J.B. Dazen

By now, YouTube artists are a well known phenomenon. We all know the success stories of bedroom singers with webcams getting their big break on the well known video site. J.B. Dazen is also a YouTube artist, but of a slightly different kind. Apart from just putting his song videos online, he also used video blogs (vlogs) to engage in the YouTube community from the start. Because below that cover of cute cats, babies and people falling in the most horrible ways, a new crowd is taking shape. An independent, creative and collaborative group of people scattered all over the world. Since joining YouTube, J.B. Dazen managed to get two thousand subscribers, just from interacting with this community.

J.B. Dazen's debut 'Home', an album centered around homely themes, instruments and recording techniques, was released on DFTBA records, an American label which specializes in releasing independent YouTube artists. The album contains acoustic pop songs ranging in mood from deeply intimate via epic balladry to playfully exuberant. While having simple titles like Tea, Dishes and TV, all songs contain a deeper lyrical layer that will make you chuckle or raise an eyebrow. 'Home' is a solo effort in the truest sense of the word. Everything on it, from music to artwork, was homemade by J.B. Dazen. Except for the photo collage in the middle, which was sent in by his most loyal YouTube subscribers.

So far, creating the album and its accompanying videos had J.B. Dazen mainly stuck in his bedroom. But with the album done, he's ready to present it to the world, which he takes quite literally. In the Summer of 2011 he played on big YouTube events in Los Angeles and London. And that's just the start. Next stop: planet Earth.