Kitchen Confessions #4 : Interview with Jennie Laws - Jennie Laws Review by SongBlog

My dear "Kurrenters", I am happy to present the forth edition of my "Kitchen Konfessions" exclusive interviews section, and today I am presenting you this amazing girl by the name of Jennie Laws, she decided to share some of her most personal details, so stick with my article to unravel some of the great stuff we artists keep within our magic box. Let`s begin...

C: Welcome to "Kurrent Music"! For starting off right, tell us something about you, like birth place, current residence, the longitude of your experience timeline, you know the usual starters? :)

J: Hey thank you for having me! Well I'm a singer/songwriter from Toronto, Canada, currently residing on the outskirts of my birthplace....

C: You offer so many different skills as an artist. How do you manage to balance all that? What`s the most compelling thing for you and why?

J: I don't. I really don't manage balance at all! I'm always pushing myself too far then crashing & burning. But somehow I manage to get things done in the meantime, during that push. Then I rest when I have no strength to move. It's not good! I would love to find a way to a better balance in my life...I'm afraid being an artist & musician isn't exactly conducive to this. I love writing & recording, as well as sharing new songs (performing) equally but in very different ways. If anything I prefer the studio because there's less pressure, but there's nothing like connecting with an audience, truly, using original music with your own voice & hands.

C: And you have a golden pool of famous names you have worked with and the incredible feedback too. You are praised on so many levels, from Glenn Lewis`s words "Timeless, warm, soul stirring..." to Eric Benet`s "A homage to the glory days of soul music". How do you feel about that?

J: Oh! I'm truly blessed to count some incredible talent among my friends & peers - they've inspired me since day one & kept me going when I doubted myself. I'd think; "well if so & so thinks my music is good, & I respect & admire him/her so much, then I MUST be on to something!!!" It would give me a boost of self confidence & confirmation that I'm on the right path. You see, I never want to waste anybody's time, or timeline, with mediocrity. So sometimes I take a good look at myself & my art & ask if there's any point to it all. I suppose I wouldn't be a true artist if I didn't do that...But in the end there are always signs that there is a point & that I must keep going & so I do!

C: Two album projects in your discography wallet, the 2008 "Introducing Jennie Laws" and "Introducing Jennie Laws (The Remixes)" from 2010. Any new similar projects in the near future?

J: Yes most definitely! I plan to release a full length album late this Spring called "Destiny," named after the title introduction track.

C: When working on music, whether it`s songwriting or composing, where do you usually start from? Is there anything different in approaching angles, when working strictly for yourself, and siding with others for their projects?

J: That's a great question - every situation is different, but I used to mostly write songs on their own (I would just sing the melody & words in my head or out loud) and/or with an instrument then produce around that. Rarely would I write to an already conceived track for my own music, only when I was writing for other people. But it's funny, because more & more I'm enjoying creating a groove first, a vibe in the studio with a producer or even just vibing off of a beat they've already made - which is how my new song "Sabotage" came about ironically. It does have a very different end result, no doubt, with the emphasis being more on the groove or mood created than on the song itself. Though I aim to write an equally compelling song no matter what the occasion. Songs written without the boundaries of a preexisting idea or track have a whole different sound - there's usually more chord movement & the resulting production ends up being less conventional. More creative & quirky. This suits me just fine. But yes it's definitely completely different when writing for myself than writing for other people. I find I can be more honest with my lyrics, more conscious & controversial. When I write "deep" songs & pitch them to other artists (or their management/label rep) they tend to be rejected as "too conscious" or whatnot. Which is understandable if they don't want to go there with their lyrical content. I also like to cater the song to the artist specifically or at least the type of artist. For example, I would write completely differently for a male soul artist who is also a musician as opposed to a female R&B/pop star who dances.

C: Live acts. What`s the best thing about them you really enjoy?

J: One of my absolute favorite things to do in the whole wide world is to watch live music. There's nothing like the energy of a group of talented musicians locking in the pocket of a beat, with an artist pouring their heart out for you on the mic (or even just instruments or voices alone.) Sometimes, you feel like they're singing right to you, & to your pain. You feel less alone & your soul is soothed by the groove & the harmonies & melodies & lyrics & movement.

C: Do you search for the inspiration in other genres you usually don`t listen at home, or you try to keep it in your domain of craftiness?

J: That's also a great question. I don't do it enough - I most often go to my top genres of choice when working out, driving, cooking, or just vibing out (hip hop, soul, R&B, pop, alternative, dance, etc.) But every now & then, at least once a week I'll put my iPod on shuffle (I have a TON of different music in there I don't listen to enough) or skim the radio for new & different sounds. Sometimes I'll come across a Christian rock song & be like; "wow, that was BREATHTAKING," or a classical piece or some quirky Americana/Canadiana group on CBC Radio 2 that blows me away. I like to stay inspired & always keep my ears open.

