JJ Wilde burst on to the Canadian music scene in 2020 with the release of her JUNO Award winning album Ruthless and the unprecedented success of her debut radio single “The Rush”, which spent a record-breaking 15+ weeks at #1 concurrently on all three of Mediabase’s Alternative, Active, and Multiple Rock Formats charts. As the first female artist to win the Rock Album of the Year category since Alanis Morrissette for her landmark album Jagged Little Pill exactly 25 years ago, all eyes were on JJ Wilde through 2020 and 2021. The pandemic, however, had other plans.

Without an ability to tour effectively, the onus was left to JJ and her team to capitalize on the momentum, notoriety and profile growth that she established in 2020. The RSF’s support of virtual performances allowed JJ Wilde to bring her ferocious live sets to fans and partners around the world, many of whom were seeing her for the first time. This included support for her debut live stream performance in partnership with Amazon Music, live from The Box Factory in her hometown of Kitchener, Ontario. Later around the release of her eponymously titled EP WILDE, RSF supported a virtual performance as part of Live Nation’s “Live from Inside” series at The Danforth Music Hall. In both instances, the funding that RSF offered allowed JJ Wilde to invest in the performance and ensure her players were properly compensated and rehearsed and hiring professional lighting and sound crew; creating a world class production. Her ability to present these live performances absent any real in-person touring opportunities has led to larger scale international interest from bookers and promoters and created a deeper connection with her audience that was built largely during the COVID period.

In addition to the tour support, RSF has also been an invaluable resource for JJ Wilde’s domestic and international marketing efforts through the first half of 2021 in support of her EP, WILDE. Domestically, JJ Wilde’s ability to capitalize on the momentum created by her debut single “The Rush” has been an integral part of her growth. Internationally, RSF helped to support the hiring of third-party independent radio and publicity/promotions companies These investments have helped lead to introductory press and radio successes in the US, UK and Germany, while leading to larger mainstream successes in France. The Radio Starmaker Fund’s support in these areas allowed JJ Wilde and our team at Black Box to amplify our investments in these emerging territories with confidence. These territories are now viable touring markets for JJ Wilde, and the momentum only continues to build.

Ian Stanger
Vice President, Label & Management
Black Box Music