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Banks (singer)

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BANKS
Birth nameJillian Banks
BornLos Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresAlternative, R&B[1]
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active2013–present
LabelsHarvest, Good Years, Iamsound
Websitehernameisbanks.com

Jillian Banks, simply known as BANKS, is an American singer-songwriter and musician from Los Angeles, California.[2] She releases music under Harvest Records, Good Year Recordings, and Iamsound Records.[3] Her music has been in international rotation and also featured in a 2013 commercial for Victoria's Secret. She has toured internationally with The Weeknd and was also nominated for the Sound of 2014 award by the BBC and an MTV Brand New Nominee in 2014.[4] On May 3rd, 2014, BANKS was labeled as an 'Artist To Watch' by Fox Weekly.[5]

Early life

Banks started writing songs at the age of 15.[3] She taught herself piano when she received a keyboard from a friend to help her through her parents' divorce. She says she "felt very alone and helpless. I didn't know how to express what I was feeling or who to talk to."[1][6]

Career

2013–present: Breakthrough

Banks uses websites, such as Soundcloud to connect to people through her music. Billboard called her a "magnetic writer with songs to obsess over" four months after she posted her first song to the site.[3] After reaching a large number of listeners, she began working with the label Good Years. Her first official single, called Before I Ever Met You was released in February 2013. The song which had been on a private Soundcloud page ended up being played by BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe.[7][8] Banks released her first EP on the Iamsound Records/Good Years Recordings labels.[9] The EP was titled Fall Over and included the singles "Fall Over" and "Before I Ever Met You."[10] Banks released her second EP called London on the Harvest Records / Good Years records label in 2013,[11] receiving a 78 from Metacritic.[12] Her song "Waiting Game" from the London EP was also featured in the 2013 Victoria's Secret holiday commercial.[13]

In late 2013 she received nominations for awards from both the BBC and MTV. She was nominated for a Sound of... award by the BBC and a Brand New Nominee by MTV.[4] Shazam included her on its list of 2014 Acts To Watch[14] and she was named to the iTunes list of New Artists for 2014.[15] Banks was artist of the week for Vogue in August 2013 where they wrote that her songs "perfectly capture a feeling of being lost and powerless in the world."[1] Banks has been tipped by more than a dozen media outlets as the artist to watch in 2014, including Spin calling her London EP an Album You Gotta Hear in 2014[16] and being named as one of Spotify's Artists Under the Spotify Spotlight for 2014.[17] Additional accolades have come from The Boston Globe,[18] Fuse,[19] and The Huffington Post.[20]

Banks was the opening act for The Weeknd during his fall 2013 tour.[21] The tour was international with dates in the United States and the United Kingdom.[4] After finishing the tour with The Weeknd, she announced her own tour which is scheduled to begin in the United Kingdom March 2014.[4] Banks was also a featured performer at Coachella Music Festival, taking place in April 2014.

Public image

Banks' reluctance to use social media is often noted by journalists. Although she let her "management run that stuff",[8] the singer did give out her real telephone number on her Facebook fanpage.[3] One month after London was released, Ellie Goulding said in an interview with Radio.com that she often listens to Banks.[22] She is featured in the BBC's Sound of 2014 long list.[23]

Artistry

Banks' sound has been described as dark R&B and compared to The Weeknd[24] but she cites Lauryn Hill and Fiona Apple as her biggest influences.[25][26] She says that music helps her release her emotions and for that reason kept her music private while she earned her bachelor's in psychology.[8] Billboard also wrote that "her rhapsodic voice possesses a frail vulnerability and recalls singers like Feist and Erykah Badu."[3]

Discography

Albums

Title Album details
Goddess

Extended plays

Title EP details
Fall Over
London

Singles

Title Year Album
"Before I Ever Met You"[7] 2013 Goddess
"Warm Water"[3]
"Waiting Game"[A]
"Brain" 2014
"Goddess"

Awards and nominations

Year Organization Category Nominee Result
2014 MTV Brand New Nominee[4] Banks Nominated
2013 BBC Sound of 2014[30] Banks Third

References

Notes

  • A^ : "Waiting Game" features in Victoria's Secret commercial.[13]
  • B^ :

Sources

  1. ^ a b c Brown, Jacob (9 August 2013). "Artist of the Week: Banks". Vogue. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  2. ^ "Review: BANKS – LONDON EP". prettymuchamazing.com. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Banks, Quick-Rising Pop Starlet, Explains Why Her Fans Have Her Cell Number". Jason Lipshutz. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Banks For Headline UK Tour in March 2014". MTV UK. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  5. ^ "#5. BANKS [artist to watch.]". Fox Weekly. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  6. ^ BBC News – Banks: Rising star with a high interest rate
  7. ^ a b Stern, Bradley (12 February 2013). "You Be The Judge: Banks' "Before I Ever Met You"". Idolator. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  8. ^ a b c BBC News – Banks: Rising star with a high interest rate
  9. ^ "Fall over – Banks (Djemba Djemba remix)". The Dankles. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  10. ^ "Banks Single Out Now, Listen to "Fall Over"". IamSound Records. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  11. ^ Willcott, Carl (27 August 2013). "BANKS' Sultry "Waiting Game" Gets A Shadowy Video". Idolator. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  12. ^ London [EP] Reviews – Metacritic
  13. ^ a b Saad, Nardine (12 December 2013). "Watch extended cut of Victoria Secret models Paris commercial". L.A. Times. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  14. ^ "Shazam's 2014 Acts To Watch & 2013 Big Hitters". Shazam. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  15. ^ Mylrea, Hannah (8 January 2014). "Banks is #3 in the BBC Sound of 2014". The Edge. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  16. ^ "50 Albums You Gotta Hear in 2014". Spin. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  17. ^ "Spotify reveals the artists under the Spotify Spotlight for 2014". Spotify. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  18. ^ Reed, James; Sarah Rodman (9 January 2014). "Music's rising stars for 2014". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  19. ^ "Fuse's 18 Breakthrough Artists of 2014". Fuse. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  20. ^ Kristobak, Ryan (7 January 2014). "20 Artists To Start Listening To In 2014". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  21. ^ "Pop Shop Picks: Lady Gaga, Romeo Santos, Banks & More". Billboard. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  22. ^ "Ellie Goulding Reveals Her New Favorite Musicians". Radio.com. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  23. ^ "2014 The Long List". The BBC. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  24. ^ BANKS’ “Waiting Game”: Hear Why She’s Opening For The Weeknd | Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com
  25. ^ Martins, Chris (4 March 2013). "Hear Banks' Badu-Channeling R&Beats Bubbler 'Fall Over'". Spin. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  26. ^ Banks singer LONDON interview music news – This Is What It Feels Like (Glamour.com UK)
  27. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_1xtra
  28. ^ iTunes - Music - Fall Over - EP by Banks. 1 March 2013
  29. ^ "'London' - EP by Banks". Itunes (UK). Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  30. ^ "BBC Sound of 2014 longlist revealed". BBC. 2 December 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2013.

Further reading

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