"The Bio" written by me...

So I figured, who better to write this than myself, cause I suppose I know me best.  So here goes my moment of self-indulgent rambling...thank you for being interested, thank you for listening and thank you for taking the time to read my words. 
Peace, love & good music,
Jen


As a kid, when I was alone in the house, I would sit at the piano in the dark and pretend I was under a solo spotlight playing to a hushed crowd that would erupt into thunderous applause as I finished the final notes of my song. I think at the time I would always play "Faithfully" by Journey. It just seemed super dramatic - lol. I guess I've always been a dreamer and a person who wears my emotions on my sleeve. My friends and family would probably have a long list of adjectives to describe me like "overly-dramatic, passionate, silly, stubborn, adventurous, independent, caring, ect,"... and I'm sure anyone that has met me and heard my laugh, can forever identify me by it - it's obnoxiously loud and crazy. I think I just try to bring my most honest self and probably a lot of those qualities to my songs and particularly my live shows. I know everyone likes to try and pin point similarities in style when describing an artist and most people ask what kind of music I do... Well, I've gotten comparisons ranging from Vanessa Carlton, Fiona Apple, Gavin Degraw, Daniel Powder to Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks and Sheryl Crow...all of which I'm truly honored to be compared to. So - thank you. I think I just sound like me. I can play the guitar but you'll usually find me on piano and I sing and write from my soul, so I guess that means I'm soulful - lol.

I began playing piano at the age of four and taking ballet soon after. I really didn't like singing in front of people unless I could hide behind the piano. It always seemed like my little safety net...that is until I was forced to come out from behind the piano and "perform" when I was at college earning a music theatre degree. It was during that time that I began to realize that singing was becoming my biggest passion. I listened to everything I hadn't before... Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Sam Cooke, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles, The Police, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith countless others, all while studying classical and broadway music.

When I got out of school I began doing regional theatre work, but found myself wanting to head to NYC. Within a couple months of being there, I was hired by Royal Caribbean Cruise lines to be a headlining vocalist. It was pretty insane being able to sail around the world, meet new people and also perform to houses of 1000-1500 people. After a few contracts I made the move to Princess Cruises and was asked to be a headlining guest entertainer. Between my adventures at sea (which I've sworn one day to write a book about!) I would usually head back to the NYC...wondering if broadway was what I was supposed to be doing. At the time, it seemed to be the direction my career was accidentally taking even though I had always dreamed of doing my own material.

So I really began writing mostly out of frustration - trying to figure out what in the hell I should be doing with my life, tryin' to make sense of the few too many relationships gone wrong, and tryin' to figure out where I wanted to be. I never really thought writing songs was a serious option because it wasn't something I had been taught. I had no idea where to begin, but I just started writing what was bottled up...my own therapy sessions I guess. It's taken a lot of trial and error and some amazing encouragement from patient and supportive family and friends to take the leap and leave my steady job. I'd be lying if I said it's been totally easy, but I haven't regretted the decision for a moment.

My first effort at recording was done with a very talented Canadian sound engineer and one of my best friends, Clint Boire. Together with several friends (aka musicians) we recorded 12 tracks live and it was officially called "Lost Along the Way." We had a great time recording and it was an awesome start - kind of an attempt at finding "my sound" and figuring out how to go about things. Those tracks were predominantly guitar based cause that's what I was writing on while I was travelling. In the summer of 2006, that indie album was spun on almost 200 college radio stations in North America. I was stunned. So I kept at it.

In March of 2007 I relocated to LA and it's pretty much been a whirlwind. I've met so many wonderful people who have continued to work with me on this journey and I've had the opportunity to play at a ton of killer venues. I almost immediately started working with a wonderful producer (Jeffery David) who really helped me fine tune some new songs and rework a couple old ones. Together we came up with the EP (that just means it's not a full cd) called "Unpredictable" which is the one currently featured on my site. I'm very proud of the work we did and the EP has gotten some sweet reviews and has attracted a variety of labels - none of which I've signed with yet. In the most recent months I've been working with two beautiful guys who are yet again, taking things to a new level! They've been so inspirational and a true blessing. Paul Ill is an outta-control bass player/multi-instrumentalist/producer (just played on Alicia Keys latest album and is recording with Daniel Powter) and Chris Wonzer is a killer engineer/producer/songwriter (engineered for Linda Perry). Together we are working on some really great things which will you'll be able to hear very shortly.

I'm continually amazed at the outpouring of support and my wish is that I'll be able to continue living out my childhood daydreams for a long time.