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Jenna Interview

Before she's even entered her twenties Jenna has released a critically acclaimed debut album and is embarking on a tour with Steve Knightley, one of the most respected English roots artists and songwriter. We interviewed her in January 2008, just before the tour started.

Congratulations on the album....it's all gone very well hasn't it?
I'm so pleased. I don't know what I expected, I was so excited to have my own album out in the shops, and I hoped people would like it, but I never expected the response that it actually got, I'm dead chuffed!

The album seemed to come out of nowhere...what was your story before that?
I've been working with Steve for a few years now, since I was about 14. He's been been my mentor and teacher and he's taught me how to play the guitar and helped me out with my songwriting, and we went on a tour a couple of years ago with Seth Lakeman. I'd written some of the songs on the album when I was about 12, but I've built them up as the years went on. I hadn't written loads to be honest, and then Steve said after my A-Levels 'how do you fancy doing your own album?' So I was like 'yes, definitely'. Especially as he wanted to produce it and Phil wanted to record it, so you can never turn down an opportunity like that!

It's very impressive that some of the songs were written before you were even in your teens....
I know...well I've always just been interested in writing, English, Poetry and Music have always been my forte, and I already had a few songs like 'I Was a Dreamer' and 'Surf this Storm' and then when I met Steve he pushed me to go down this path of songwriting so that kind of urged me forward.

So who are your influences then? Apart from Pink Floyd and Steve Knightley!
I really love Sheryl Crow, especially since I started playing guitar, I love some of her rockier songs, the one's which have country edge to them, which I tried to bring in on things like '21st Century Cowgirl'. And Counting Crows are good too, I like them.

Yes, you can actually hear those influences in your songs. The response to the album's been fantastic, you had a great review in the Telegraph...
I couldn't believe that, it was amazing! Steve rang me and said, 'Jenna, Jenna,you've got to get The Telegraph' and I went into town and got it, and It was fantastic, it was written in a lovely way. I was dead chuffed with that one. Recently The Financial Times put me in their top 10 of the world music of the year, which I was shocked about! I was so pleased.

In some ways, it's better having a newspaper like that pick you out because you know they haven't got the same axe to grind that the music press has.
That's right! I'm so pleased, I hope it carries on!

I'm sure it will. It must be a pleasant surprise to your parents that you've turned it around so quickly...
Yeah, they've been great. Music is always what I've wanted to do, I didn't know I could be a singer and make my living out of being a musician at that point, but I definitely knew whatever I was going to do would involve music and they've always been really supportive. I did my A-Levels so I've got the backing there if I decide it's not what I want to do, but I don't think I'll ever stop trying...

Well, you've achieved more in a year that some people achieve in ten years....
I've been very lucky....

How did you meet Steve? Did he discover you playing?
It's not very glamourous! His mum plays bowls with my grandparents, and we had a family BBQ at my grandparents house and his mum was there, with sort of everyone gathered around the piano, to hear the granddaughters playing, and his mum really liked it and he was in the area anyway, so she rang him and said 'You've got to come and see this girl Jenna' and he (reluctantly I found out later) came out the next day. I did 'Widdecombe Fair' which is one of his songs, and a couple of my songs, and he literally there on the spot offered me a guest slot at The Landmark Theatre in Ilfracombe, which is my home theatre, which was really scary cause all of my teachers and family were there!

That is fairly glamourous, in a Devon kind of way! What's it like in Woolacombe at the moment?
It's two different places, in the summer it's absolutely buzzing and mad, and everyone's on the beach, but in the winter I like it equally as much, and you've kind of got the place to yourself a little bit more, and the surf is obviously really good this time of year.

So Steve, he recognised something straight away from just hearing you play those two songs...
Yeah, it's given me lots of opportunities, I wouldn't be here doing this if it wasn't for him...

You recorded it at Riverside Studio, Phil engineered it and Steve produced it?
We didn't want it to sound too overproduced. The way that you hear it on the album is quite similar to the way it will sound when you hear me live. We tried to keep it quite stripped back and accoustic, which is exactly the way I wanted it to be done. I did some more produced versions of my songs before, and although I was really pleased with them and they sounded fantastic, the way these songs sound on the album is exactly the feel that I wanted them to have when I wrote them

I think that's often the trap some people fall into.....that they get in the studio and go mad and it takes away from what's good about them in the first place...
Yeah, definitely. I'm pleased with it . I wasn't there for very long, I went there for a couple of days and did everything, all the vocals and all my guitar and piano, and then a lot of the work goes on behind the scenes, all the hours of editing that was Phil and Steve's job, and then I heard it and thought ' Wow, that's brilliant!' It was a great opportunity, I loved doing the recording.

It's testament to you that you could just go in and do it like that. And you've got the tour coming up with Steve, which starts very soon doesn't it?
Yes, it starts on the 23rd Jan until the beginning of March.

So will you be accompanying him on some of his songs or is it just a support slot?
I think it's a bit of both. I think I'll have a little section for myself and then I'll come on and just do a few songs with him. We haven't actually rehearsed it yet! Everyone's been so busy. But we're going to meet up and get it all done. We know each other quite well though and the way that we work in music so hopefully it will all turn out good! I'm looking forward to it, can't wait!

Where did the idea to cover 'Wish You Were Here' come from? Are you a Pink Floyd fan?
Yeah, I love Pink Floyd, I think they're brilliant. All the covers that I do are all like very well known songs, I don't know why I always pick the most complicated songs! I think the way you've got to do it is completely change it and make it your own which I hope I've done. And it was literally a last minute addition, it's a live version on the album

So, what's next? When's the next album out? What are your plans for the summer...are you going to do some festivals?
I hope so. Last year I tried to establish myself, this year I want to get out and gig as much as I can. I haven't got lots lined up yet but I'm working on it, trying to get more gigs for the summer, and hopefully some stuff will come out of this tour.

I'm sure it will. It would be great to see you at some of the festivals...there's actually one in Ilfracombe isn't there?
Oh yeah, I'm going to try and get in on that one!

How do you approach a gig now? Has it changed the way you perform, being more successful and recognised?
I think it has. I still get really really nervous, but I think that's a good thing, because it wouldn't be as exciting. Each time, I want to do well, I want to do it properly. At the end of the day, I can't get up and be all shy and retiring, you've got to go up and do the best you can, because you're trying to attract more people to your music. I think my confidence has grown, not in a cocky way, but I just love being up there, and I just want to be up there all the time. I can't wait to go on this tour, I've been using the winter to write some more songs, and hopefully I'll give them an airing on this tour!

That's fantastic! Good luck with the tour....it's a great start with someone like Steve behind you.....he was a teacher before being a pro musician wasn't he?
Yes, long before I knew him. Yeah, as I said he taught me how to play the guitar, and I've just got a new one, my new baby now! It's beautiful, and it's spurred me on to write some new songs! I was in a bit of a panic after my album because I realised I'd used up all my songs!

Will you play some of the new songs at any of the gigs then?
I hope so. I'm really pleased with a couple of them. I'm going to show Steve and hopefully try and get them involved.

Thanks for the interview Jenna, and good luck with the tour.

Iain Hazlewood