Maryland Artist Jiggy the Genie is Conjuring Magical Music for The World To Hear.
Newly signed Empire artist Jiggy the Genie is about to get all her wishes.
Talking to artists who experience success early in their career can be a hit or miss. They are either too shocked to process it all or too confident, chalking up the success to their talent and vision. For Salisbury, Maryland vocalist and emcee Jennifer “Jiggy” Hill, however, hearing her song in SuperBowl LIX, was a welcomed blessing, a cherry on the top of a budding career that is now about to pay off.
Her most recent announcement on social media shows that she is now signed to independent titan, Empire Records, joining a list of other successful independent-minded artists, but her story of overcoming the stereotypes and actual traumas that came her way is why her fans jig to her music and why she’s become her genie, willing her way to success.
Beginnings
Born in Prince George County, Maryland to a father who ran the church and a mother in the classroom, Jiggy moved to Salisbury as a child. Her early life resembled the life of many PKs who found themselves enveloped in the life of their parents, spending time singing in the church while their parents preached the word to the congregation.
“As a pastor’s kid and child of the 90s, I was very much sheltered and didn’t listen to much music outside of gospel at the house. They raised me as best they could, but my sister was a good girl. I was the savage.”
Headstrong and rebellious, Jiggy marched to the beat of her drum even as a child, focusing more on music than books. The artists who influenced her the most were Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, Ludacris, and Erykah Badu, all of whom shaped her creative approach. Despite her skill as a vocalist, the structure of her home life still kept her in the genie lamp. High school in particular proved to be a challenging time for Jiggy, who spoke candidly of how often she had to tumble with her peers over disrespect.
It wasn’t until she decided to attend college at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina that she found the space to embrace not only music but also her free-spirited nature.
Gracefully Broken
While in college, Jiggy began the process of moving from Jennifer to Jiggy, garnering a reputation on campus for making music and moves that made others dance and jig around her. The genie reference however came after significant work and character development, much of which came as a result of the challenges of college and adult life.
“I’m magic. I make magic happen. I could down to my last and I will still make it happen, says Jiggy when asked about how her name came to be. Eager to make music while an undergraduate, Jiggy taught herself how to engineer music, and juggled jobs to make money for the studio. Jiggy represents the rapper side of her ego while the Genie embraces her spiritual outlook.
Her first musical release in 2022, Gracefully Broken, served as the personal ethos for her life at the time, as she struggled to navigate being a mother and aspiring artist. “I needed that. That little boy changed my life, says Jiggy.
Genie Genre
Free from the shackles of expectation, Jiggy began the climb, earning a name for herself in a short amount of time. Heralded music producer, Mr Collipark, heard Jiggy sing on the Clubhouse app shortly after her first release and ended up reaching out to her to collaborate.
Almost overnight, people began to tune into her frequency and began following her page and her music. Her 2023 record, “Magical Friend” is one of her marquee records, combining her vocal ability with her creative writing approach to craft a soulful song that could easily land on a Disney soundtrack.
2023 was a breakthrough creative year for Jiggy, who created the song, “Soul on Fire”. A nostalgic nod to the neo-soul era of the early 2000s, the lyrics and vibe embodied the club and car scene of days earlier and ended up becoming one of the songs featured in this year’s Super Bowl.
Eager to make something happen, Jiggy connected with two of her former classmates, Ty and Mark Sanders Jr, who both handle her management. Comfortable with their leadership, Jiggy continued making waves, releasing an album in 2024, Indica Badu, all of which led to her recent signing with Empire Records.
When asked her thoughts on the success coming her way, Jiggy is confident and assured that this is just the start.
“2025, y’all gon know my name. I’m dipping into every avenue there is. I am nothing but grateful. Remember the name Jiggy the Genie.”