Introducing: Jazz Mino

Jazz Mino

London-based pop artist Jazz Mino has a rapidly-growing dedicated fan base, and delights her audiences with her impeccable voice, catchy song-writing and charisma. Originally from Manchester, Jazz spent most of her childhood in Somerset, where she first started songwriting, with the help of her ukelele. Busking soon followed, first in Somerset, then Bristol, finally taking her to London’s Southbank. It was here she was able to raise the money to release her first single, “The Dorkiness in You“.

Jazz has played for The Mayor of London, and made the final of the Mayor’s GIGS Big Busk 2014. She won the Kiss FM Music Cube in the same year, and played to large crowds at top venues such as Proud Camden and Ronnie Scott’s.

Jazz’s latest single, “Blue Eyes”, has been recorded with the help of producer Conraad Dingemans. She’ll be playing at the “How the Light Gets In”, and still gigs and busks regularly around London. Watch out for her next singles, “Robots” and “Paddy”, both due for release later this year. Jazz performs weekly at Bistrot Walluc, in Shoreditch, as well as the Blue Boar Bar, Westminster.

We caught up with Jazz to discover a bit more about her.

EP:  You moved to London after growing up in Somerset. How much of a change in lifestyle was that for you? 

Jazz:  Moving to London after growing up in Somerset was a drastic change to say the least! Not only was I moving away from home for the first time, it was also a completely unknown world to me; the fact that buses came by every two minutes rather than every two hours was a very welcoming surprise. The move to London really grew confidence, and experiencing such a different lifestyle and meeting so many new people has really inspired my song-writing.

EP:  You spent time busking in Somerset and London, do you feel that’s a good route for musicians to take? Do you have any memorable stories from you time as a busker?

Jazz:  I’m not sure whether busking is a great route for all musicians, but I know that it was (and still is) great for me. To me, busking is a fantastic experience, as you are exposing people to your music who might not naturally be the type of person to attend a gig/listen. I’ve had so many fantastic responses, in Somerset I used to busk when there was a food market on; I received all kinds of unusual gifts/tips such as loaves of bread, bags of cookies and hot drinks which I really appreciated in the winter! Gifts/tips in London have been slightly more unusual, somebody once tipped me a banana! I also once received a lovely note when busking in Bristol from a passer by saying how much he’d loved listening to me sing and that he hoped I had a lovely day and went far with my music. It’s little things like this that make busking so special.

EP:  How did you find playing for The Mayor Of London? 

Jazz:  It was awesome! I played for the Mayor Of London accompanied by my cellist and violinist back in January 2015 – It was actually my cellist’s first gig with me so I think she was pretty happy! Everybody at the event was lovely and the atmosphere was great! One of the highlights for me, was meeting my newest Jazz Mino fan after the show… Barbara Windsor!!

EP:  You have just released the video for your second single, “Blue Eyes”, can you tell us a bit about that? 

Jazz:  My latest single, “Blue Eyes” is an intense string/based pop song, capturing the story of a girl’s infatuation with an older blue eyed man. I decided to give the official music video for “Blue Eyes” a playful twist, almost contrasting with the intensity of the song. The video is comic book style and follows a comic book illustrator’s day as she creates, edits and manipulates the lives of her two comic book characters. I released the video last week (25th March) and I’m very proud and excited to say that it’s got off to a great start! I’ve received so many lovely words about the music video from fans, and “Blue Eyes” also got featured in Made In Shoreditch magazine on the day of it’s release!

My single “Blue Eyes” will be officially released on 27th April (available on iTunes, Spotify etc), which I absolutely can’t wait for! I’m currently creating a pre-order list for hardcopies of the single; the packaging matches the music video and features a mini comic book inside! If you want to be added to the pre-order list, just let me know via Facebook, twitter, email etc!

EP:  Who are your musical influences? What kind of music would we find in your iPod? 

Jazz:  I really love the old stuff, ranging from The Ronnettes, Frankie Valli, Etta James, and The Supremes, to Johnny Cash, and Dolly Parton! Lately I’ve been listening to and have been inspired by Lianne La Havas’ album, “Is Your Love Big Enough?”, Sia’s older album, “We Are Born”, and Rufus Wainwright. Perhaps you can hear a little mixture of all of these in “Blue Eyes”.

EP:  How do you enjoy your time away from the music? 

Jazz:  I actually tend to work on my music almost 24/7! I love writing, performing, creating, rehearsing and recording! However, on my days off I like to wander around with friends and explore London, especially the amazing restaurants and food markets it has to offer! I absolutely adore Duck and Waffle (as an expensive treat!), Borough Market and have recently been charmed by Columbia Road flower market! I also love chilling out playing Smash Brothers, Mario Kart and heading back to Somerset to see my family.

EP:  What are you most excited about at the moment? 

That’s very easy, for the official release of “Blue Eyes” on 27th April! I’m also really excited to perform at “How The Light Gets In” music and philosophy festival at Hay-On-Wye on 30/31st May, supporting Lianne La Havas, Noisettes and Stornoway!

You can find Jazz Mino online on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Details about “How The Light Gets In” can be found on their website.

Watch “Blue Eyes” now:

[youtube http://youtu.be/f-s6a62ldwo]

 

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