The Article

Over the last couple of days I have been working on my article in order to imitate the tone and consistency of a magazine. Bearing in mind that I need a headline and a standfirst in addition to the article, I have edited and drafted my work to come up with something that I think suits my goal. I am going to wait a little longer to come up with an engaging and bold heading, but below is my standfirst, which acts as an introductory paragraph to the overall article. 

When Jax Crowford first released ‘Embers’ in 2013, no one knew his name. Now, with sales of over 200 million dollars worldwide he is the leading light in country music. While touring the UK,  the acclaimed singer sits down with us to talk about his simple upbringing and the inspiration behind his next album, Charming Shores.

This was the section that I rewrote the most, because it needs to establish the content and maintain the interest first presented by the headline. I think that this works because I include lots of basic facts as well as some additional comments indicating success. Phrases like 'the leading light' and 'the acclaimed singer' contribute to this idea of respect not only in money but in character. Furthermore I also create the sense that the artist has been on a journey; 'in 2013, no one knew his name' acts as an introduction to how his fame has only been recent. 

Jax Crowford seems very unaffected by his fame. ‘This is great’ he states bluntly as he meets our interviewer in a five star hotel in London. He reveals that he normally chooses his accommodation in the form of a self-catering villa or cabin to try and keep up his independence, since he has hailed from a family of ranchers.  ‘My father was a rancher, my grandfather was a rancher...hell, we’ve probably descended from the first settlers,’ he laughs. 

I had contemplated writing my article in the form of a question/answer layout, as if it was the transcript of an interview. However I thought that it would look more professional by transforming an interview into a full article by embedding selected quotes within. 

The first paragraph of the article starts with a declarative statement: 'very unaffected by his fame' establishes modesty. I wanted to create a sense of character as well as background as early as possible. Using the word 'rancher' in place of 'farmer' is a deliberate attempt at mimicking dialect, since my artist is from Texas.  By talking about how both his 'father' and 'grandfather' were ranchers the audience can already start to derive connotations of a long-term history in the traditional ranching profession. 

Although its very common for country artists to have rural origins,  none have emerged as young as Crowford. At just 23, his global recognition is a sensational feat.  ‘It just sort of happened, you know’ he says modestly. In the space of two nights, his song ‘Embers’ rocketed from 100 000 to  over 5 million views on Youtube. ‘I had to reload the page’ he recalls, ‘I  thought there’d been some sort of  glitch.’  Crowford had recorded  the song independently with a few friends, but the attention it received attracted the likes of Big Machine Records, the same label who signed Taylor Swift. He has since recorded his first full album with them, ‘Ashes  to Embers’, which he released last March. 

After offering some background information and hinting towards my artist's personality, the next paragraph is concerned with industry. This was important for me because if my artist has global fame, he would have experience with the industrial world of music. It acts as a contrast to the symbolism and philosophies that occur later on by making his achievements justifiable. I researched different music labels and decided on 'Big Machine Records' because it specialises in signing country artists. Not only this, but with the alleged success that I have given Jax Crowford, I needed a label with similar praise. Taylor Swift is signed by Big Machine Records, so I felt the need to reference this in order to add credibility to the text and offer a comparison. Using the album title 'Ashes to Embers' is a tribute towards the single that made Jax Crowford globally recognised. I called it 'Embers' because I felt that it captured the essence of progress; not fully alight but starting to catch fire. 

More recently Jax has been up and down America headlining festivals, touring across Europe while still finding time to lend a hand back on his family ranch. ‘I’ve even signed on to do a charity appeal in Africa’ he confirms anxiously. With such a busy schedule, you wonder how he doesn’t crack under all the pressure and publicity. ‘I had a simple start in life,’ he reminds us. ‘Once you’ve been comfortable in your own shadow for so long the spotlight can be too much. It’s certainly a challenge’ he admits, ‘but I’ve got to make the most of the sun now that I’m out of the shade.’ If Crowford is feeling the stress, he’s doing a superb job of pushing it to one side. And a good thing too, since his fame is about to surge again with the upcoming release of his next album. 

Continuing with Jax's story, this paragraph changes to current occurrences, extending the narrative sense of a journey that I wanted to convey. Specifying that amidst the list of scheduled events revolving around music he still finds time to 'lend a hand' back home demonstrates that he isn't overly driven by fame. This is another way of humanising the subject of my article, balancing physical value of wealth with the emotional value of family. There are also several philosophical quotes that I embedded into this paragraph that I thought I could use in bold print somewhere on the page to offer a meaningful or controversial statement. Since I am writing about country music, I figured that the quotes should be passionately reflective about life. The quote 'Once you've been comfortable in your own shadow for so long the spotlight can be too much' illustrates the unseen struggle that artists face. It implies that the publicity of industrial music is an unwelcome change for an artist who spent his upbringing in a rural Western town. The tease that his fame will 'surge' again introduces the focus of the next article about Jax's new album. 

