Music has played a massive part in my life from since as young as I can remember. Some how some type of music or track always falls right into place and links perfectly with most of my memories.
Music is more than just a sound, it’s a connection that hits everyone completely differently. It’s something that can make you cry, something that can make you smile and something that can take all your worries away in an instant. Unfortunately for me I have no physical music talent at all! I am unable to hold the simplest note in tune, my voice is extremely monotone and during secondary school I was a disaster in Music class. It’s fair to say that reading music or playing an instrument did not, in any shape or form, come naturally to me. However I do believe that I have a talent in hearing good music.
I may not be able to read music but I can definitely hear it! While watching a live performance I can always spot the slightest vocal mistake, off-key, out of tune or just simply not on point. I also believe I can spot a superstar in the making, even if the rest of the world can’t! I am hooked on music! Most of my spare time is spent on searching unknown talents. I love to hear a raw, untouched artist who has the writing ability to blow you away and the vocal or rap skills that leave an in print in your brain. An artist who has not been transformed into a celebrity for the purpose of making money, an artist who is true to their craft and focuses on one thing, Music! Someone that you just can’t forget! Fortunately for me I also have the platform to share these findings too. With me already being a Flavourmag Freelance Music Journalist I have the perfect way of sharing my discoveries with other music lovers and general readers of Flavourmag. I will always be grateful to Flavourmag and Leonard Foster for giving me the best opportunity and platform that I could ask for. So how did it all start…
I have always been a fan of Flavourmag for as long as I can remember. Being from London myself I have always been in the heart of where Flavourmag is based. I remember when it was simply called Flavour and it was basically a print publication. How things have changed! To see it turn into the worlds first live magazine and to be part of that transformation was insane! My first job role within Flavourmag was not achieved in the most normal way, I went above and beyond to get noticed. I think I sent roughly seven emails over a seven month period before I finally got a reply, I’m sure they were just busy and not ignoring me lol! When I finally did get a reply though it was an invite to meet with the boss man himself, Leonard Foster and his business partner who co-owned iCandy Studios with him Gaia Beck. Anyone who knows me would have known that I had been searching for an opportunity like this for years. Finally I had the chance to show them how much I wanted to work within Music and just how hard I would work to make sure it happened. Luckily for me my previous sales skills came in handy and I sold myself like a true pro. You was now looking at the new Business Music Development Manager/Sales Executive for Flavourmag. My second home and place of work became Flavourmag HQ in a studio in South East London!
I took to my role like a duck takes to water. This was something I had wanted for years and I wasn’t about to mess it up. I started researching well-known music artists, talents and celebrities to appear on the website in their own exclusive features. I bagged the likes of Micha B, Dawn Richard (Diddy Dirty Money/Danity Kane), Loick Essien, DJ Ironik, Charlie Hedges (Kiss FM/DJ) and many many more. These artists and talents gave us exclusive content in the form of photo shoots, interviews and acoustic/freestyle performances. To watch the Flavourmag fan base grown and the Twitter followers increase from something that I was doing was a great sense of achievement and success. I was over the moon to say the least. Not only was I working with already established talents, I was also able to offer unsigned and basically unknown music artists the same opportunity. An opportunity where they could grab their moment and where we could help push their careers. We offered the same platform too these artists as we did celebrities and established artists because that’s what Flavourmag stands for! Supporting real talent even if they are basically unheard of! This is what I loved and still love about Flavourmag. Not many publications do this now a days as money has taken over the purpose for many, if you may not sell or if you may not create them pounds then they aint interested. Flavourmag is so different and on a whole other level!
Due to my work at Flavourmag a new opportunity come to light for me to move across to a different publication, a competitor some may say. Like any normal career hungry individual I took it with both hands which sadly meant I had to leave Flavourmag behind, but not for long! I moved across to the new publication which was completely different to Flavourmag and massively out of my comfort zone. However the opportunities continued to grow and a kind of pinch me moment happened. It was when I somehow ended up in Disturbing London HQ sitting around chatting to Tinie Tempah about DJ and sound equipment. This was my job, to sit here with Tinie and chat…how cool is that! I also got to work with high up well-known brands while at this new publication such as One Piece, Urban Ears, Jagermeister and many many more. Now of course all of this was extremely cool and fun but it also couldn’t have been further away from what I got into this business for. To work with raw talented music acts and to also help unknown, un-established music acts get their break. This brought me back to Flavourmag and where I am today. A Freelance Music Journalist who loves to write about anything music based! Some may say I’m multi talented as I do tend to dip my pen in other areas aswell, not just music.
Leonard Foster was a phone call away and he welcomed me back to the team in an instant. He respected my decision and allowed me to attempt my new role as a Freelance Music Journalist. Since then my articles have been a regular occurrence on the most viewed articles section and I have received some fantastic feedback from all kinds of people. I even grabbed the attention of a well-known daily newspaper! It may have been for reasons that I didn’t want to be noticed for but that’s a different story for a different time!
The fact that Flavourmag is a huge online publication and a platform that not only delivers news on exceptional talent but also supports it, I was over the moon when I was asked to be editor of the month and i accepted within an instant! The fact that Flavourmag covers content from music to fashion to lifestyle it’s not only a great publication to be apart of but it’s also a great publication to follow and read. Editor of the month is a great deal to me and something I just could not turn down. To take over Flavourmag for a whole month and to highlight great talent, amongst other things, to the viewing public is truly an opportunity, as a Freelance Journalist, just something that I just had to do! I wanted to take this opportunity to not just look at all sections of the website in a slightly different way but to also highlight the UK and show off exactly what we have to offer…enjoy!
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And read all of my previous articles here: www.flavourmag.co.uk/author/joe-waller/
Articles that I have commissioned this month to be written are:
Really enjoyed this piece, the fantastic aspect of the music industry is the passion behind people working within it. Being so in-tune and passionate about your job produces genuinely great results, and that is evidenced by Joe’s journey. Best of luck Joe Waller