In this episode of the podcast, Jake welcomes hip-hop and rap artist JNR Choi onto the podcast, speaking to us all the way from Miami. However, his journey started back in the grassroots of the U.K., before one of his breakthrough songs changed his life and enabled him to travel the world with his music and his passion for creating.

JNR was born in London, spending his childhood living in Essex and the capital. Then one day working in his retail job at Topman, an invite into the world of modelling propelled him into the right places and was encouraged to give music a try because 'he looked like an artist'. The rest was history, emerging as one of the most viral and sought-after exports from the UK, with his hit rework, 'To The Moon', which has amassed more than 300 million Spotify streams.

Building on this success and knack for 'right place, right time', JNR has become a respected name worldwide and worked with some of the biggest artists in music, including featuring on Busta Rhymes' new album, collaborating with American rapper Quavo and singer/songwriter JVKE with his songs and reworks. But it's not been smooth sailing to get to where is right now and now being independent after label life, he doesn't like to sit still; it goes without saying this is a great episode!

#musicpodcast #podcast #jnrchoi #bustarhymes #quavo #tothemoon

FIND JNR CHOI

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jnrchoi?lang=en

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jnrchoi/?hl=en

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE SHOW

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/breakthrough_music.pod/?hl=en

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

WANT AN ARTIST ON THE PODCAST/SEND YOUR MUSIC TO US?

Email - breakthroughmusicpod@gmail.com

======================================

Thanks so much for listening and keep helping us work towards our goal of when we can start to give back to grassroots music charities! This is our last episode of the series, but we'll be back in the new year with Series 2!

Our podcast is supported by our friends at the Arts Council England.

Recorded at Chinnerys, Southend - one of the most respected music venues in the UK.

In this episode of the podcast, Jake hops on with punk-DIY artist Bridget.!, who has become a force to be reckoned with in her local scene, and has got her noticed to land slots at Glastonbury and support her idols in Skunk Anansie and The Smashing Pumpkins in her hometown! Her journey so far has been one of determination, passion and grit to have an impact with her music.

Bridget has built up her loyal cult following from the north of Essex, creating a pulverising and heavy sound, which she has established and grown in her hometown scene of Colchester. Alongside being a gardener, she balanced starting to write and record her own songs and record her first music video, before starting to collaborate and work with more producers and musicians in the area.

Fast forward to now, she has grinded and built a strong reputation for always putting on a good show, which has led to her securing slots at the hallowed Glastonbury Festival and being asked to support Skunk Anansie & The Smashing Pumpkins in the summer of 2025... of course she said yes! Bridget is now looking forward to riding the wave she has created for herself and releasing a brand new EP in 2026.

#musicpodcast #podcast #skunkanansie #smashingpumpkins #grassroots

NOTE: This episode contains occasional strong language.

FIND BRIDGET

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@iambridgetofficial

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/briiiiidgget/?hl=en

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE SHOW

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/breakthrough_music.pod/?hl=en

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

WANT AN ARTIST ON THE PODCAST/SEND YOUR MUSIC TO US?

Email - breakthroughmusicpod@gmail.com

======================================

Thanks so much for listening and keep helping us work towards our goal of when we can start to give back to grassroots music charities!

Our podcast is supported by our friends at the Arts Council England.

Recorded at Chinnerys, Southend - one of the most respected music venues in the UK.

In this episode of the podcast, Jake sits down with pop-rock bilingual artist Cristina Hart, who has an incredible career story to tell. Having just supported Louis Tomlinson on his European Tour and American singer/songwriter Brooke Alex, Cristina's career is going from strength to strength after years of hard graft to get here.

Talking of getting here, Cristina is originally from Switzerland and took a leap of faith to move to the UK, to chase her dream of pursuing music and build her platform here. Cristina is half Spanish and half Brazilian and proud of her roots and champions them whenever she can; she's a self-confessed pop-rock girlie, with her songs attracting the attention of major radio shows such as BBC Radio 1 & BBC Introducing and is starting to become a staple in the scene.

Launching into her first gigs when she landed in the UK, she embraced the grassroots music scene and it embraced her back, playing shows on the circuit in London, Essex & Brighton. She talks about building up her network from scratch to get noticed, collaborate with other artists & producers and acclimatising to a whole new country and music industry that was once alien to her. We hope you enjoy getting to know Cristina and delving deeper behind the scenes of her story!

