Pop singer-songwriter Jackie Miskanic – identified professionally as Jax.
Pop singer-songwriter Jackie Miskanic – identified professionally as Jax – completed third on the 14th season of American Idol, and the present actually launch her profession. This summer season, social media now has helped her notch her first entry on the Billboard Sizzling 100 chart for her ode to physique positivity “Victoria’s Secret.” As well as, she filmed a flash mob video exterior one of many shops, which additionally attracted consideration from the corporate known as out within the tune.
Inside days of posting the video to YouTube – the place it has been seen 4.5 million occasions to this point – Jax even obtained a letter from Victoria’s Secret CEO Amy Hauk, who mentioned the 26-year-old singer had addressed “vital points.”
The only, which was launched in June and has earned reward from quite a few celebrities, particularly calls out the Victoria’s Secret model, and notably firm founder and former CEO Leslie Wexner, for profiting off younger girls whereas contributing to their adverse physique points. Jax has acknowledged that she wrote the tune for a lady she babysits as a approach to handle physique points head-on.
Jax has used social media to advertise not solely the tune but in addition the message. And she or he wasn’t really stunned that Victoria’s Secret responded to the lyrics.
“It ought to have come approach sooner! I’m not the primary one that has spoken about these items,” Jax defined through an e mail despatched from her promotions staff. “It should not take a blue test mark to get the eye of a company. I hope to assume the overwhelming help and 1000’s of non-public tales is what actually caught their consideration. It related with lots of people who have been very vocal. Whether or not the corporate really heard any of it, I assume time will inform.”
The pop singer additionally added that this is not actually a couple of single company both, and prompt it was meant to be a metaphor that helped convey a message in regards to the larger evil: advertising towards individuals’s insecurities — particularly younger girls.
“This was simply my approach of telling my private story to women, boys, youngsters, adults, that you’re lovely and it is best to by no means evaluate your physique to what you see on media of any kind,” Jax continued. “As a result of most of what you see is pretend and made up by some previous dude in a convention room someplace. It isn’t actual and it is manipulative. I hate the concept of anyone dropping their sense of self-worth whereas another person will get wealthy off of it.”
Flash Mob Goes Viral
The pop singer did not count on that her flash mob video, filmed earlier this 12 months, can be seen thousands and thousands of occasions, and mentioned that she is at all times shocked by the response a few of her on-line posts – on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube – usually obtain.
“This one particularly blew me away with how many individuals began sharing their experiences with consuming issues and physique dysmorphia. It actually struck a nerve,” she added.
The video, which is just below three minutes in size, was filmed exterior of a Victoria’s Secret and concerned an actual flash mob.
“I used to be sitting round pondering how cool it will be to convey flash mobs again,” mentioned Jax. “They was once so enjoyable however kinda disappeared. So I known as a choreographer and advised him what I wished to do. I advised him that I wish to highlight as many physique varieties as attainable in three minutes.”
Over the course of simply two days, which allowed for a restricted quantity of rehearsals, Jax discovered the strikes, whereas the video was then filmed in a single take. “I nonetheless cannot imagine I danced by means of your complete tune, with two left toes, surrounded by professional dancers,” she added. “I nonetheless smile so laborious enthusiastic about it – to not point out it was like group remedy speaking with all of the dancers. I did not even take into account how badly dancers undergo consuming issues their whole lives and all of us shared our tales throughout the rehearsal.”
Utilizing Social Media to Join With Followers
Immediately many younger singers are utilizing social media to share their music, however it is usually permitting followers to attach immediately with the artists.
“Earlier than, you would need to learn an article or watch a documentary to comply with your favourite artist. Now you might be alongside for your complete journey,” mentioned Jax. “TikTok has allowed me to succeed in wider audiences. Folks love tales and I believe that that’s the lovely factor about TikTok. You’ll be able to comply with somebody’s journey and in flip, know precisely the place the artist is coming from.”
This has additionally included sharing some private heartache through the platform, together with how she used it to recover from a breakup. Jax mentioned that the platforms allowed her to convey a number of the baggage into the traditional – “stuff” she would usually by no means take into account speaking about.
“Speaking about these items helps create a dialog with individuals from all walks of life,” the singer famous. “It sort of feels like one massive group remedy session that everybody (together with myself) advantages from.”
Immediately, pop music and social media are so interconnected that it has turn out to be a brand new regular for the way artists can interact with followers. Jax mentioned she believes TikTok is now an app that permits for genuine creativity. At the same time as she is a signed recording artist, Jax nonetheless makes use of TikTok to check out songs to see if it “hits residence” or not.
“It allowed me to lastly be my goofy awkward self and never some business made-up persona,” Jax defined, “Which I assumed I needed to chase my whole life. That is why this app is so widespread as a result of the customers scroll proper previous the ‘BS.’ So now a child of their bed room could make a 30-second tune and have it heard by three million individuals in a single day. It is a good time to be an artist as a result of the gap between you and your followers is actually one scroll away.”
