I think most industry professionals would agree when I say, it's the most wonderful time of year! The time when we welcome new interns to the team after going through a brief period of heartbreak, induced by our lack of interns from early December to mid-January.
We are excited to introduce our first new intern of the semester, Jalena! A sophomore music business major, Jalena is super involved in extracurriculars at Belmont and driven to succeed in the music industry. Read more about our upstate New York native below!
1. What do you want to get out of this internship?
Through this internship, I hope to gain a better understanding of artist management, what it takes to run a successful business, and how I can make a positive impact on the music industry. I’m excited to actually be interning with a management company and seeing what their daily tasks look like, as opposed to simply sitting in a classroom and learning about it. I’d like to become more conscious of my time management and would like to further develop my music business skills and abilities.
2. What is your favorite part about Nashville?
My favorite part about Nashville is the level of excellence amongst the musicians in this city. Before moving to Nashville, I knew I would be surrounded by great musicians, but I didn’t think they’d be this great! There are so many talented people here and they’re all willing to help others succeed and master their craft. Also, I can’t complain about the amount of coffee shops in Nashville; I’m never far from an overpriced, hipster latte.
3. What do you love to do? Hobbies? Activities?
In my free time, I’m either exercising or doing something with music. I love to clear my mind and go hiking or I’ll go to the gym. I recently started boxing and that’s been a great emotional release:) I love researching ways I can become a better musician and then applying those tools! I could definitely spend hours and hours playing instruments or producing music if I didn’t have any other necessary responsibilities.
4. If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?
If I could eat one thing for the rest of my life, it’s steak. A medium-rare filet mignon with asparagus and mashed potatoes on the side. Also maybe throw in some fries because I couldn’t imagine life without french fries.
5. Favorite musicians, artists, genres, equipment, shows you’ve been to...tell us anything you love about music.
I’m constantly inspired and motivated when I listen to artists like Jon Bellion, 6lack, Melanie Martinez, Snarky Puppy, John Mayer, and The Lumineers. I also love to study the styles of Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Elvis, and Nat King Cole. In my opinion, those artists paved a way for themselves and introduced their own genre and a sound that is identified solely by their music. Drake’s producer, Noah Shebib, is a huge inspiration to me. I spend as much time as I can devote to learn from him; I think he is one of the most intelligent producers/audio engineers of this generation.
6. Why did you choose to intern here?
I chose to intern with Olivia Management because this company has a reputation of taking care of their artists and taking their business very seriously. It seems that everyone in Nashville knows of Erin and has only great things to say about her and her company. I wanted to be able to make the most of the time I would spend interning, and I knew that working here would be a perfect fit.