NOTE: This episode contains occasional strong language.

FIND CRISTINA

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@iamcristinahart

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iamcristinahart/?hl=en

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE SHOW

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/breakthrough_music.pod/?hl=en

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

WANT AN ARTIST ON THE PODCAST/SEND YOUR MUSIC TO US?

Email - breakthroughmusicpod@gmail.com

======================================

Thanks so much for listening and keep helping us work towards our goal of when we can start to give back to grassroots music charities!

Our podcast is supported by our friends at the Arts Council England.

Recorded at Chinnerys, Southend - one of the most respected music venues in the UK.

In this episode of the podcast, Jake welcomes folk, punk singer/songwriter Fraser Morgan! Having discovered a love for music, writing with his guitar and performing in hundreds of venues up and down the UK, Fraser has carved out a trusted and loyal following, championing mental health and unity at the core of his music; although he jokingly says his live shows are like a mixture of stand-up comedy and music!

Fraser is from Colchester in Essex and started his musical journey young, writing poems in his bedroom, performing at secondary school and sharing raps with his Mum; only for her to send him to his room (they must have been good 😂). He was studying to become a banker at his sixth form college, only for him to realise that he kind of liked the music thing a bit more.

Since launching into his first gigs, making a point of counting how many he plays and supporting artists like Tom Walker and The Levellers, above all Fraser's music champions mental health at it's core. He's created a loyal fanbase and community through connecting with his songs, live energy and infectious passion for helping people through their struggles and tough times up and down the country. Coming off the back of performing at Latitude Festival in 2025 and winning prestigious awards, Fraser is excited for the year ahead looking to extend his impact far and wide. We're so grateful to have him on the podcast!

NOTE: This episode contains occasional strong language.

FIND FRASER

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@frasermorganuk

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/frasermorganuk/?hl=en

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE SHOW

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/breakthrough_music.pod/?hl=en

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

WANT AN ARTIST ON THE PODCAST/SEND YOUR MUSIC TO US?

Email - breakthroughmusicpod@gmail.com

======================================

Thanks so much for listening and keep helping us work towards our goal of when we can start to give back to grassroots music charities!

Our podcast is supported by our friends at the Arts Council England.

Recorded at Chinnerys, Southend - one of the most respected music venues in the UK.

In this episode, Jake welcomes DJ & electronic music producer Declan Knapp on the podcast. Weaving through his career in music so far, they discuss everything from going to Glastonbury from 1 years old, touring all over Europe having discovered Drum & Bass and how Jeremy Clarkson helped connect him with Groove Armada for a rework of their famous 'Superstylin' hit!

Declan is from Billericay in Essex and in recent years, has made a name for himself, putting out his emotive blend of house, trance and garage music. He's drawn comparisons of artists like Bicep & Caribou, leading to landing gig slots in Ibiza, Ministry Of Sound and winning a slot for Radio 1's Ibiza in 2025. He's become best known for his edit of Groove Armada's Superstylin, co-signed and supported by the duo themselves.

Right now, he's coming off the back of a busy summer of gigs, building up to dropping more collaborations in the rest of 2025 and into the New Year, with his edit of Chemical Brothers & Chris Lake's Galvonize starting to build traction too, building a stronger relationship with fellow producer Fish56 Octagon too!

NOTE: This episode contains occasional strong language.

FIND DECLAN

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@declanknappmusic

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/declanknappmusic/?hl=en

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE SHOW

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/breakthrough_music.pod/?hl=en

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

WANT AN ARTIST ON THE PODCAST/SEND YOUR MUSIC TO US?

Email - breakthroughmusicpod@gmail.com

======================================

Thanks so much for listening and keep helping us work towards our goal of when we can start to give back to grassroots music charities!

Our podcast is supported by our friends at the Arts Council England.

Recorded at Chinnerys, Southend - one of the most respected music venues in the UK.

Jake is joined by frontman of DIY-Punk band False Heads, songwriter and guitarist Luke Griffiths for this episode of the podcast. They have a great chat about meeting Pete Doherty and being asked to support The Libertines on the spot, being scouted by former manager of The Ramones Danny Fields and him becoming a mentor and how creating his heavy-riff fuelled music helped him cope with his mental health growing up and out of university.

