International Women's Day 2023: Interview with Jaz Karis
We asked the talented Jaz Karis to curate a playlist of her favourite female voices for International Women's Day 2023.
We've been big fans of South London soul artist Jaz Karis for quite a while now, so we were really keen to get her to curate a playlist for our International Women's Day client celebrations.
Growing up in a musical household, Jaz started taking piano lessons at an early age, something which pushed her to get into singing and think about a career in music.
From then onwards, Jaz took part in the local gospel choir, a few talent shows and eventually decided to attend the BRIT School, a crucial experience for her personal and professional development.
(Adele and Amy Winehouse studied there!)
Jaz released her first EP 'Into The Wilderness' in 2017, though 2020 was the year when her career took a massive turn. Stuck at home during the lockdown, Jaz embraced her creative drive and wrote, produced, and engineered the ‘All Eyes on U’ EP.
Fast forward to 2023, Jaz's biggest hit 'Petty Lover' has collected over 15 million streams, she recently performed a sold-out show at London iconic venue Lafayette, and she'll be heading to Austin for SXSW soon... Oh, new music is also on the way.
What do you think is the best way to support and celebrate female artists and bands beyond International Women's Day?
It would be great to see an all-female lineup for a show or festival! Also maybe a few events that celebrate women coming together.
Were there any people and/or organisations that were crucial to your career?
My mum was and still is a huge inspiration to me. She has always supported me throughout my career and I wouldn’t be where I am without her.
Floor Sixx, led by Sian Anderson, was also a music company that I was a part of that really made a difference for me.
If you could change one thing about the music industry what would it be and why?
I would love for music to be that matter the most - I know we would come together more. I feel like the current dynamics of the industry make women feel like we are in competition with each other. I genuinely would love for us to have more unity.
Let's talk about the playlist. How did you approach curating this International Women’s Day selection for Open Ear clients?
I listen to a lot of women on a daily basis, so I went to my favourite and most-listened-to artists and chose the tracks from there. I also tried to pick quite chill music to be used in many different settings.
Lastly, which female artists do you see pushing boundaries and shaping the sounds of the near future?
Wow, there are so many! But a few examples of the sounds I currently love are Snoh Aalegra, Cleo Sol, Tems, Tiana Major 9, Kali Claire, and Mariah the Scientist.