How Jeekie and Raphaella produced and recorded ‘Change’
This is what happens when one talented BandLab artist has the chance to shine.
Jeekie. Image: MusicTech
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In 2023, MusicTech and BandLab hosted an opportunity for upcoming artists: to have their music recorded and mixed with a professional producer.
After blind listening to thousands of submissions, we selected Jeekie, a self-producing vocal artist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as our winner. We were blown away by her talent for layering harmonies and stacking vocals — something she taught herself after watching Ariana Grande do the same — in the BandLab mobile app. Jeekie submitted a demo recording of her elegant, emotive and rich track, Change, which she recorded in her bedroom and tweaked on BandLab during her four-hour work commutes.
There was no better match for Jeekie than Raphaella, a UK-based artist and producer at Tileyard Studios, who’s produced vocals for Little Mix, Rudimental, Gorgon City and more, with credits on tracks by David Guetta. So, in 2024, we flew her over to the UK.
Here’s what went down.
The session at Tileyard was Jeekie’s first time in a professional recording space, after only making music with voice memos and mobile apps including BandLab. Her day job takes her four hours by bus into the city, which she previously spent playing mobile games like The Sims (who can blame her?). Her commute changed dramatically when she realised she could record music using her phone’s microphone and a pair of earbuds.
When meeting with Raphaella — who “hears so many awesome ideas, harmonically,” in Jeekie’s mind — we saw Jeekie pick up tons of confidence in her artistry and learn loads of recording tips from Raphaella. Now, Jeekie’s ready to keep momentum and make more music, with more trust in her sound.
Since it was established in 2015, BandLab has supported and uplifted emerging musicians through its free-to-use DAW software and social network. They have continued to offer a whole host of features and tools for over 50 million creators to stay the course of their artistic path, connect with fans, and grow their audience.
With BandLab Opportunities, artists may get a chance to play at festivals, get their music heard by A&R at indie and major labels, get featured on some of the world’s best music publications, and much more. To get started, artists simply pick an opportunity that they are interested in and submit their music or EPK on BandLab’s Opportunity page.
Learn more about BandLab Opportunities.
[Editor’s note: BandLab Technologies is part of Caldecott Music Group, which is also the parent company of MusicTech, NME Networks]