Luke is from the East End of London and discovered his love for music after being handed a copy of Nirvana's Nevermind by his auntie and listening to copious amounts of Eminem growing up. After searching around for a band that would mould and embrace his ideas, False Heads was born as a space for him to be able to do that. A big moment came for the trio after their song 'Rabbit Hole' got noticed with millions of streams and attracted major radio stations and festivals to the band, including the iconic Iggy Pop rating what they're all about,

Currently, the band are finalising their third studio album and building momentum once again, after being hampered by less than favourable record deals and the pandemic in years gone by. Their new sound is a direction that Luke and the band believes evolved the band to a place they've never been before, building on all their experiences previously. One thing is for sure is that Luke just wants to just keep putting out good music; the only thing he's dreamed of since he was fourteen years old.

NOTE: This episode contains strong language throughout.

FIND LUKE/FALSE HEADS

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@falseheads?lang=en

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/falseheads/

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE SHOW

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/breakthrough_music.pod/?hl=en

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

WANT AN ARTIST ON THE PODCAST/SEND YOUR MUSIC TO US?

Email - breakthroughmusicpod@gmail.com

======================================

Thanks so much for listening and keep helping us work towards our goal of giving back to grassroots music charities!

Our podcast is supported by our friends at the Arts Council England.

Recorded at Chinnerys, Southend - one of the most respected music venues in the UK.

Jake is joined by all-round musician, producer, instrumentalist and songwriter and event host Joe White for this next episode. They talk about huge career moments like playing Radio 1's Big Weekend with his band Youth Club, getting started in music using EJAY and Cubase at school and playing random gigs to agents like one time in a random Korean chicken restaurant!

Joe is from Southend, Essex and has built a respected and trusted profile for being an accomplished producer of indie, dance, and house music, as well as being a talented multi-instrumentalist. Those skills set the foundation of diving into lots of different projects but also helped build Youth Club with members like Lydia Kitto (now of Jungle) & Phil Blake (now of Nothing But Thieves); the band that changed everything for Joe and his bandmates.

Nowadays, he uses his experience in music and the industry to support upcoming artists and the grassroots of his local scene in Essex, London & Kent. This includes putting on Bass nights, as well as local summer festivals showcasing local artists in local venues. His content creation also catches attention, reviewing music and showing passion for his local scene!

FIND JOE

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jhustl3?lang=en

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/j_hustl3/?hl=en

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE SHOW

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/breakthrough_music.pod/?hl=en

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

WANT AN ARTIST ON THE PODCAST/SEND YOUR MUSIC TO US?

Email - breakthroughmusicpod@gmail.com

======================================

Thanks so much for listening and keep helping us work towards our goal of giving back to grassroots music charities!

Our podcast is supported by our friends at the Arts Council England.

Recorded at Chinnerys, Southend - one of the most respected music venues in the UK.

NOTE: This episode contains some occasional strong language.

Jake is joined by singer, songwriter and TikTok star Sophie Griffiths, for the first EVER episode! They talk about her career from doing open mics, getting her music onto Love Island and how she keeps trying to persuade Gary Barlow to listen to her music!

Sophie is from Brentwood, Essex and has become a viral sensation on social media, releasing her own heartfelt pop records, whilst creating engaging and funny videos, reworking popular songs into relatable everyday accounts and covers of classic and modern songs. Her cheeky and charming persona pours into her music and has attracted 400k TikTok followers, 20k Instagram followers and millions of streams from her songs!

FIND SOPHIE

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@sophiegsinger?lang=en

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sophiegriffithssinger/?hl=en

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE SHOW

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/breakthrough_music.pod/?hl=en

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@breakthroughmusicpod

WANT AN ARTIST ON THE PODCAST/SEND YOUR MUSIC TO US?

Email - breakthroughmusicpod@gmail.com

======================================

Thanks so much for listening and keep helping us work towards our goal of giving back to grassroots music charities!

Our podcast is supported by our friends at the Arts Council England.

Recorded at Chinnerys, Southend - one of the most respected music venues in the UK.