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Featured Artist of the Day: Giovanna

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Giovanna Crescenzo

Indie Music Women’s Artist of the Day is…

Giovanna Crescenzo (@giovanna.music)

Giovanna Crescenzo is a blossoming artist and songwriter/producer from New Jersey. The versatile singer draws inspiration from 90’s music and hit artists like Ariana Grande, Bazzi, and Victoria Monet, mixing hints of pop, trap and R&B with her signature ambient vocals and harmonies to create sweet, spacey pop music.

Giovanna’s original music features the melding of multi-genre instrumentals and compelling lyricism, constructing a style that is unapologetically unique. Simultaneously sugary and dark, her music is an authentic reflection of her artistry that is sure to mesmerize listeners with its delicate power.

Before embarking on her solo endeavors, Giovanna started as a lead vocalist with cover bands throughout New York and New Jersey as she came into her multidimensional talents. She co-produced her recent tracks “You” and “Watered Down” with C.A.S. Music Productions and Grammy award-winning engineer, Alan Douches, but aims to hone her craft to facilitate her own personal growth as well as collaborations with other creators.

She is currently working on new original music, which is set to debut in the coming year. Giovanna hopes that her upcoming release, “Watered Down”, dares her listeners to become their most authentic selves in every aspect of life.

Giovanna shared with me what it means to her personally to be an indie music woman artist.

“Being an indie woman artist means being your own force of nature with all the odds stacked against you. It means most likely being your own sponsor, team, publisher, marketing/PR company, photographer, engineer, even manager, etc. It means not having the same luxuries and standards as men and the perseverance to fight toward evening the playing field in the music industry. It’s not just about not being signed to a major label, it’s the longevity of sacrifices and taking small steps to your next level of artistry; growing as you go and being your own advocate day in and day out- fighting the good fight for your music and your message to be heard against all expectations.”

You can hear Giovanna’s latest single, “Watered Down” on the Indie Music Women’s Spotify Playlist.

Featured Artist of the Day: Hunger Moon

By

Natalie Jenkins / Hunger Moon

 

Indie Music Women’s Featured Artist of the Day is…

Natalie Jenkins of Hunger Moon (@hungermoonmusic)

Formed in the aptly named creative quarter of Birmingham in 2017 over a mutual infatuation with the late Jeff Buckley, the duo have since been likened to UK alt-pop acts such as London Grammar, Oh Wonder and Daughter. With songwriting being a joint affair between the two, James Attwood and Natalie Jenkins are able to translate both euphoria and the extreme lows of the subject matter they are singing about.

The growth of a dedicated following across Europe has taken the duo’s live presence to locations including Cologne (DE), Barcelona (ES), Amsterdam and Utrecht (NL), as well as to UK festivals such as 2000 Trees, Y Not and 110 Above.

Natalie shared with me what it means to her to be an indie music woman artist:

“Being an indie music woman artist means bringing all of my experiences and learnings and influences forward into music, being an example in an otherwise gender gapped musical world. I take influences from artists who are sincere in their music such as Aurora, Hayley Williams, and Oh Wonder. I think it’s important for me as a female artist to really represent herself in the industry I’m surrounded in, as someone truthful and someone who stands up for her feeling and beliefs.”

You can hear Hunger Moon’s single, “Patience” on the Indie Music Women’s Spotify playlist.

CATBEAR: DIY Duo Forging Their Own Path as Indie Music Women Artists

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CATBEAR

London based CATBEAR are forging their own path as indie music women artists.  Best friends Zoe Konez on lead guitar and vocals, and Sarah Smith on drums and vocals make up the band. Born out of the London grrrl movement in 2010, they have grown and developed CATBEAR from its teenage identity, Cat Bear Tree, into making self-assured, bold music.  The empowered DIY duo records in Zoe’s home studio, as well as self-producing, and self-releasing their music. Their songs combine the retro synths of the ’80s with the ’90s riot grrrl attitude. 

CATBEAR wants to be an inspiration for young women and LGBTQ+ people like themselves to take control of their music. The duo wants to inspire them to do anything they want. For example, form a band, become a drummer, a guitarist, or record, and produce your own music. For example, Zoe teaches music production and is passionate about leveling the playing field in the music industry. She put out a call on her social media recently, offering pointers to women starting out in producing.