Charming Shores is due out next month, and Jax decided to take inspiration from an unlikely source. ‘I love the beach...in fact it’s got to be my favourite place’ he emphasises, referring to the times he spent as a child on holiday up the Miami Coast. ‘We couldn’t afford to go abroad, but the vast shorelines were like a new world in themselves’.  He notes that the lyrics to his new songs are largely dedicated to his own feelings and experiences. ‘When you write a song, the only way to be authentic is to be true to what you’re writing about.’

Referring to an 'unlikely source' creates anticipation, that something is happening outside of conventional norms. This paragraph is all about contentment, expressed philosophically. I combat the negative idea of poverty by mentioning how he 'couldn't afford to go abroad' with the pleasure gained by simply travelling up the coast. 'A new world in themselves' is a hyperbolic metaphor that suggests contentment is gained through shared experience, not money. I also talk about the lyrical authenticity and how these relate to his own adventures. 'Be true to what you're writing about' is almost a lesson to musicians, and thus engages the readers through this advice. 

This album diverts from the traditional country roots to focus on the immersive symbolism of the coast. ‘I feel like country music is so stereotyped nowadays’ Jax contemplates. ‘The expectation that all of the artists originate from rural Western towns is very outdated.’ This may seem hippocritical since Crowford himself is from a small town in Texas, but he has a point. ‘You don’t want to feel limited because you’re identified as a country singer’ he mentions. ‘I like to sing about everything from belonging and contentment to decay and death. My latest work will be a reflection of this.’

This paragraph gives an opinion on country music as a whole, and I wanted to do this as a way of initiating a point of debate for the reader by talking about wider issues. The quotes refer to identity, stereotypes and the pressure to conform to certain conventions which perhaps offers a contrast to how fans perceive music. But the reason that I wanted to mention the conflict is that it presents Jax Crowford as aware of the industrialisation of the industry and thus makes him trustworthy. He appears wise and knowledgeable but also a bit of a rebel, establishing him as bold. 

Charming Shores is likely to be a huge success both critically and financially if the number of preorders is anything to go by. ‘I get lots of positive messages from fans’ he smiles, obviously appreciating the encouragement. ‘It shows that I’m doing something right.’ With such a modest attitude and an extreme passion for his music, it is easy to understand why Jax has become an idol to many. 

Although a relatively short paragraph, I felt that it would be an advantageous strategy to include some compliments directed towards the fans, since they are the ones who will likely be reading the articles. 'I get lots of positive messages' demonstrates that he appreciates the support and even has an awareness of how he is admired, which evokes encouragement from the reader to continue. 

When asked about who he takes inspiration from, he sits there for a good few minutes. ‘Obviously I love Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson’ he states, ‘but I also love the underrated artists. Those artists for me are the ones who truly have a love of music. They don’t appear on talent shows, they make music just because they love it.’ One of his favourites are The Forest Rangers, who like him, have only recently released their first album. 

All musicians have idols and inspirations. Although strong individual figures, every artist takes key techniques and skills from the generations that preceded them. Therefore giving the audience insight into who caused Jax's interest in country music is a way of accessing his professional mindset. Just like some readers admire him, he admired others. It gave me the chance to express the magazine's omniscient awareness of the genre. I listed well-known figures like 'Johnny Cash' and 'Willie Nelson' to give the audience a sense of shared respect with Jax, but also underrated artists like 'The Forest Rangers' in order to give the readers a surprise. I quote that Jax Crowford loves 'the underrated artists' because it presents him as an underdog who still finds time to listen to acts who sing passionately rather than professionally. 

However despite this, the last couple of years haven’t all been about excitement. ‘I need a personal life too’ he jokes. ‘Whenever I can I go back home and take a break from it all. Family is the most important thing, and I always want to remind myself of that.’ That being said, it is doubtful that he will be heading home any time soon, because his tour has only just started. ‘I’ve got to do a gig in the 02 next week, and then it’s up to Manchester, then Edinburgh...then I have to check my calendar’ he chuckles. Those are only 3 of the 7 pit stops on his list. But one thing we can be sure of is that Jax Crowford has got every intention of bringing a taste of Texan’s finest to our shores. ‘Let’s just wait and see’ he dismisses humbly. 

Opening with 'however' implies that there is going to be a change in tone. Despite this, it is a misleading technique that suggests the content will revert to something negative. But I wanted to conclude with something that would reach the audience of the British nationality in order to make it seem like the artist has relevance to the UK. Therefore offering information regarding his tour creates a local excitement. The final quote I use is a response to the exaggerated praise of how he will bring something extraordinary to our shores. 'Let's just wait and see' is a statement that does two things from a pragmatic perspective. It establishes his humility and modesty by reminding the audience that he doesn't perceive himself as an acclaimed figure, or it could act as an invitation teasing that he has something big in store. 

Jax’s first UK tour; ‘Wandering Afar’ kicked off last week, and his album Charming Shores is released February 14th

Conclusively, most articles end with some statistical information regarding the topics covered within. This gave me the chance to create a title for the tour, and I came up with 'Wandering Afar' since it links with his first tour in the UK and the fact that he is far from home, reiterating his value of family and belonging. 

That is the completed article that I intend to use on my double page spread.