Jesabel MTV Beats + Eats Interview

Jesabel MTV Beats + Eats Interview

It's the news Australia has been waiting for! MTV is kicking off ARIA Week with the launch of a brand new music and food festival, MTV Beats & Eats. Not only will it showcase Sydney's trendiest boutique foodies and a line-up of local and international music acts, but the MTV Beats & Eats is FREE at The Crescent, Parramatta Park on Saturday, 21st November, made possible with the support of Destination NSW.

MTV Beats & Eats, proudly supported by Carlton Dry, will host 7,500 festival goers, six main stage performances, 15 delicious food outlets, a licensed VIP bar brought to you by Carlton Dry and a whole bunch of crazy kit you would only expect from MTV, making history as MTV Australia's biggest free event to date! All you need to do is register at www.mtvbeatsandeats.com.au and let us know you're coming, to enjoy an epic day of delicious food and free tunes on MTV.

With more artists to be released soon, the first acts to be announced for the MTV Beats & Eats line-up are Havana Brown, Savage and Jesabel.

Melbourne born, LA based DJ and singer, Havana Brown, is about to hit one million fans on Facebook , has sold over three million singles worldwide and has supported the likes of Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Rihanna. Famous for her quadruple-platinum hit -We Run the Night' (feat.Pitbull) the sizzling supernova is set to hit the MTV Beats & Eats stage with a live vocal performance.

New Zealand rapper Savage is also scheduled to storm the stage with his fierce hybrid of bounce, trap and big room electronic dance music. Having already sold in excess of 2 million records as a hip hop artist, it was his five times platinum single -Freaks' with Timmy Trumpet that amassed over 70 million views online and turned the Kiwi hero into a dominating success worldwide.

Local Sydney stunner Jesabel will also hit the decks with her electro, house music beats. The up and coming DJ has supported some of Australia's top artists including Tigerlily, Uberjak'd and Will Sparks. Jesabel has also been involved in the Down N Up program, enabling underprivileged youth to stand up and shine in the electronic music industry with DJ competitions to motivate the masses.

In addition to the awesome beats, guests can also look forward to feasting on a variety of gourmet selections prepared by some of Sydney's hottest chefs. If you love Asian cuisine, Sydney's oriental Chefs Gallery is sending their very own chef on site to pull and cook prawn and pork wonton noodles, slow cooked beef brisket noodles and fresh noodle salads, perfect for a hot festival day.

The Happy as Larry team, made up of three Aussie mates, Chris Lu, Adam Choker and Anthony Severino, will also be firing up some delectable Napoli style wood fired pizzas from their impressive recycled twenty-foot converted shipping container, turned awesome food truck. If you're overheating from dancing all day in the sun and would rather indulge in a chilled treat to cool yourself down, then N2 Extreme Gelato will be there to put out the fire with their ridiculously delicious Vanilla Creme Brulee and Vanilla & Honeycomb gelato.

However, if you're really hard-core and are interested in trying something new, then look no further than The Edible Bug Shop. Yes you read that correctly. The Edible Bug Shop will be luring in the dare devils with their selection of roasted mealworms, dehydrated ants and chili and garlic crickets! YUM! And you can even treat yourself to an 'I Ate a Bug" button pin, just so everyone knows you did it.

MTV Beats & Eats has partnered with the Australian Children's Music Foundation (ACMF) an organisation that uses the power of music to inspire and enrich the lives of all Australian children and youth, particularly the less advantaged and Indigenous. ACMF representatives will be on-ground collecting gold coin donations on entry to the festival, which will contribute towards providing free, weekly, long term and sustainable music programs to Indigenous and disadvantaged schools and Juvenile Justice Centres across Australia.

The MTV Beats & Eats festival is an 18+ event on Saturday, 21st November from 2pm until 10pm at The Crescent, Parramatta Park, Sydney.

For more information visit www.mtvbeatsandeats.com.au

Interview with Jesabel

Question: What are you looking forward to most about the upcoming MTV Beats + Eats?

Jesabel: Playing with Savage and Havana Brown is always a fun time, but I'm going to be completely honest…FOOD!!


Question: What made you want to get involved with MTV Beats + Eats?

Jesabel: I've really loved being involved with MTV of late and working with them again on this was a no brainer! It's a unique concept and I'm happy to be providing some of the entertainment for it!


Question: What inspires you when you're creating your set?

Jesabel: I honestly go off a feeling! I don't pre organise my sets, it's more about what works in that moment, but if a track gives me goosebumps, it goes straight into my playlist. I always try and keep up to date with all the latest music, but I find something special in surprising people with a throwback or something a little old school. The classics will never go out of fashion!


Question: Can you tell us about your involvement in the Down N Up program?

Jesabel: Down N Up was a program that helped disadvantaged teens get access to often very expensive equipment to learn how to DJ and have some fun. I was involved as a teacher and judge in the program. It was a real pleasure to mentor the kids and see the impact it had on them. I'm really keen to work with a similar cause in the future!


Question: What/who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Jesabel: Music has been a part of me almost my whole life. I've been singing since I was 8 years old. I've played the piano, flute and violin as well. For me, DJing is a musical outlet, playing shows has really boosted my self-confidence and now I cannot imagine doing anything else. The Spice Girls and Kylie Minogue were a massive influence of mine in my younger years, but guys like Porter Robinson and Calvin Harris introduced me to dance music.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a DJ?

Jesabel: I actually get a lot out of making people dance. At the end of the day, people having a good time is the aim and nothing else comes above that in the moment. It's also great that this career choice has opened me up to so many amazing opportunities and has allowed me to travel and meet some great people! That is something I never take for granted.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Jesabel: I would LOVE to collaborate with Don Diablo, Valentino Khan, NERVO or Dave Winnel.


Question: What artists are you currently listening to?

Jesabel: Dance music wise, my fave releases from the past few months have been from the likes of Kaskade, Robin Shulz, Diplo, Jauz, Blonde, Sleepy Tom, Joe Stone, Tiga, Boys Noize, Disclosure…the list is endless! Haha


Question: What's next for you, in the coming months?

Jesabel: Aside from the MTV Beats & Eats I've got a really busy few months of shows ahead! Wrapping up the Ministry Of Sound Clubbers Guide To Spring Tour with Glover over the next few weeks and I'm playing the Schoolies Nation Beach festival on the Gold Coast this year for the first time which is super exciting!! I've been working on writing and recording vocals for some upcoming releases which will hopefully be out for everyone to hear sometime early next year! There are a couple more surprises, which I am sure everyone will hear about very soon! So yeah, exciting times.

Interview by Brooke Hunter