Zoe and Sarah say CATBEAR is the basis of their friendship which has enabled them to survive the ups and downs of band life, relationships, and finding time to prioritize music-making. Furthermore, their only agenda is to make music for their own enjoyment and have fun doing it.

They released their latest single, Love and War, on April 24th. COVID-19 has made working together difficult as they are living in different houses. However, when they can be back in the same room together, they’ll be working on new ideas and material.

I recently interviewed by email Zoe and Sarah about the success of their singles, production process, their roots in the London grrrr riot movement, using bras for sound insulation in the studio, and so much more.

Congratulations on the success of your single, “Unrequited Love” having racked up 10K streams since its release in October.  What have you learned from the experience of getting this many streams so far? 

It’s been amazing that it connects with people. We’ve had some really positive feedback. Billy from The Subways has become a fan and he’s done an acoustic cover which just blows our minds!

What was your strategy for achieving that many streams? If you didn’t have one, how were you able to accomplish it?

We’re a DIY act so we spent time getting in touch with people that we thought would like us and the song, and letting them know it’s out. But we were really lucky that it connected with people and they wrote about it or added it to playlists.

We could have spent a thousand pounds on a press campaign but decided to save the money and be genuine and try to connect with people on a personal level.. and it worked!


Explain your production process.

Zoe does most of the production but with input from Sarah to get her take on things. Zoe’s got a home studio where she records and produces everything. We get in her wardrobe and surround ourselves with bras for sound insulation – how about that for women empowerment!

What have you learned with self-producing and self-releasing your music in a male-dominated industry?

Yes, it’s male-dominated but we know some kick-ass female producers and it’s been really great to feel part of a community of super-skilled women. There will always be times we feel less recognised or acknowledged, and all women in the music industry have a list of horror stories, but there are a growing number of initiatives to support women, and the more women get together and boost each other, the better.

Zoe: You teach music production on a degree course and have said that you are passionate about leveling the playing field in music production. What is your strategy for accomplishing this? 

I recently put out a call on my social media for women to get in touch if they are just starting out in the world of producing music and I’d give them some pointers. I think it’s important to share knowledge and to give each other a foot up to where we can.

There are so many barriers in the music industry, so I am particularly interested in supporting women and LGBTQ+ people to feel confident to launch into this world.


In a professional and teaching environment, it’s important for me to create a safe space for everyone, to pick up on any casually discriminative comments, and to actively promote equality within educational settings. 

What has been the biggest challenge of your music career so far? How did you deal with it?

The biggest challenge has been working out how to play live as a duo. When we started as a threesome called Cat Bear Tree, we were a more guitar/drums/bass live set up. But now with our big production sound, we’re working on how to get the best performance and the right sound.

How was CATBEAR born out of the London grrrl movement in the mid-2010s? And how did it evolve from its teenage identity as Cat Bear Tree?

Zoe: I wanted to form a girl band and be in a band with women as it made me feel more comfortable after some less pleasant experiences being in bands as the only female and I just wanted to have fun with it – we have had some really fun times.

Sarah: I was bored of playing with boys in bands. They were annoying!

I think we felt like a special crew as we were a minority – it was kind of fun fighting to be heard.

  We were in it together and we could have a bit of a grrr about it and it made it fun.

Tell me what the ups and downs of band life are and your advice on how to survive it.

Finding time to meet up and work on music together is hard. We both have other jobs so it’s difficult to prioritise music-making. But the basis of CATBEAR is our friendship and having a laugh, so we try and make sure we keep it lighthearted and fun.

What is your favorite instrument to play when you perform and why?

Traditionally Zoe would play guitar and Sarah would play drums but at the moment we’re working on diversifying our live set so that when we hit the stage again we might be playing a bit differently – watch this space!

Explain your songwriting process.

Sometimes it starts with a concept sometimes it’s a riff. Sometimes we write the lyrics first and sometimes the music comes first. It really depends. Once we’ve got a bare track laid out we get together and record the vocals. And once that’s finished Zoe will produce it and send it off to be mixed and mastered. I guess the subject of most of our songs are about heartbreak and love, usually with some tension and frustration, and a play-off between light and dark.

How do you think women artists can be better supported in the music industry?

Well, things like Indie Music Women are really supportive and there are lots of new initiatives and groups for women musicians and women working in the music business.

