Neon Jungle
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Neon Jungle | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Electropop, dance-pop |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels | Sony, RCA |
| Members | Shereen Cutkelvin Asami Zdrenka Jess Plummer Amira McCarthy |
| Website | neon-jungle |
Neon Jungle are a British four-piece girl group, consisting of Shereen Cutkelvin, Amira McCarthy, Jess Plummer, and Asami Zdrenka. They are best known for their second single "Braveheart", which peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart. Their first single "Trouble", reached number 12, their third single "Welcome to the Jungle" reached number 7 and their fourth single "Louder" charted at number 14.
When questioned about their name, the girls mentioned that oldest member, Jess, came up with it.[citation needed] The four had been recording club hit; "Welcome to the Jungle" and decided that due to their vibrant personalities, "Neon Jungle" made sense.[citation needed] The song was actually recorded before second single; "Braveheart"[citation needed], yet the girls decided the high octane energy and major bass of "Braveheart" would be the best option for their second single.[1]
Music career
2013–present: Formation, breakthrough and upcoming debut album
On 10 February 2013, after a series of auditions, Shereen Cutkelvin, Amira McCarthy, Jess Plummer and Asami Zdrenka were selected to form the group.They then went and visited schools and radios across the country to get their name out there.[citation needed]
On 30 August 2013, Neon Jungle released their debut single "Trouble" as the lead single from their debut studio album. On 8 September 2013 the single entered the UK Singles Chart at number 12. In October the girls then announced they would be supporting Jessie J. On 12 November 2013, it was announced that Neon Jungle would be a performer at the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.[citation needed] In December, 'Trouble' debuted at number 9 on the US Billboard Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart.[2] Neon Jungle's second single, "Braveheart", was released in the UK on 19 January 2014. The song peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart, making it their first Top 5 UK single. Neon Jungle released the song "Welcome to the Jungle" as their third single, and the single debuted at 7 in the UK Top 40 Official Charts.
The group are set to perform at various UK music festivals during this summer, including Wireless Festival, T in the Park and the Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On Festival Weekend. The group's debut album, titled Welcome to the Jungle,[3] was made available for pre-order and released on 28 July 2014. English singer-songwriter Charli XCX mentioned recently via Twitter she co-wrote album track 'So Alive', although no major collaborations have been confirmed for the album.
20 July 2014 saw the group release fourth single; 'Louder'. The powerful ballad managed to reach a peak position of 14 in the Official UK Top 40, making it the group's lowest charting single to date. Debut album; 'Welcome to the Jungle' was released eight days later on 28 July, earning the group a Top 10 spot at 8 in the Official UK Top 40 Album downloads. [4]
On July 30th, 2014, the group faced controversy after singer Banks publicly acknowledged her dissatisfaction for the group releasing her original song 'Waiting Game' as apart of their debut album, months prior to her own debut album release, Goddess. The group declined to comment.
Members
Shereen Cutkelvin
[Main Vocalist] Shereen Cutkelvin (born 2 December 1996) is from Lanark, Scotland. She is the youngest member of the band. Cutkelvin admits her shyness, but claims she's "been singing since she could walk and talk". She was inspired by her father, and considers him her "musical idol". Shereen mentions she feels she was "born in the wrong generation", and mentions her love for Motown and soulful music with the likes of Diana Ross and The Temptations. Shereen posted covers of herself on YouTube, along with videos with her family. She was later discovered and invited to audition, and mentions she got the call to confirm her place in the group on her way back to her home in Scotland. Cutkelvin also mentions working for Sony before joining the group.[5]
Amira McCarthy
[Main Rapper/Vocalist] Amira McCarthy (born 2 February 1996 in London, England) has always known that performing was something she wanted to do. She has said that the moment she realised that the route she wanted to go down was music as opposed to acting or dancing was when she took part in a singing competition at her school Westminster Academy. Similarly to Jess, Amira was scouted to be in the group, found in Westfields Shopping Centre, London. McCarthy later auditioned and made the final four.[6]
Jess Plummer
[Main Rapper/Vocalist] Jessica Kate "Jess" Plummer (born 16 September 1992) is from London. She is the oldest member of the band and had previously worked as an actress. She appeared in two episodes of the CBBC series Wizards vs Aliens. Her musical idols include Mariah Carey, Rihanna and Jessie J. Jess was discovered through the group's current manager in Brick Lane, London, and from there was invited to auditions.[7]
Asami Zdrenka
[Main Vocalist] Asami Zdrenka (born 15 September 1995 in Japan) was born to Japanese parents, and moved to the UK at an early age. Zdrenka has said that she has always loved to sing, and as a child, when her father took her on holiday back to Japan, he would make her sing to her family.[8] Zdrenka's mother was a singer and her grandfather has released albums in Japan. Zdrenka was also spotted online, through videos of herself singing on YouTube, catching the attention of the label.[9] She has been romantically linked to George Shelley of Union J.[10]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [1] |
AUS [11] | ||
| Welcome to the Jungle[12] |
|
8 | 48 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [1] |
AUS [11] |
IRE [13] |
SCO [14] | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | "Trouble" | 12 | – | – | 4 | Welcome to the Jungle | |||||||||||||
| 2014 | "Braveheart" | 4 | 19 | 20 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| "Welcome to the Jungle" | 7 | – | 46 | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| "Louder" | 14 | – | 86 | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tours
Opening act
- Jessie J – Alive Tour (2013) (Birmingham, Sheffield & Aberdeen only)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Glamour Women of the Year Awards | Band of the Year | Nominated |
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | UK Favourite Breakthrough | Nominated[17] |
References
- ^ a b c "Artists: Neon Jungle". Official Charts Company. 4 August 2014. Cite error: The named reference "UK" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Donna Summer Returns 'MacArthur Park' To Top of Dance Chart After 35 Years". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- ^ https://twitter.com/NeonJungleMusic/status/471411667566596096
- ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Album-TBC-Neon-Jungle/dp/B00IAFVQF0
- ^ "Shereen Cutkelvin Biography". Heatworld.com. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
- ^ "Amira McCarthy Biography". Heatworld.com. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
- ^ "Jess Plummer Biography". Heatworld.com. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
- ^ "Asami Zdrenka Biography". Heatworld.com. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
- ^ "New girlband Neon Jungle have a smashing time as they make video for debut single Trouble". Daily Record. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
- ^ "This Week's Fresh Music Top 20". 1 August 2014. 4Music.
{{cite episode}}: Missing or empty|series=(help) - ^ a b Hung, Steffen. "Discography Neon Jungle". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
- ^ https://twitter.com/NeonJungleMusic/status/471411667566596096
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discography Neon Jungle". Irish Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
- ^ Peak positions for singles in Scotland:
- For "Trouble": "Chart Archive > September 14, 2013". Official Charts Company. 14 September 2013.
- For "Braveheart": "Chart Archive > February 1, 2014". Official Charts Company. 1 February 2014.
- ^ "BPI certification 2013". BPI. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
- ^ http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupagesaria-charts-accreditations-singles-2014.htm
- ^ "Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards – UK Favourite Breakthrough". Nickelodeon UK.