WAY UP
Yamaha's emerging talent initiative introducing upcoming artists and new music.
ARTIST PROFILES
JNR WILLIAMS
- Singer-Songwriter
- London, UK
JNR Williams is a singer songwriter from Hackney, London. His warm and unique voice makes him stand out and evokes a wonderful variety of emotions in his listeners. Raised in east London, JNR has a Caribbean background. He sees music “as one of the most powerful ways of communication as it's all based on emotion, which is an incredible way to connect with someone and bring people together no matter what walk of life .” JNR describes the piano as his “ride or die” instrument. Having started to write his first songs on it, he considers the piano as his counsellor that allows him to be open and honest without judgement.
WYLDEST
- Singer-Songwriter-Producer
Wyldest is the musical project of London based singer-songwriter-producer Zoe Mead, flanked by multi-instrumentalist Mariin Kallikorm and drummer Jack Gooderham. The band stands out thanks to their remarkable self-sufficiency: writing, producing, engineering and creating all artwork and videos themselves.
Zoe is a self-taught producer and musician, using a variety of instruments, including a Yamaha acoustic guitar and stage piano. She draws inspiration from various genres, blending shoegaze, dream-pop and indie, “following the rules initially and then breaking them" to create her unique Wyldest sound.
Maggie Miles
- Singer-Songwriter
Maggie Miles is a witty 20-year-old alt-pop artist that relishes in comedic relief during the awkward coming-of-age years of her life. Much like her peers Maggie Rogers and Billie Eilish, she exudes authenticity which the modern generation is desperately craving. Originally from the Western Hills of Northern Virginia, she recently moved to Nashville to pursue music full time. Maggie grew up on the soulful vocals of vintage artists like Stevie Nicks and Ann Wilson, but has found 90s grunge to be a major source of inspiration as of late. She meshes all of her influences together with pounding, anthemic instrumentals to create a sound that’s all her own. In her music, Maggie addresses the conflicts of life through sharp-hitting lyrics textured in alternative rhythms with pop sensibilities that paint a compelling picture of our imperfect existence. The contrast of her jangly sounds and perceptive lyrics are a result of her commitment to connectivity through the honest expression of the human condition. She explains, “I make music for the utter reason alone that I need to create something for myself that makes sense, when nothing else around me does.”
Not only can Maggie sing, but she also plays the piano, drums, guitar, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, bass, and keytar. She even opts to play a right-handed strat with her left hand.
Rubin Henkel
- Composer
Rubin is a German/Canadian composer for film and media who was born and raised by a painter and a photographer in Cologne (Germany).
His early introduction into music started at the age of 6 when he started playing the piano and became a member of the Cologne Cathedral Choir. Being a soprano his passion for melody grew and he expanded upon that by writing his own piano pieces.
Taking lessons at the Jazzhouse School in Cologne he improved his talent for improvisation and his teacher Ron Cherian taught him to strengthen the structure of his compositions and maintain the listeners interest while improvising.
His music usually starts with a concept and him sitting down at the piano often early in the morning. After exploring the characters, the setting or the history of the project he chooses the appropriate instrumentation.
Rubin's work is featured in documentaries, short films and advertisements.
Lately he performed alongside Martin Herzberg at the Berlin Philharmonie and the Oetkerhalle in Bielefeld.
In his debut album "Ruhe" he collected the first melodies he ever recorded with his mother's old compact camera, various ipods and sound recorders and reinterpreted those works in his Studio in Berlin and combined them to give an insight into his childhood.
DOCUMENTARY
Documentary series following the journey of 6 emerging artists from across Europe, coming together for an exclusive song writing experience in Barcelona, living in a villa filled with instruments and a home studio, on the mission to collaborate, create music and perform live.
EPISODE 1: WRITING & COMPOSING
6 upcoming artists who haven’t met before, arrive at the House of Talents in Barcelona. They form teams of two and start their mission to create songs in three days, leading up to a final performance of their work in an intimate concert. The first episode captures the beginning of this creative journey, from the artists getting to know each other, to start writing lyrics and composing melodies.
EPISODE 2: STUDIO TIME
On the second day in the House of Talents, the artists get the chance to experiment with their tracks in the villa’s home studio. Producer Jesus supports them with refining song layers and exploring new instruments. Yamaha artist Miki Santamaria pays a visit to support the new talents in their creative process.
Olivia Dean
UK singer-songwriter Olivia Dean does not only have an incredibly soulful voice, but also an unbelievable talent to write captivating songs. Olivia approaches song writing with seeing songs as little time capsules of life experiences that you can look back on.
Sara Cruz
Portuguese artist Sara Cruz has a magical personality and amazing talent, with an incredible voice and distinctive guitar skills. Her background is just as captivating, as she lives on a small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Rubin Henkel
Rubin Henkel is a German/Canadian pianist and composer for film and media based in Berlin. When Rubin composes a piece of music, he likes to establish a particular concept behind the song first. In the House of Talents, he soaked up the atmosphere by recording live sounds from the villa.
Marc Mâhfoud
Marc Mâhfoud is a vocalist, lyricist, instrumentalist, composer and producer who as a child, migrated from Syria to Germany with his parents. Marc later moved to the Netherlands and intensified his passion for art and music. His mission is to liaise (social) science and sound into an honest fusion of traditional instruments and electronically driven compositions.