more.

Brought to you by Culture Liverpool in association with LCR Music Board

Live streamed from the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on Saturday 24th October at 12pm

KKlass remix of Sense of Sound single

Time and Time Again is the first original track Sense of Sound Singers released earlier this year on dance music label Duo-Tone. It stayed in the Upfront Music Week Charts for several weeks and reached No. 13.

So happy to take it to the studio and collaborate with KKlass on this title, after playing many live Cream shows together!

Listen to Time and Time Again - K-Klass Remix on Spotify. Duo-Tone Productions · Song · 2020.