The more women out there, not conforming to traditional expectations, just being themselves and being recognised and acknowledged, the more younger generations will see it’s ok to be themselves and to enter the music industry with confidence.

 

What does it mean to you personally to be indie women artists?

It means that we can forge our own path and make our own creative and marketing decisions but keep having fun whilst we do it.

What projects are you currently working on?

We’ve got our new single Love and War coming out on 24th April. It’s difficult to work on other stuff together because we’re in different houses right now. But as soon as we can we’ll be back in the same room working on new material. We’ve got some ideas already started so there’s more on its way!

Thank you, CATBEAR, for the opportunity to interview you!

 

Connect with CATBEAR on their  Spotify Artist Page | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook |

 

Official Audio Video: CATBEAR – Love And War

Featured Artist of the Day: Erin O’Neill

By

Erin O’Neill

 

Indie Music Women’s Featured Artist of the Day is…

Erin O’Neill (@erinomusic)   Photo credit: Jonathan O’Neill

Erin O’Neill is an LA-based singer-songwriter. Her pure, yet soulful voice has enabled her to perform with artists in all genres across the country. This versatility is reflected in her songwriting and performance, as she blends rock, soul, and Americana sounds effortlessly.

In 2015 Erin was a member of the Urbana 15 Worship team where she sang, played guitar, and wrote and arranged some of the songs featured on their live album Urbana 15 Live, which made an appearance on the Billboard charts. Since 2016, Erin has toured as a member of the band Gooding and played over 300 shows in the US. They released the album Building The Sun in the fall of 2018. Erin’s first solo studio album, Thank God, was released on January 8th, 2017 after a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Her most recent work, The Same and Far Away, is a sonically lush and soulful collection of songs about life on the road. With live instrumentation, powerful vocals, and piercingly honest lyrics, this album weaves seamlessly through several genres while maintaining the songwriter’s essence. Since it’s release, it has reached #74 on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts, received international radio play, and was featured at the NAMM Show in January 2020. Erin has performed the National Anthem for the San Francisco Giants, and most recently, the Detroit Tigers.

Erin shared with me what it means to her to be an indie music woman artist:

“For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a musician. I became obsessed with female-fronted bands, like No Doubt, and girl groups like the Spice Girls at a young age. Those unapologetically strong, female influences in my life set me on my own journey. As I carve out my own space in the music world, I am increasingly aware of the impact I have on young women. Being an indie female artist means that I am in control of my career, my message and my image, so it is important to me to make honest art that inspires young women coming after me.”

You can hear Erin’s latest single, “You Don’t Have To” on the IMW Spotify Playlist and the music video for it on IMW’s YouTube Playlist.

Featured Artist of the Day: Hannah Scott

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Indie Music Women’s Artist of the Day is…

Hannah Scott (@hannahscottuk)

Hannah’s music has been played regularly on the BBC with releases supported by Dermot O’Leary and Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2 and Tom Robinson on 6 Music. She’s also been featured by MOJO, The Guardian and Clash Magazine. Recent live highlights include opening for Madeleine Peyroux to an audience of 2000 at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre and travelling across Ireland with Paddy Casey to open shows for him in Dublin and in a tiny Irish speaking village near Galway!

Her arresting live performances have also earned her support slots for artists including Seth Lakeman, Cara Dillon, and 10cc and she has twice travelled to New York festival “Mondo NYC”, receiving PRS Foundation funding and running a successful crowdfunding campaign to fund the trips.

Shape is the first single from her forthcoming Help Musicians-funded album. The song showcases her powerful and personal storytelling, recounting how her maternal Grandmother refused to accept her Mother’s choice of husband, Hannah’s Father, threatening never to speak to her again should she marry him and staying true to her word for twenty years.

Expertly combining organic, live elements with electronic sounds, Hannah and Stefano have struck a perfect balance between her traditional songwriting craft and his unique cinematic production.

Hannah shared with me what it means to her personally to be an indie music woman artist:

“I describe myself as fiercely independent. I love that the music industry today has space and opportunity for everyone who is prepared to work hard. I hope to be a woman in the industry at a time where it’s becoming clear that men have long dominated it and times are going to change. I love speaking to younger girls and women after my performances who tell me they have been inspired to make music after hearing me.”

You can hear Hannah’s new single, Shape, on the Indie Music Women’s Spotify Playlist.

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