Pop singer-songwriter Jackie Miskanic – recognized professionally as Jax.
Pop singer-songwriter Jackie Miskanic – recognized professionally as Jax – completed third on the 14th season of American Idol, and the present definitely 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 referred to as out within the tune.
Inside days of posting the video to YouTube – the place it has been seen 4.5 million instances so far – Jax even acquired a letter from Victoria’s Secret CEO Amy Hauk, who mentioned the 26-year-old singer had addressed “essential 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 strategy to handle physique points head-on.
Jax has used social media to advertise not solely the tune but in addition the message. And he or she wasn’t truly stunned that Victoria’s Secret responded to the lyrics.
“It ought to have come manner sooner! I’m not the primary one that has spoken about these things,” Jax defined by way of an electronic mail despatched from her promotions crew. “It should not take a blue examine mark to get the eye of an organization. I hope to assume the overwhelming help and hundreds of private tales is what actually caught their consideration. It related with lots of people who had been very vocal. Whether or not the corporate truly 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 supposed to be a metaphor that helped convey a message concerning the larger evil: advertising and marketing towards folks’s insecurities — particularly younger girls.
“This was simply my manner of telling my private story to women, boys, youngsters, adults, that you’re lovely and you need to by no means evaluate your physique to what you see on media of any sort,” Jax continued. “As a result of most of what you see is pretend and made up by some outdated dude in a convention room someplace. It isn’t actual and it is manipulative. I hate the thought of anyone dropping their sense of self-worth whereas another person will get wealthy off of it.”
It ought to be famous too {that a} yr in the past, the Victoria’s Secret model started a brand new route — one which included changing all the boys on the board of administrators, aside from CEO Martin Waters, had been changed by girls. As well as, the standard Victoria’s Secrets and techniques Angles had been changed by the likes of “LGBTQIA+ activist” Megan Rapinoe, plus-size mannequin and “physique advocate” Paloma Elsesser, and transgender swimsuit mannequin Valentina Sampaio. Nevertheless, this summer season’s tune nonetheless has served to additional carry physique consciousness points into the highlight.
Flash Mob Goes Viral
The pop singer did not count on that her flash mob video, filmed earlier this yr, could be seen tens of millions of instances, and mentioned that she is all the time 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 slightly 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 considering how cool it will be to carry flash mobs again,” mentioned Jax. “They was so enjoyable however kinda disappeared. So I referred to as a choreographer and advised him what I wished to do. I advised him that I need to highlight as many physique sorts 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 via your complete tune, with two left toes, surrounded by professional dancers,” she added. “I nonetheless smile so onerous excited about it – to not point out it was like group remedy speaking with all of the dancers. I did not even contemplate how badly dancers undergo consuming issues their total lives and all of us shared our tales through the rehearsal.”
Utilizing Social Media to Join With Followers
Right this moment many younger singers are utilizing social media to share their music, however it’s also permitting followers to attach instantly with the artists.
“Earlier than, you would need to learn an article or watch a documentary to observe your favourite artist. Now you may be alongside for your complete journey,” mentioned Jax. “TikTok has allowed me to achieve wider audiences. Folks love tales and I believe that that’s the lovely factor about TikTok. You’ll be able to observe somebody’s journey and in flip, know precisely the place the artist is coming from.”
This has additionally included sharing some private heartache by way of the platform, together with how she used it to recover from a breakup. Jax mentioned that the platforms allowed her to carry a few of the baggage into the conventional – “stuff” she would usually by no means contemplate speaking about.
“Speaking about this stuff helps create a dialog with folks from all walks of life,” the singer famous. “It seems like one massive group remedy session that everybody (together with myself) advantages from.”
Right this moment, pop music and social media are so interconnected that it has develop into a brand new regular for a way artists can have interaction 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 house” or not.
“It allowed me to lastly be my goofy awkward self and never some business made-up persona,” Jax defined, “Which I believed I needed to chase my total life. That is why this app is so in style 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 folks in a single day. It is a good time to be an artist as a result of the space between you and your followers is actually one scroll away.”
