Artist Interview: Mandy Jiroux - 'Tonight'
Most of you will know her as âWreaking Ballâ singer Miley Cyrusâ best friend and main star of the internet YouTube hit show The Miley and Mandy Show, but Arizona born singer, DJ and dancer Mandy Jiroux has been making her own way into the world of music as of late and has certainly been making all the right kind of noises on the way. With such a flourishing profile and demanding schedule, Mandy shows absolutely no sign of slowing down. I was lucky enough to catch up with her to ask a few questions about whatâs sheâs been up to and whatâs to come! Since the age of three, Mandy dedicated most of her time to learning dance, with the dream of one day becoming a professional choreographer. Upon graduation, Mandy moved to Los Angeles landing her first professional dance job for pop singer Miley Cyrus, performing for her on two international tours across the United States and Europe. Mandy is also known for being one of the five prominent members of girl pop group BG5 (short for Beach Girl 5), which originally signed to Rock Mafia Productions. Over the course of their fame, the girl group picked up various awards, including winning the KIIS FM Breakout Star Contest in 2009. BG5 have also made numerous appearances on hit American shows Keeping Up With The Kardashians and KhloĂ© & Lamar, as well as having their music played on TV programs The Hills, Degrassi and even the Fox Sports Network. Recently Mandy paired up dynamic Russian dance DJs Fagault & Marina and released the hit dance single âTonightâ. When asked how she got involved with Fagault & Marina she said: âWe made the connection through our managers. Fagault & Marina sent us the track âTonightâ and I instantly loved it! I was so thrilled that they wanted me to be the featured vocalist on the songâ. Fagault & Marinaâs superb production skills have recently gained them a number 1 dance remix for Beyonceâs hit single âPartitionâ. Other hits include the remix and video of Nelly Furtadoâs âParking Lotâ and remixes of Carmen Electraâs âI Like it Loudâ and Yoko Onoâs âIâm Your Angelâ. Can you see yourself getting more involved with the songwriting side of club music? Of course, being a part of the writing side is important to me. I co wrote my next feature thatâs coming out with DJ Starkillers at the end of the year. A song Iâm really proud of. Some of my original music definitely has a club influence to it, but my style is just good pop music with catchy melodies and sick beats. Not only does Mandy spend a lot of her time writing in the studio but also keeps busy at night DJing at clubs around LA. I asked Mandy how she feels being able to play her own tracks live in front hundreds of people: âI love being able to play my own tracks while DJing because you get an instant reaction from the crowd! When my songs make the crowd hype, it makes me excited and happy that theyâre feeling it as much as meâ. What other styles of music do you love to listen to? I listen to all genres of music on a daily basis. I like to mix it up which keeps me inspired. I listen to a lot of alternative and indie music, but I also love Hip Hop, and always love a good pop song Recently Iâve been addicted to Ariana Grandeâs new record. With such a wide passion for various styles, who would you say your musically influenced by? BeyoncĂ© and Jennifer Lopez, they have it all. Their both multi talented singers and dancers who can perform and have amazing music! I hope to be as successful as these ladies one day, who inspire me regularly. Being an artist of many talents and so apparent within the mediaâs spotlight from a young age, Mandy has a strong dedicated fan base and YouTube video viewing figures that are quickly climbing into the millions: âThe relationship I have with my fans has always been a great one, their support means the world to me. I constantly keep in touch with them on my socialsâ. Whatâs next for you and your fans? âWhat Iâm currently focused on first and foremost, is being in the studio and working on my own original music. The end goal is to release music and start performing everywhere!â. Youâre a triple threat, you can sing, dance and act. But what else would you love to succeed in thatâs not performing? Iâve always wanted to work for Nasa, but I think itâs a little too late for that now. So Iâm going to say deep sea diving! I want to go where people have never been before! Our planet is huge and we havenât even seen most of it. So whatâs next in the world of Mandy Jiroux? âKeep dancing, singing, and DJing! Release music, and tour the worldâ. With so many âfingers in so many piesâ itâs so easy to understand why Mandy Jiroux has such a bright and successful career ahead of her and an adoring fan base to match. The dance track âTonightâ will be featured on Fagault & Marinaâs upcoming EP Mr. Beat which is due for release later this year via Peace Bisquit. If you get a chance, make sure you check it out, although Iâm sure it will be a hard one to miss if youâre a lover of club music or hit the dance floor in the next six months. Interview and Written by Jay Osborne // Edited by Ayo Adepoju, for We Plug Good Music
