PRESS | jesseyjansen

Jessey Jansen is the founder of Voice of Maasai, an independent music label built through long-term collaboration with Tanzanian artists. Her work centers on shared authorship—where songs are shaped collectively, not by a single voice, but through ongoing creative exchange.

While the process is collaborative, the work is stewarded through a clear rights structure, ensuring the music can be sustained, protected, and carried forward over time.

Her approach offers a grounded model for cross-cultural creative work rooted in trust, long-term commitment, and respect for every voice that shapes the outcome.

Fair Street: Building Music Across Cultures Through Shared Authorship

“Shared authorship means the work reflects everyone who shaped it—not just who

initiated it."

Key Idea

Shared Authorship

Use what you have. Make it count. Share the win.

About Jessey Jansen

Jessey Jansen is a creative entrepreneur, writer, and founder of Voice of Maasai, an independent music label developed through long-term collaboration with Tanzanian artists. Over more than a decade, she has worked across music production, design, and storytelling to build a body of work rooted in trust, cultural exchange, and sustained creative partnership.

Her work centers on shared authorship as a framework for building creative systems, where multiple perspectives shape the outcome and creative ownership is not centralized.

About the Book

Fair Street is a memoir documenting the long-term process of building Voice of Maasai. Rather than focusing on outcome alone, it explores the relationships, decisions, and realities behind cross-cultural creative work—and what it takes to sustain it over time.

The book combines narrative, photography, and visual design to reflect the layered nature of the work itself.

Media Angles

Building music across cultures through long-term collaboration
Shared authorship as a model for creative work
The realities of sustaining independent music projects
Women in music and collaborative leadership
Creativity as a long-term practice, not a moment

Selected Work

Voice of Maasai is an independent music label representing over 45 artists and creators, blending Afro Pop, Bongo Flava, and traditional Maasai influences. The catalog is rooted in emotionally driven vocals, organic instrumentation, and culturally grounded storytelling.

Features & Early Response

Featured on local author shelf at Book People in Austin
Featured in Women in Music
Early reader responses highlight the book’s reflection on creativity, collaboration, and long-term work
International readership emerging, including early distribution in Germany