- Brand - Lloyds Bank
- Spot - For Your Next Step
- Music Title - Mad World
- Artist - Jennifer Ann
- Composer - Orzabel
- Publisher - BMG
- Master Rights - BMG
- Music Supervisor - Platinum Rye
- Ad Agency - Adam&Eve DDB
- Creatives - Ben Priest, Ben Tollett, Richard Brim
- Film Company - Rogue Films
- Film Director - Sam Brown
- Ppst Production - The Mill
- Air Date - 11/03/16
There’s no such thing as an overnight success, of course. But Minnesota-born multi-instrumentalist Jennifer Keller could be the exception that proves the rule.
It’s her delicate instrumental setting of Tears For Fears’ 1982 hit Mad World which underpins Lloyds Bank’s spectacular new super slow motion spot For Your Next Step starring the brand’s iconic black horse ‘galloping’ through some of everyday life’s most crucial moments.
The transition from recording the song for a self-released album project to hearing it on TV and watching it rocket into Shazam’s Top 10 sync chart took no more than a month.
The trained music therapist turned singer songwriter who performs under the name of Jennifer Ann says she was completely unaware that Lloyds Bank were looking for music for a TV ad until a chance meeting with Arnold Hattingh and Paul Brown at Platinum Rye a week after she recorded the track.
“They immediately played my version of Mad World to the publishers BMG and then pitched it to the agency Adam&Eve DDB. I was asked to put more movement and energy into the second half of the advert - when everything begins to move in normal time after being frozen,” she says.
“I made the revisions that night and delivered them the next morning and the deal was finalised just days before the ad went on air.”
Mad World, which was penned by Tears For Fears’ Roland Orzabel, was also a Christmas 2003 Number One for Michael Andrews and Gary Jules after it featured in the movie Donny Darko.
Keller now has both the instrumental and vocal versions available for sale on many digital platforms, including Amazon, Google Play, and iTunes and through her own website http://www.jenniferannmusic.com. They’re also available to stream on sites such as Spotify, Apple Music, and others.
“The tracks are self-released, which wasn’t too difficult to set up,” she continues. “Because it’s a cover version, I’ve also had to acquire a license for US sales, which is easily done online through the Harry Fox Agency.
“Interest in the recordings and my monthly listener numbers have increased substantially since the ad went on air."
Although she claims she didn’t start out with any particular desire to concentrate on the sync sector, Keller clearly feels encouraged by the Mad World experience.
“The beauty of sync is that it doesn’t matter who you are, what label you’re on, whether you an emerging or established artist, as long as the music you are making connects emotionally and captures the message the film makers, brand or ad agencies are trying to convey.
“With grit and determination, you can achieve great things.”