C: Your latest single "Sabotage" is the one that really blew my mind and got me closer to your works. What`s the story behind it?

J: Wow thank you, I really appreciate that. Well I met a young producer manager at a Canadian Music Week party a couple years ago when I first moved back to Toronto from LA, & he was like - "we're looking for singers & writers to work with." Eventually he simply emailed me the track to the song "Sabotage" as you now know it. I was like; "PLEASE save that track for me to write to!! Just give me a couple weeks!" As I was super busy at the time, as always. I had already come up with some ideas & had recorded them into my phone so I wouldn't forget. I then proceeded to go through a crappy break up (aren't they all) & the words & melodies just poured out of me. I really felt like the guy at the time had shot himself in the foot, & ruined our relationship for no good reason. (Except that I suppose that it needed to be ruined but that's besides the point.) I kept thinking of how he sabotaged us & all the different variations of such a thing. The producer heard the demo & suggested I use it for my album - I never would have suggested it myself because I didn't want to take his beat away from him when it might have been intended to shop to bigger artists. I ended up getting a grant from the government to record it professionally so I had to finish it quickly & submit it to them, but right around the time we we're wrapping up I get a message from my homie Scipio in LA like "save 16 bars for me on your album" he said. I thought - this is the only song I could hear him on right now & sent it over. Bob Horn my mix engineer took it one step further & did a mix of his own that combined the prechoruses with the verses & took out the interlude where I just vibe & adlib so it would be more exciting more fast-paced form-wise. He called it a "radio mix." So the song went through a few incarnations before it was released.

C: Can we unravel some more of this year`s plans?

J: Well I can tell you that our next move is to fly to Oregon to work with video directors Ife + Bonoho on a video for Sabotage in March. We'll be dropping the song to UK radio shortly before that, so we hope to gain some traction through this. We have a couple more singles to drop after that, including a behind-the-scenes mini-movie of the making of one of them, before we release the album in late Spring.

C: How crucial are the socials (aka the social networking) and do you apply that with your fans? Do you ever take time and just read a few feedback comments, maybe reply to some, and do you also engage in some yourself with other artists?

J: Social media is SO crucial nowadays. I've gotten a lot better at it than I was when I released my first EP, but I still have a long way to go. I do try to interact with people who message & comment on my pages whenever I can, as well as with other artists & people. But I want to be posting more videos to YouTube in the near future. I haven't been able to figure out how to make that work with my schedule & lack of experience & proper equipment or space yet but it's a definitely goal of mine to be much more active on that platform. Video is such a powerful medium & it does any artist, major or independent, a world of good to take full advantage of all the tools we have at our disposal.

C: When not working on music, you capture the time to do something that you also really enjoy doing.... What would that be exactly?

J: I love to dance, walk/cyle/rollerblade in nature, read, workout, do yoga and meditation, cook, hang with friends and family, watch movies, support artists & get inspired by going to events, eat & play silly board games together that make me laugh.

C: What works best for you and your creativity? The time of the day, or maybe some favorite beverage, clothes and make-up gotta be "on point" :), or you just go and take what the day gives you?

J: Ha well anybody that knows me knows that my best creative time is in the middle of the night. I do like comfortable clothes, cookies, chocolate & some sweet herbal tea to get me in the mood too.

C: Taking this short journey to the end line, name three things that differentiate you from other artists and three favorite artists of yours to keep in fans mind?

J: Well my songs all come from the heart, so there's an authenticity there or so I've been told. "Refreshing" is a word I hear a lot. I have a lot of different influences so that gives me a sound that's hard to pin down, especially when you listen to body of work as a whole. & I play instruments & compose for every instrument - I just love vintage sounds & using unexpected textures in my songs. So authentic, unique & vintage are the three main things, I would say. Three female artists who inspire me greatly are Imogen Heap, Sia & Amy Winehouse.

C: Thank you for your time, it was really a pleasure having your answers written for "Kurrenters" and with the enormous love towards your artistry and hope your success spreads it`s wings even further, I welcome you to share your future drops with us and stay in loop. Thanks.

J: For sure I most definitely will! It was my pleasure. Thanks so much for the love & support!!

So there you have it, Jen really put it out for you guys, now it`s your turn to engage by supporting this great talent and see you cop that "Sabotage" video and "Destiny" studio project when they pop out. Until #5...