Hi there! I‘ve been gone a long long time admittedly.

 In all honesty I’ve been living, promoting my new single and not pressuring myself to post everyday and keep up with regular blog posts. I know there’s a string of things I have to do as independent artist to keep interest in me but in the same breath…we can actually create and live life however we choose.

 Since we last caught up I have released my latest single “Tell Me” and shot the music video which is out now eek!! I just wanted to highlight some of the peaks and valleys with this release just to show that rejection comes with the game of being an artist, and even the people who look like everything is going swimmingly for them, have probably just learned to ride the waves and keep it moving no matter what.

 1. I have had more radio play and Spotify streams on this release than any other (I believe) and yet I have been rejected from every single blog I reached out to, to feature the song.

 2.     Tell Me has been supported by BBC introducing Manchester, and was even selected by Mike Skinner (The Streets) to be played on radio one as part Mike Skinner introducing Selections. But has minimal streams on Soundcloud.

3.   The video looks fire and I’m happy with it, but is coming out 8 weeks after the release of the single which is much later than I planned for, for a number of reasons out of my control, but these things happen. And after creating a high quality video I didn’t find a channel that would premiere it for me.

4. I feel deeply fulfilled releasing music…however EVERYTHING COSTS and the reality is at this stage there is minimal return.

5.     Once you get the ball rolling it has to keep rolling, so although in a pandemic I have time to focus on my music, I’m definitely unemployed at the moment. My industry is dead and with almost 100% of my income coming from live performance it’s becoming a question of how am I going to sustain this? Oh and I’ve also been declined from every funding pot I have applied for.

So… this is just a very small selection of the natural ups and downs of releasing music independently, I’m very much positive about the situation and take the rough with the smooth. But I write this to say, be encouraged, everyone takes hits at every level and stage of their career. I’m very much excited about releasing my next single and doing a much cheaper video lol!

But for now,  click the link below, check out my music video and like, share, comment & subscribe to my channel.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ1lefd08KQ

Peace & love

Ione x

Hello there!!

If you’re back, thank you and if you’re new, hi! So we’ve mastered the E.P and now it’s time to get the artwork done. I’m hopeful that this blog can serve as inspiration, help or entertainment to someone out there to know that the life of an independent artist is great but loooong!!

Once the music is finished there is still so much to do as an artist and believe it or not, since my last post the past two weeks have been dedicated to me deciding on the artwork for my new single ‘Tell Me”. In an ideal world I would have decided what look really suited my brand, the mood of the song and done a photoshoot for this single. However factoring everything in a shoot can be quite costly, so I simply went into the archives and used an unused picture from an old shoot and guess what …it looks great and apart from this blog no-one would know the picture is four years old. ha! eek!

I do remember a time when album covers were iconic and pieces of art within themselves, a lot still are but it’s quite unrealistic for me to think I can compete with artists who are signed or the budget of a record label. And as I look around I see huge pop stars using a plain background, their name and the title of the song as their single cover. Lo-fi is now in, alongside pictures and videos that look like they were filmed on an old school camcorder from the 90’s. So basically no excuses Ione!

The process of getting to the finished product has been interesting. I used a cover art designer based in the states who was recommended to me by a friend. At every junction of my life I’m learning about myself and throughout this process I have learned that I love artists, I love phone calls and face to face meetings to exchange ideas, I love the back and forth between what I envision and what my music sparks for the designer… I love collaborating.

However in this instance because of distance I never spoke to my designer or met up which is fine. Instead, most of our exchanges and design ideas were sent via instagram. Hmmm. It struck me that I had to suggest sending over the song that the artwork was related to, when my instincts tell me that the song should inform every part of the design. I don’t even know if the designer even liked the song, (it’s a good thing I don’t need my ego massaging). This process was akin to me looking at the menu at at a fast food restaurant, placing the order and getting exactly what I ordered. When in fact, what makes me come alive is having ideas and watching them morph into something they never could have been without another creatives input; getting back something different & often better than my original idea, with us both agreeing two heads are better than one. This is not a criticism, merely an observation, does the process even matter anyway I ask?

In the end I have a front cover I love that does represent me and my music, and what sparks joy in me will always be important to me. But what is sometimes more important than my preferred methods and even me feeling alive every second of every day, is my art having a chance to be heard by the world. As a producer friend of mine once told me “the music industry is a results game” and business got done. The pace of the industry is fast and I’m learning how to simultaneously nurture the artist in me and get my work finished and out.

With all that being said keep a close eye on my social media this week as I will be revealing the artwork to my new single “Tell Me”

Much love,

Ione