In conversation with Mississauga’s Jenna, who is making waves as a singer songwriter. She’s been nominated for a 2024 Mississauga Music Award, won a 2024 MARTY Award for Emerging Solo Vocalist and received the 2024 SHINE! Music Bursary honouring James Gray. 

Rob Aguiar: Describe your evolution from drummer to solo vocalist; was it natural or intentional?

Jenna: I have been songwriting a lot longer than I have been drumming. I picked up the drums in grade 9 and instantly felt a connection. In college I studied drums but would sneak into some vocal classes but wasn’t confident to sing in front of people until my final semester. I love the confidence drumming gives me and the freedom of expression and voice that being a singer songwriter gives me. I don’t think there was a pivot; I have always been confident in my ability to pursue both and don’t think I would be truly Jenna if I had to turn away from one.

RA: Your 'Project 2024' you promised a new original song on the first of every month this year; do lyrics or melody come first or does it vary?

Jenna: It's been a journey, I can’t wait to share the finale with everyone!
I always start with lyrics. It definitely varies from song to song but I either have an overarching idea then sit down and write lyrics relating to that or a random hook will pop into my head that I just get so obsessed with that I base the entire song around it. The melody always comes last for me and can be something I struggle with. My producer Sasha plays a huge part in expanding my melodies.

RA: What typically inspires your songwriting and what’s your mindset  when delving into personal experiences while also aiming to connect with a broader audience?

Jenna: With this monthly project I feel my approach has been quite different, I’ve been trying to make songs that reflect my mindset during that last month. I found there were months when I wanted to make something fun and empowering like Mismatched Socks in September. There were other months where I had something important to get off my chest like Mary Jane in April. 

I will sometimes write lyrics that are oddly specific to my own experience then I like to sit with them and see how I can change the words to make them more relatable to my audience yet still true to my story. 

RA: Did you feel pressure to stick to the promise of releasing a new song monthly? How do you navigate moments of uncertainty or self-criticism during the songwriting process and how do you overcome them?

Jenna: I have definitely been feeling the pressure! During writer's block, I found turning to collaboration very helpful. It brings someone new in with new ideas and experience to play off of. In the process you also make a lot of amazing friends, expand your circle in the industry, and are forced to find a connection between you and another person. If I'm having writer's block by myself I usually will do songwriting exercises like writing a new verse for the same song every day until I find something I love or can piece something together from everything I’ve written. Sometimes I will do a word association exercise that my songwriting teacher from college, Ally Sou, taught me. Basically I take a word that has importance to the song, maybe something like “hope” for example, and then give myself two minutes to write down as many random words or phrases stemming from that initial word “hope”. This helps me to broaden how I think about these themes or words and find a unique way of writing about a topic.

RA: An artist once told me that consistency drives creativity, but collaboration adds depth. Have you ever experienced a moment in collaboration where someone else’s perspective helped you uncover a layer of vulnerability in your lyrics that you hadn’t initially recognized? 

Jenna: One of my favourite collaborations was with an American artist called Atlas In Motion. We did a song called “Dumb Luck” together and I wasn’t there for the production process. Sasha and him spent the day working on it together and when I came home from work we started writing. Initially we were very stuck but I started flipping through pages in my book of older songs I’ve written and I had found the chorus and my verse already written. I started singing it and it clicked instantly with what they had produced and Sasha actually asked me who wrote that song thinking I was singing an already released mainstream pop song to their beat. With help from our mutual friend, Atreyi, we made some small changes to what I had already written but their input and his verse just brought a whole new meaning, life, and vibe to this song I never thought anyone would hear. 

I want to touch on what you said; consistency drives creativity. I agree with this and think it's a very important topic. You cannot fail if you consistently strive to do and be better, maybe people won't recognize it for a while but you can’t fail if you never stop trying.

RA: What song that holds a deep personal meaning for you?

Jenna: The final song of this yearly project is the most personal and I waited to make a song about this until my last one because it’s what I want people to take away from this whole year. I lost my grandfather in December of 2019 just before I left for college. He was my best friend and my biggest supporter and my new song is all about feeling grief rather than happiness around the holidays. The holiday season is a nightmare for me every year since he’s passed and making this song about him is my way to get the world to remember him. He was 92 and had no friends left to mourn him and a very small family. He was a very special person and everything I do is for him. He is the essence of who I am as an artist, and in a month where we celebrate his birthday, Christmas, and the day he passed it would be remiss of me to not honor him with this last song.