From Jess Glynne to David Guetta and Sabrina Carpenter, songwriter and Bucks New University graduate Janée Bennett, better known as Jin Jin, has worked with some of the biggest names in music.
Growing up in Manchester near her grandparents’ record shop, Jin Jin was surrounded by music of all genres. After studying music in Manchester, she came to Bucks, graduating in 2002 with a Master’s in Music Industry Management and Marketing.
“It was a great foundation; the course gave me an understanding of both the creative and business sides of the music industry,” she says.
At the time, Jin Jin didn’t necessarily see songwriting as a career. She loved poetry and music, writing her own lyrics, hooks and responses to songs. The people she met while studying eventually led to London writing sessions, where she began working across different genres.
“As a songwriter, it’s great to be versatile and a chameleon,” she says.
A chance meeting with a then-emerging Jess Glynne would lead to one of the most important collaborations of her career. After Jin Jin gave a songwriting talk, Glynne approached her and asked if she could send over some music. The pair began writing together, producing Right Here, Real Love and the number-one hit Hold My Hand, later featured in the Jet2 advertising campaign.
Her credits have since included You Don’t Know Me by Jax Jones and RAYE, Bed by Joel Corry, RAYE and David Guetta, and work with Rita Ora, Burna Boy, Becky G and Sabrina Carpenter. She also co-wrote Rotate, the UEFA Champions League and Pepsi anthem.
Jin Jin has won multiple BMI Awards and Music Week’s Women in Music ‘Music Creative’ Award, as well as receiving nominations for the BRIT Awards and Ivor Novello Awards. She is particularly proud of writing Evergreen for Yebba, saying: “I feel like this record really helped the artist tell her story.”
For Jin Jin, though, relationships have been just as important as the records themselves.
“Work on and build your relationships,” she advises. “You come across certain people throughout your career and throughout life and you never know when you’ll come across them again.”
She also encourages emerging creatives to trust their instincts: “Creativity to me means just being free, having freedom of expression, and just being able to create what feels authentic to you, and just having fun with it.”
Today, Jin Jin continues to write, develop talent and run her publishing companies, Raggamuffin Music and Jinsing.
Her journey has come full circle, with Bucks awarding Jin Jin an honorary doctorate in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the music industry.
Returning to the university where she studied more than two decades ago was a special moment.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought to be awarded something like this for doing what I love – a career in music,” she says. “It means so much and it’s super special.”