"Nobody wants to hear songs about life under lockdown. What are you going to say? 'Oh, I'm stuck at home and it's boring, I don't have a job anymore, things are sh*t.'"
- Jesse Battencourt The Cinematic Rejects
PANDEMIC MUSIC
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Live Events Industry
With lockdowns leaving the live events industry teetering on the brink of collapse, what does this actually mean for musicians on the ground? From New York to Cape Town, CRXSS meets some of the young and talented artists from the up-and-coming scene to share their stories from a world without crowds, clubs and much cash to spare for music.
"It's definitely fuelled a lot of awareness for how much young and upcoming artists rely on venues, especially small venues."
- Pixie Cola
"Having the motivation to just sit down and write every day was certainly much harder when I didn't have a million other things..."
- Ben Nimmo
"Streaming services generally, even in normal conditions, are not really fair to the artists..."
- ILÆY
"Before, people travelled like crazy to work together, which is fun, but also not that great - and exhausting."
- Jonasu
part II
out now
Pandemic Music - Part I
sarah kinsley
new york
Sarah Kinsley is a New York based singer-songwriter who has enjoyed great success since entering the music scene in 2018. Her unpredictable sound makes her genre-defying.
Sarah's latest EP, "The Fall", is available on all streaming platforms.
the cinematic rejects
cape town
The Cinematic Rejects are a pop-rock band from Cape Town, South Africa. They’re a four man group featuring Jason on vocals, Jesse on guitar, Damon on bass and Ben on drums. Their name is derived from their film-school background!
Stay tuned for new song and music video coming out in the next month.
ILÆY
prague
From Turkey, now based out of Prague, ILÆY combines her moving voice with spacey and indie instrumentals to create an ambient vibe. The two time winner of the Istanbul Culture and Arts Foundation Young Jazz Competition has also found success as a voice-over artist for projects from Disney, Netflix, DreamWorks and more.
izzi de-rosa
london
Izzi De Rosa is a member of the Leeds-based Readymeal Sound Collective. Developing her sounds in the Leeds underground scene, De-Rosa boasts a fantastically soulful voice with clear jazz and blues influences.
Keep an ear out for her latest song releasing later this month.
the bohemian bards
chrudim
The Bohemian Bards are a band out of the Czech Republic, inspired by the medieval period. They use replicas of historical medieval instruments (such as Fiddles, Ciitterns and Lutes) and costume as they perform modern arrangements of medieval songs.
Having toured Brazil in 2018 and Russia in 2019, The Bards are itching to play their unique music to fans all over the world.
Go check our their website for more medieval goodness!
jonasu
amsterdam
DJ and producer Jonas Kröper moved from his German hometown to Amsterdam to study at the highly prestigious Conservatorium van Amsterdam. He credits the city for influencing his sound which is self-described as “a joyful blend of tropical house beats and uplifting melody”. His producing credits include Sam Felt’s multi-platinum selling single Post Malone.
Jonas has a couple of remixes releasing soon, including one for Sigma and one for R3hab.
ben nimmo
leeds + birmingham
Ben Nimmo is a composer, producer and saxophonist who splits his time between Birmingham and Leeds (where he co-founded the Readymeal Sound Collective). Aside from organising events in Leeds with the Readymeal Sound Collective, Ben has also found time to compose original theatre soundtracks, produce hip hop and record.
still pigeon
london
Alt-pop band with five members who met while at Oxford, Still Pigeon are now based out of London. Their flavour showcases funk, indie and R&B influences, throwing in some synths for good measure.