LOCAL artistes are forced to battle against their more foreign established rivals for television and radio airplay, DJ spins at nightclubs and parties, and even a slot on the playlists of mini-bus drivers and music lovers. It is a losing battle, to say the least. However, local songbird, Jenell Pierre, has circumvented these usual channels of music distribution and cultivated a growing audience using a not-so-conventional outlet: Facebook.

On December 14 the singer-songwriter released on Facebook a live video recording of her original single, “New Bird.” Within a matter of hours, the video surfaced almost ubiquitously in the newsfeeds of local Facebook users and the comments were unanimously positive.
“There’s a war outside my window,
And it’s cold outside,
Where the wind blows,
And I have no care for Who falls out there

Isn’t that the way it goes?
Isn’t that the way it is?

And a new bird
Signals a new day,
And a new day
Is a time for change.”

The song was penned at 10.59 p.m., the evening before the mellowingly crooned ditty was uploaded.

“[I wrote it] because of a lot that’s going on in my life, and some discussions I was having with the family I live with, about life and the way persons are discriminated against for whatever reasons,” she disclosed.

To be fair, Ms. Pierre isn’t the first artiste to use social media platforms to showcase her musical prowess. Not so long ago, social networking site MySpace, was a popular launch pad for such musical behemoths as Jamaica-born Sean Kingston, British pop star Lily Allen as well as American indiepop sensation, Owl City. These days, video-sharing site YouTube is the de-facto auditions stage for up-and-coming acts, most notable among them the Canadian singer, Justin Bieber, whose homemade YouTube recordings were noticed by record executives.
In Guyana, too, multi-genre music group ‘Collage’ has used Facebook, YouTube and online indie music platform, Reverbnation to disseminate its music. In terms of online popularity, however, Ms. Pierre’s musical postings are most instructive for local musicians.

Since August of this year, she has released 10 video recordings which have collectively racked up more than a thousand “likes” and have been shared dozens of times. The 18-year old songbird, an active member of the First Assembly of God Church in Wortmanville and alumni of the Saints Stanislaus College, made her vast social circle the nucleus of her new-born fandom. Her friends’ enthusiastic response boosted the videos’ popularity, and by sharing and tagging the videos, they helped Ms. Pierre to expand her online audience – to the extent that her Facebook friends’ list has reached the 5,000 limit.

Ms. Pierre’s relationship with her fans goes beyond the music, however, and that reinforces her bond with them, which, well, ultimately augurs well for her music. Whether she’s baking Resse’s Cup vanilla cookies or sneaking around her parents to blog at wee hours in the morning, Ms. Pierre has, through her video posts and status musings, let her fans/friends in on the more intimate moments. Almost all her videos are filmed with a webcam in her kitchen, a food nutrition pyramid perennially in the background.
Moreover, her sincerity adds to the interpersonal relationship she shares with her audience. Most local artistes struggle with their identities and continuously experiment with (read, mimic) various accents and fashion styles of their foreign counterparts. Ms. Pierre, on the other hand, is organic. The lass eschewed weaves and hair extensions for good, ole locks. Her clothes, meanwhile, often reflect her knack for designing, with many of her pieces being either altered or originally designed and sewed to suit her.
Additionally, her what-you-see-is-what-you-get candour has further endeared her to her audience. She has never pretended to be perfect, and has allowed her fans to follow the ups and downs of her musical progression, whether it’s a mind-blowing cover of Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days are Over”, learning to play the guitar or trying to pull the high notes of Alicia Keys’s “If I Ain’t Got You”.

The release of her debut track online and making it available for free download is nothing short of a stellar coup de grace. Often, local musicians gripe that the lack of intellectual property rights protection has diminished their chances of earning a living off of their music. In truth, however, even the onset of copyright legislation may not guarantee incomes for local musicians as even in the absence thereof, locally produced music is not consumed. Foreign musicians are by far the greater victims of piracy here. However, rather than concentrate on monetizing her music, Ms. Pierre has sought to create appreciation here for her work – no mean task.
The soprano songstress’s daytime occupation is as Chief Designer and chief executive officer of Bow-Jay Creations, a bows and accessories outlet. She has no formal training in singing.
“I wasn’t taught how to sing. It’s a part of my heritage,” she explains, adding: “Dad and mum…have the singing ability.”
She honed her skills singing in front of family members and at church. Though she has now become something of an online sensation, Ms. Pierre is no stranger to the limelight. In 2011, she contended in the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company’s Guyana Star competition. Despite solid reviews and an enthusiastic following, however, she did not make it into the finals – an occurrence which left her fans fuming and observers scratching their heads.

Like Colbie Callait, though, the American pop singer who was twice rejected during the audition stage of “American Idol”, before her MySpace page catalyzed a career which now includes six million album copies and 10 million singles sold, Ms. Pierre has managed to forge a post-competition following that now eclipses those of her more successful rivals.
She cites as artistic role models, “Ingrid Michaelson, Moriah Peters, Jamie Grace, Sixpence None the Richer, Keirra Sheard, among others.” Ms. Pierre, who has just completed her freshman year as a Business Management major at the University of Guyana, harbours hopes of studying music at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Jamaica.

“I sing to uplift, to inspire, to bless, to spread god’s message through song, I sing to make people smile,” she expressed, adding: “I’m just open minded to the possibilities…I’ll go as far as my talent takes me.”
Ms. Pierre can be reached online at https://www.facebook.com/bowjayandmore or at https://www.facebook.com/jenell.pierre

(By Imran Khalil)