Interview: Rising Canadian Star JENNA Nation

I had the pleasure of speaking with JENNA to get an inside scoop of what her journey as an artist is like. Pop/R&B singer-songwriter JENNA Nation is rapidly rising in the Toronto music scene. With four albums under her belt, she quickly captured the attention of her loyal fans.

Born and raised in Ottawa and now working in Toronto, JENNA broke into the music scene at a young age. Music runs in her family blood inspiring her at the age of ten to take on professional gigs in the jazz scene throughout Canada. Never wanting to leave her passion for music behind, she studied at Berklee College of Music. During her time at Berklee, she was able to find herself as an artist and made numerous connections that led her to complete her first original album. JENNA has found herself traveling and collaborating with different producers and songwriters from all over the world.

Credit to: JENNA Nation

I had the pleasure of speaking with JENNA to get an inside scoop of what her journey as an artist is like.

K: What topics do you enjoy writing most about?

J: Most of the time I like to write from my own experience and I think that's the easiest, but being an R&B/Pop artist a lot of songs are about love and relationships. I really like to make sure everything that I'm doing has a positive message and would mean something to somebody else. I really pay attention to conversations that I have with my friends or other people. Anything can be content for a song. Movies I've seen or someone can say a phrase and I'm like 'oh! that would be a really good lyric in a song!'

K: Who are your musical inspirations?

J: It really ranges, I listen to a lot of different things. In my household I started off listening to '90s music.'90s R&B is a big favorite of mine. My parents listen to a lot of '70s and soul such as Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Marvin Gaye. Jazz has also been a really big influence, you will hear in my style there are R&B, Pop, and Jazz influences.

K: You know how to play piano and saxophone, are there any other instruments you would you like to learn how to play or have been currently working on learning?

J: If I had to pick, getting better at piano and learning how to play guitar would be great.

K: What is the biggest challenge you have encountered during your career?

J: There are a couple things to be honest. To be an artist and musician can be very expensive. As musicians and artists we don't make a lot of money, especially in the beginning. That can be really tough when you're trying to do music full time. You're not getting in return what your'e putting in. There are so many expenses involved such as: studio time, hiring musicians, graphic designers and the list goes on. I'm at the place in my career where I am trying to put together a team. I've found another challenge is that it's truly difficult to find people who truly believe in you and your vision. There are people who did believe in me, but wanted to take me in a different direction from what I wanted.

K: Who is your dream collaboration?

J: I would love to work with Stevie Wonder.

K: What is your relationship with your fans like?

J: I have a good fan base in Ottawa because of people who are very supportive of Ottawa being my hometown. Being in Toronto, I do shows weekly and I'm really starting to grow a fan base here, which is really awesome. I also find that L.A. has been super accepting of me and I have been doing a lot of shows there recently. I try to keep in touch with my fans through social media and keep them updated with what I am up to with my music and who I am as a person.

K: Which is your favorite song that you've written at the moment?

J: As an artist that is so hard because all my songs are like my babies! I am currently working on a new album, and there are a few songs on there that I haven't finished recording yet, but those are probably my favorite. Be on the look out for my new album!

Make sure to be on the look out for JENNA's newest album! Meanwhile, check out her latest single "Roses" Comment below your favorite lyric!