We’re excited to introduce Canadian-born, Brooklyn-based artist Jenny Kern. As a result of Kern’s magnetic vocal style and emotionally piercing lyricism, her music has been gaining a lot of attention all over the world. In addition to working for acclaimed filmmakers Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, Kern has also worked as a producer in film and television. Taking a leap of faith in 2018, Kern decided to pursue music full-time. The Brooklyn-based Canadian dream pop artist Jenny Kern has released a new single called “I Should Lose You“.
Who is Jenny Kern? How would you describe yourself?
Indie pop singer-songwriter
How would you describe your music to someone who has never listened to it?
Dreamy, honest, reflective
When was the moment you decided you wanted to make music your career?
When I released Slow Burn I started getting messages about the song and how it was impacting people. It gave them a sense of self-understanding and that was a huge moment for me. I realized how much my music can change other people’s lives and I wanted to do more of that. I also fell in love with performing very quickly and from the first day I stepped on stage I knew I wanted to continue to perform for people.
Do you play any other instrument?
Also, play piano and have played saxophone in the past
When did you start to play the guitar?
When I was 14 years old
And what is your story? How did you start producing and releasing songs?
It wasn’t until about 2018 that I started singing. I had played some cover shows in Montreal at school with a friend but never on my own. Someone suggested I play in NYC and the only way I could get a gig booked was if I had original music. So a friend said I should write a song. I did and I fell in love with it very quickly! It all sort of snowballed from there.
When listening carefully to your lyrics they are deep, honest, and meaningful. Where do you usually find your inspiration to write songs?
From personal experience. I usually draw from my own emotions and relationships. Every once in a while I hear a story from a friend and it inspires something in me.
Who are your main influences?
There are so many artists that inspire my music. Growing up I listened to a lot of everything from Motown to 80’s pop to Joni Mitchell. Mostly I’d say I get a lot of my sound from 90’s female singer-songwriters like Annie Lennox, Dido, and Sarah McLachlan. Right now I’m really connecting with the sounds of 1975, Maggie Rogers, MUNA, Chelsea Cutler, and Fickle Friends. I listen to a lot of music and constantly feel like I need to be surrounded by it, especially new music. When I’m writing or we’re in production I need to consume because I’m trying to find new ways to get creative with sonic palettes.
Can you tell us the most exciting story that happened to you since you began your career?
There have been a few moments that have been incredibly exciting and career-changing. Performing on a mini tour in Portugal was pretty special, seeing my song on a major network TV show was a huge moment but mostly performing with the band for the first time was the biggest moment for me because I unlocked something in myself I didn’t know existed. It was the beginning of something special.
What’s your dream collaboration? And why?
So many artists I admire but I’d love to collaborate with: Chelsea Cutler, Maggie Rogers, The Japanese House, Phoebe Bridgers, HAIM or MUNA. All incredibly amazing women who write and produce their own music (with collaborations) but they are heavily involved in the process and that’s really inspiring to me.
How would someone get your special attention?
In terms of being creative or personal… be open, honest, and vulnerable.
How important is social media to you right now?
My relationship with social media is hit or miss. Some days I feel it’s such an incredible tool to connect with people and fans. It’s a great way to share who you are personally (if you’re open to it) and a great way to promote finding a new audience. Some days it’s really exhausting and draining. The music industry is hard enough to navigate and social media doesn’t really make it any easier. Everyone wants rapid content at a pace that is truly unhealthy for artists. I’m trying to adapt to an industry that has dramatically changed so quickly. Unfortunately, it feels like that’s the ONLY effective way to market music now. You can’t trust the process of releasing songs without pumping out social content. I wish we could release music and focus on the music not on going viral. But hey. That’s how it is now I guess?! It’s a crazy hurricane and as hard as it is I still wouldn’t trade my career for anything else.
Tell me about your new single “I Should Lose You”?This song is about falling out of love with someone and realizing you need to let them go. The relationship was failing and it became so one-sided. It’s easy to realize that you no longer have feelings for someone but it’s the intrinsic difficulty of hurting them that makes it so hard. You can be in a relationship, feel a shift and know something isn’t right anymore but the second you say it out loud it’s in the open. You can’t take it back. The truth is, the best solution is to rip off the band-aid and move on. That’s what I had to do.
Favorite line from the song?
Tired of wishing it was anyone but you
How did the song title come about?
I debated a lot of other options but I wanted it to be pretty straightforward and purposeful. “I Should Lose You” was an easy answer. It’s blunt and means exactly what it says.