She is an original, a one-off. Her music stands in its own right. And there is a brain behind the feeling, hence she gets a place in BrainsNet.Net.

An accidental discovery in more ways than one. If you think you have seen everything on television talent shows, you probably have. But what goes here on BrainsNet.Net is the unique and out of the ordinary, and this artist certainly is. Thousands have seen Sammie Jay perform at events in the UK, USA and elsewhere, and perhaps millions in total of television audiences, but I can still say she is a complete unknown. Those TV viewers had tuned in to see other things and such incidental appearances are forgotten as soon as the next thing comes on screen. She has not been put before the mass audience she deserves.

That depends more on commercial considerations and marketing strategies, which is unfortunate for certain types of talent but considerations that need to be managed nevertheless.

For the same reason, I would prefer she removed from the internet those clips where she sings as a child. That child is cute and loveable, but does not suit the professional brand of a sexy lady of grown-up song - very grown-up. It presents her more as an object on amusement rather than admiration, and her artistry deserves appreciative admiration. Better to leave the odd glimpse of the past to forthcoming chat shows. Current fashion of putting your life on the internet should be left to her fans. Artists need to manage their media image.

I heard a little of her singing in the open air at the Southbank riverside in London. Yet another busker, I thought, but she is good. Then I listened to more on the internet and she sounded even better; then I listened to more, and each time I listened, I was thinking, can this be true? It was an ever-increasing realisation that she is a phenomenon - there is nobody like her. Usually, the opposite happens, the more I listen, the more critical I become. But not with Sammie Jay.

The reason why she sings in the street is because this is her choice, she loves doing it. She has had success on stage at various venues internationally, but likes these outdoor appearances as part of what she is. She is so gutsy, and being gutsy is a part of her.

The musical style is difficult to describe. R&B, soul and such labels do not fully describe what she does. It's not jazz but could be, she can certainly improvise. You could call her repertoire ballads but she makes them something else. I can even imagine her singing at an opera house without a microphone and carry it off (I guess she would be a mezzo-soprano in another world.) Or she could be a rock chick ala Suzi Quatro, if she wanted.

But after seeing all that, I closed my eyes and listened to another of her songs, Catch Your Cold and then realised - she is above genre. Even if she were not such a bright, fresh, passionate performer, she could stand perfectly motionless on a stage and still captivate with her vocals.

Her voice is powerful but adorable - at certain moments it can tear you apart. Others might comment more on her power, but that is not really the point. Many wannabes can 'blow' with power, but Sammie Jay has incredible subtlety and delicacy even at full volume. She is a bright, sophisticated artist who understands the complex meaning of what she sings. It is not just raw emotion with Sammie, there is also a brain behind it.

My big realisation was that she would look best singing with a symphony orchestra behind her. This might restrict her ability to ad-lib, but it is the background that suits her best. And a good conductor would cope with her improvising.

There are no half measures with this lady. She gives it her all every time, as if first performance. She is a mini tornado which you cannot stop watching uprooting trees and ripping hats off the more pedestrian listeners.

What I valued particularly was that, when she improvises and interprets, for example a cover, she does not change the song. Too many wannabes change the music score in fundamental ways, for the sake of it, as a display of trickery, and never improve on the original. But the point of a cover is to hear a different voice, not a different song. Sammie serves the music.

I am very critical. I analyse. I am very slow to grant favour, but now, at last, I have to say, WOW!

How come the major record labels are not beating a path to her door? How come she is not on television? I would also like to hear her more on radio.

The reason, of course, is much the same as for gifted writers getting regular rejections while the same publishers put out a lot of trash. Most of the people who run those industries cannot understand genuine talent or do not value it for its own sake, they have other abilities, they have other priorities. They expect to see what they already know, what seems a safer bet to sell, that is how they judge talent - and they get that wrong as well. The most recent story to add to the collection was when best-selling author J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter) sent her new book out under a different name and received numerous rejections, including one telling her to go on a writing course. Such simple minds.

Sammie Jay also is a writer. Her lyrics are highly intelligent, they can stand as poetry in their own right, without the music, better than Adele's and her likes. So many think that because they can sing well, they can also write, and I wish they stopped. But Sammie can. Her musical writing too is highly creative, she follows no set pattern.

So what have the major labels missed about Sammie?

1. They have missed genetic musical ability, gifted to her nine months before she was born.
2. They have missed her incredible voice.
3. They have missed her ability to interpret and to perform with endless energy, to captivate, to engage, to charm her audience.
4. They have missed her ability to write both music and lyrics that can stand alongside the best in the business.
5. They have missed a truly beautiful woman whose face could launch a thousand perfumes, and sexy without a hint of vulgarity.
6. They have missed what is lacking among pop stars, real class.
7. They have missed a gifted dancer who could hold Wembley Arena spellbound for a whole night. Is there no end to her talents?
8. She has great presentational skills, also. She can talk as well as sing.

All that and no hint of a diva.

WHERE TO NOW FOR SAMMIE JAY?

Her street performances are done out of pure love for her art and for people, but she deserves a better audience - she deserves art-lovers, not incidental fans. Her pitch for Twitter and Facebook followers is understandable for any artist trying to make a living and should continue, but that is not where she will find her audience.

She is highly intelligent and needs to feel and to be given freedom to make her own decisions about her art, but does need a professional, sympathetic frame round her, she needs guidance as to managing the other aspects. Public relations, marketing and promotions are expert fields where one can easily show poor judgement. Help is always needed even with basic decisions so as not to look inept. This could be a close friend with proven ability, to start with. A major management company can follow later, but they have set patterns and she needs to choose carefully and to avoid those who want to misdirect her talent.

A frame will, in turn, aid her artistic development and raise her to another level. Footloose and fancy-free is necessary when creating, not when managing. But she must keep control of her artistic output and any producer who tries to interfere with that can only spoil a real gem. Don't mess with nature.

She also needs to attract the very best songwriters to give her a wider range of styles, which undoubtedly she can display, if the song demands it. All you gifted writers wake up and listen well.

The plan for her now, as I see it, should be, first, to reduce her street performances. Tiny audiences make her look like an unsuccessful wannabe who never made it, and there are millions of those. People do not buy albums in any numbers from what they perceive as buskers. The wider public judge by fame, not by quality - very few can do that. And then the primary goal would be to sell one million of two great albums, one of originals (her own and from other writers) and one of covers. A double album, if you insist, but kept separate, or released simultaneously to give a choice and a hook to come back for the other disk.

She only needs some promotional backing and she'll do the rest. And there are specific countries outside the Anglo-Saxon world, or even outside Europe, where she is guaranteed to be big, if better known.

Once that is done, street performances will have a different dimension - as an important part of her brand and of her personal life, they will get bigger audiences, will enhance her image, and will get media attention.

It will take planning and strategy. A lot more people deserve to hear her voice and her music.

© John K Smyrniotis
London 2016