Today's world of dance music is cluttered with featured artists, headliners, and, especially, vocalists. Over the years, there's been one voice that stands out among the rest, particularly in the world of trance: JES. Having worked with just about every great trance DJ on the planet, JES shared with us what advice she would give to the up-and-comers in the ocean of vocalists:
“I think the most important thing is to find your own voice. You have to develop your own identifiable sound and style of writing so that the fans can easily identify you. Your style becomes your trademark, and that’s why people will want to work with you and how fans will identify with you. Once you have found your inner voice you have to nurture that and find its edges. You shouldn’t put any limitations on what you can do, but it always needs to be done with your own style so that the fans will be able to feel that it’s you and you mean it. I think sincerity is one of main the ingredients in all good art. Work hard, then work harder. Never stop learning and growing, but don’t forget why you started doing this in the first place. Remember that success is whatever you want it to be, so set your goals and go for them with both hands. Music is a team sport, so collaborate and build a team that can help and support each other. Be persistent, determined and never, ever, ever give up.”
JES made her sound famous through trance music. Fans would be most familiar with her work featured by producers such as Paul van Dyk, Cosmic Gate, Tiesto, Ferry Corsten, and, most recently, ATB. We wanted to know why trance is so special to JES. Working with these artists must be incredible, but hearing her talk about a special love for trance music, as well as other EDM sub-genres was enlightening:
“I’ve always loved the trance genre because melody is one of the most important components, which is unusual for dance music. In trance, the music and the vocals have to compliment each other in a specific way, and there is plenty of space for the voice to have a real personality. I think that makes a definite emotional connection between the music and the audience, and as a singer that is a very special experience. I actually play a wide mix of progressive, trance and electro on my weekly mix show (www.unleashthebeat.com), and I have worked in a lot of different electronic genres over the years. Often, I write my songs entirely outside of the genre as acoustic, pop or rock songs, and then we move them into the dance world later and remix them. Check out my “High Glow” album and you’ll hear hardly any dance tracks! I’m working on a new artist album right now and it will have a more progressive edge to it, but I like to keep some trance in there, it’s good for the heart.”
It's never an easy decision to start a life in music. So many careers are over before they get started. A life-long vocalist can spend years piggy-backing on the success of producers, but JES took the industry to a new level. She didn't need to build off someone else's success; she made her own. Growing up in a family of entertainers taught her to fight for what she loves, and to love what she's doing:
“I think my mother was my main influence. She was an actress and a singer. Before I was going to school I was spending time with her at auditions and rehearsals. I think I had always wanted to be involved in music, but it took a long time for me to admit that to my family. It’s such a hard career to get started in that most people don’t give you much encouragement! When I was about 14 I did my first professional recording session, and in that moment something clicked in me and I knew that I had to do this. It quickly became all that I thought about and wanted to do and I started focusing on music from that day forward.”
Her career, to date, has been marked by so many epic milestones. I first remembered JES as the passionate, energetic, spunky, emotive voice on Tiesto's Elements of Life world tour. She was a singer from New York who was being featured on one of the world's first massive dance music tours – headlined by a Dutch superstar:
“It was very nerve-racking…but in a good way. We were playing some huge shows and I remember we shot some Music Videos while we were on the elements of life tour. It was an amazing time as we were all just starting to push the envelope of what was possible. The fans were amazingly supportive there. I don’t think I really had a lot of expectations, it was just a dream come true to be working and really involved in it all. I just dived in and started swimming, making sure I was doing the best I could.”
“I’m always looking for something special for [Tiesto], so we do stay in touch. He is a very sweet person, and great to work with. We had talked about it for his new album, but the right song didn’t materialize at the time. I would love to do something with him in the future. He has a way of inspiring you to come up with your best work, and that is a rare gift.”
“Unleash The Beat – Blonde” is JES' latest mix compilation released on Magik Muzik / Black Hole Recordings. This edition of Unleash The Beat features 14 of JES' must-hear summer songs.
01. JES, Cold Blue & Dennis Sheperd – Runaway (Original Mix)
02. Rank 1 & Dennis Sheperd – Freudenrausch (Radio Edit)
03. Eximinds – Freedom (Radio Edit)
04. Resistance – Scanners (Original Mix)
05. Robbie Rivera – Starlight (Manufactured Superstars Remix)
06. BT, Fractal & JES – Letting Go (Antillas & Dankann Radio Edit)
07. Stan Arwell – Flight To Miami (Original Mix)
08. Dave 202 – Superstitions (Festival Edit)
09. BT – Every Other Way feat. JES (Johan Malmgren Remix)
10. PROFF – What It Feels Like (Original Mix)
11. Joonas Hahmo – Gold Rush (Original Mix)
12. NouveauBeats – Heathrow (Original Mix)
13. Ad Brown & Steve Kaetzel – Like The Sunrise feat. Arielle Marin (Dub Mix)
14. JES & Solarstone – Like A Waterfall (Solarstone Pure Mix)
Preview on YouTube / Soundcloud. Purchase on Beatport / iTunes.
JES has toured the world, worked with the biggest international producers, and has built her own massive music career. Her podcast goes beyond trance and into progressive, electro and other EDM sub-genres. We're excited to see how continued exploration of dance music propels her career to new levels:
“I think now more than ever there is an incredible diversity of talent in EDM and the possibilities are almost endless. Some of the more surprising people I would like to work with might be Dillon Francis, Bassnectar, Seven Lions, Tom Swoon, Flume, Dyro and Mat Zo.”
JES never stops making an impact on dance music worldwide. You can find more information on the legendary vocalist by liking her facebook page, following her on soundcloud, and at officialjes.com.
