Jess Kent

Artist info

Genre

Electronic, Hip Hop, Indie, Pop

Sounds like

Early MIA, Santigold, Early Lily Allen, Diplo

band members

Jess Kent

Influences

The Bedouin Soundclash, Dizzee Rascal, The Beautiful Girls, The Kooks

Unearthed artists we like

Asta , Tkay Maidza, Allday, Thandi Phoenix

Website

Bio

I was born in England to a Blues Rock guitarist father and a mother of African- Indian descent, so I grew up to a range of influences from The Clash, The Who, Oasis and Blondie to Bob Marley and The Temptations, The Supremes and Marvin Gaye.

At the age of 11, when I moved to Australia with my family, I started writing and playing my own music, inspired by Mat McHugh and The Beautiful Girls, Bedouin Soundclash, and The Kooks. By then I had fallen in love with hip-hop which in turn led me to find inspiration lyrically from Rap- Rock bands such as The Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

My first single, Get Down, is a song about growing up as a teenager in suburban Adelaide. I have pushed my love of Grime/ Dancehall into my ancestral influencers of Reggae, Hip-Hop, and Pop. I hope you like it! Jess xox

social media @jesskentmusic :-)

Featured Artist

2015

Nov

Jess Kent

(

)

Sydney, NSW

Jess Kent has dropped one of the most infectious tracks of 2015, 'Get Down', and won herself a spot on the lineup for Sydney's Field Day festival, alongside Disclosure, Flight Facilities, The Wombats and more. Catch them all in The Domain on New Years Day.

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Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

I started playing the guitar and singing very early on by copying my Dad’s band members who would always be around rehearsing in the kitchen… Some of them were proper reggae rastas. They taught me some important lessons that still emanate through my music. I spent a lot of time busking and gigging with just a guitar, exploring lots of genres and finding my own flow. Plus I’ve always been a passionate creative writer, so writing stories and rhymes and poems definitely had an effect on the type of music I make.

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

Music is about communication first and foremost for me, so a song usually starts when thoughts manifest into lyrics (which is constantly!!). Specifically, it’s hard to pin down the source of the inspiration because it is everywhere and always. I’m very sensitive to mood and colours and always aim to paint a sonic picture to go hand in hand with the lyrics.

You’re the winner of our Field Day comp. What can punters at Field Day expect from your live show?

First of all, I still can't believe it's really happening - cannot WAIT! It’s going to be so exciting to perform the set for the first time ever with an amazing live band, and it’ll also be the first time I play some of my new music! All the support so far has been just incredible, so I’ll be looking forward to seeing some faces!

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

The best advice I have ever received was from my Grandma... ‘Work hard and keep it real…’

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

I’d play them The Record’s Flawed by The Delta Riggs and I’d take them for a dance down the street.

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

Meg Mac - Every Lie

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

Tkay Maidza - Ghost

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

I saw JOY. at Good God yesterday and she slayed!

Tell us about the bands or people in the Sydney music community that inspire you.

The sense of community in the Sydney scene is actually incredible. For real, the people that rock up to shows and are so passionate about supporting the local scene - they inspire me to strive to do my best. As far as bands, I’d say Sticky Fingers inspire me - they’re a homegrown Sydney band so it’s cool to watch how they’ve grown and kept it real.

What are your plans for 2016?

I'm writing heaps of new music so I can't wait to get into the studio again and start the recording process. And the live band will be fully up and running so looking forward to playing some more shows in 2016!

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