Some things are really worth waiting for. In the realm of music, this sometimes even happens after a sizable period of hibernation from making music. If the past four years have shown us anything, it’s that you’re never too old to make music and that folks are craving music made by the artists they grew up listening to in the 70s, 80s and 90s. In part, this is due to nostalgia and, in part, because the music they are making is worth your ear. Tears For Fears hitting number one is a great case in point. Today we introduce you to another famed artist who has re-emerged on the music scene over the past few months.
Enter iconic alternative pop artist Jenn Vix, who recently new retrowave single ‘You Are A Star’, a collaborative track featuring Ali Score, original drummer of legendary Grammy-winning new wave – synthpop band A Flock Of Seagulls. The accompanying video was created by JFIVENINE Media with assistance from Ali’s own wife Linda Score.
This release sees the legendary drummer return to music after a lengthy hiatus, putting to work the technique that helped A Flock of Seagulls become one of the most influential bands of their era, blazing the way for new wave and synthpop, becoming a Top-40 band with numerous hit songs and a Grammy to their credit, not to mention their enigmatic presence and awe-inspiring sound, which many artists continue to emulate even today.
“Well, ‘You Are a Star’ is a love song. It’s a tribute to someone who worked as an astronomer, and an astrophysicist. The music happened very late at night, as I was sitting in front of the keyboard, practicing, and then the lyrics drifted into my mind shortly after I wrote the music…. We’re all made of stardust,” says Jenn Vix.
As with her latest single ‘PTSD’, which offers a glimpse into her personal experience with the diagnosis and life with this disorder, Vix worked with Grammy-nominated mastering engineer Chris Gehringer (Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Lady Gaga, Twenty One Pilots, St. Vincent).
Jenn Vix explains how this collaboration came to be: “When I was a kid, I moved to NYC from Miami. One of the most wonderful things about NYC at the time, was the record shops located around the city. I would spend my weekends crate digging, and finding new music. One of my friends at a shop downtown played me a single titled “Talking” by A Flock of Seagulls, that he got from the UK. I couldn’t even buy it at the time because there was only one copy in the shop. I was amazed, because I’d never heard anything like it! A little while later, I saw the video for ‘I Ran’ on MTV and, at that moment, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I also wanted to one day play music with the drummer of A Flock of Seagulls, and here I am now, working with him! It’s a dream come true!”
“I got the conversation going with Ali through a mutual friend, who works on the band’s sites and social media pages, and we took it from there. I was one of the first fans of the band here in the states! Ali is not only a brilliant and highly skilled drummer, but he’s an incredibly kind and caring person. I consider him not only a collaborator, but a dear friend.”
Over the years, Jenn Vix has collaborated with Reeves Gabrels (The Cure, David Bowie, Tin Machine), John Ashton (Psychedelic Furs), Andy Anderson (The Cure, Iggy Pop, Hawkwind), Danny Chavis (The Veldt), Marco Pirroni (Adam Ant, Rema Rema, The Models, Sinead O’Connor), Dirk Ivens (Absolute Body Control, The Klinik and Dive), and Rodney Anonymous (The Dead Milkmen).
Launching her musical career in Rhode Island, she cut her teeth in NYC in her teens, crossing paths with the likes of Iggy Pop, her first experience as a vocalist being with 1980s one-off band Disco Donut (with Adam Horovitz of The Beastie Boys and singer-songwriter Nicole Willis). A decade later, Vix broke out on the national scene, her self-released LP received a glowing 3.5-star review in Rolling Stone, who wrote, “Vix sounds perpetually enraptured. And the Rhode Island multi-instrumentalist has reason to be. Her music–clear, simple melodies awash in echo–is all dreaminess and shuddering, and from inside its swirl, her voice wafts up”.
As an indication of her ever-evolving approach to her craft, in recent years, Vix has been performing both as a solo artist and also as vocalist-drummer (on an electronic drum kit) in Boston-based post-punk / electronic rock duo Feeney Vix.
As of February 25, ‘You Are A Star’ will be available online everywhere, including Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal and Amazon. You can also find Jenn Vix on TikTok.
CREDITS
Written, arranged and produced by Jenn Vix
Music, lyrics, synths, guitar and vocals by Jenn Vix
Drums by Ali Score
Recorded in Newport, RI and Ocala FL by Jenn Vix and Big Andy
Mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound
Video by JFIVENINE Media, assisted by Linda Score
ISRC Code: USCGH2283750
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