By Kylie Richards
For the final time this semester, the Loyola School of Communication brought a live performance straight to your home through the music series Lo-Fi Fridays. This series highlighted student musicians and took place on Fridays at 12 p.m. CT on Zoom.
On April 30, 2021 Lo-Fi Friday’s featured student artist, Janeece Ader. Ader is a film and digital media major at Loyola University Chicago who began experimenting with music at a young age. She released her first EP “Retrospect” in December of 2020. Ader writes her own music and gains inspiration from her personal struggles and triumphs. Some of her favorite artists include Maggie Rogers, Girl in Red, and Current Joys. This set featured all original songs written by Ader.
The live-stream performance started with Ader sitting cross-legged on her bed surrounded by an array of pillows and posters. The down-to-earth image set the tone for the intimate performance she was about to give. The first two songs of her set, “Homesick” and “Daisies,” featured her accompaniment on the ukulele. The stripped-back versions of both these numbers exhibited Aders talents with rhythm and songwriting.
After her first two songs, Ader launched into the performance of her 2020 EP, “Retrospect.” Beginning with “The Session,” Ader introduced a feel-good and relaxing track that provided a welcoming vibe. The flowing nature of this song brought out the smoothness of Ader’s tone. The fourth song, “Toxic,” featured lyrics that spotlighted the journey of a negative relationship and accented the story-telling song-writing abilities that Ader possesses.
The next song in Ader’s set was “Bored,” which is a fan favorite of Ader’s with nearly 199,000 views on Spotify. She wrote this song early in the pandemic, and it related the feelings that everyone could relate to during that period of confusion.
She finished her set and live exhibition of her EP with the tracks, “Strawberry Fields” and “Slow Dance With Me.” “Strawberry Fields” presented the audience with a grunge-style love song accompanied by a slow, rhythmic melody. “Slow Dance With Me” concluded the singer’s EP, and nostalgically combined elements of her entire EP in a musical reflection. Her easy and natural tone was complemented by the unique beat of this number.
Ader’s performance highlighted a variety of her high-level skills in singing, songwriting, and even on the ukulele. She released her latest song on April 30, 2021 titled “Youngest.”
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