Folk-Americana singer-songwriter Jayna Jennings is swiftly making her mark on the music scene through a host of ear-catching releases that have caught the attention of listeners from around the world.
Fresh for the album “Southern Gothic Romance”, Jayna is set to reveal the official video for the single “10:43”, which won Song of the Year at the Josie Music Awards at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville last October.
The song “10:43” centres around two people falling in love in a train station, drinking black coffee, & all happening in a single day at 10:43.
Jayna has kindly taken the time to chat with Fierce & Fabulous Revolution regarding the release of the upcoming music video & the journey behind it. You can find the full interview below.
Hey Jayna, thank you so much for this interview. Can you start by telling readers a little bit about yourself?
Jayna: Thank you so much for the opportunity! I am a singer/songwriter and recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia. I just recently put out a new album called Southern Gothic Romance and I am so excited! It’s a visual album, so all twelve songs have accompanying videos/visualizers/poems to help bring the songs to life. I am a big fan of hobbies and I love to learn new things. Lately, I’ve been very interested in oil painting and interior design.
How did you first discover your passion for music?
Jayna: I would always be the background soundtrack while my friends would play. I would be the song on the radio while Barbie took a drive in the dream car, haha! So I knew from a very young age that music had to be part of everything that I did. I started singing commercial jingles during intermission at Bluegrass shows when I was nine and fell in love with it. I started learning to play guitar and piano and the rest fell into place from there.
Have you always known that you wanted to pursue a music career?
Jayna: Yes! I remember jumping on my bed singing Born to Be Wild pretending to be part of Steppenwolf when I was really little. I knew performing and playing music was what I wanted to do with my life and luckily I had supportive parents that were down to let me pursue it, even though we had no clue how to even begin and everything about the music world was new to us. I started writing songs more seriously when I was around twelve and that’s when the idea of pursuing songwriting as an avenue came to my mind and I’ve never looked back.
How would you currently describe your music style?
Jayna: I think my latest album was very cinematic in a grassy sort of way. I wanted all the songs to feel cohesive and like they were part of one project, telling a bigger story. And because I grew up singing at Bluegrass shows, I wanted to nod at the genre and the darkness of that style while maintaining a sound that could appeal to Country fans, Americana fans, etc. It’s homogenous as a project, but individually, the songs can stand on their own merit and still make sense. I am always inspired by nature, especially water and I like to figure out ways to replicate the sounds of nature in my work.
On April 26th, you’ll release the official video for “10:43”. How did the concept for this video come together?
Jayna: It was absolutely a God thing that this came together. So my album is a visual album and I had been making music videos to help bring the narrative of the album to life, but I was doing it very organically- just simple setups and I edited them myself. 10:43 won Folk/Americana Song of the Year at the Josie Music Awards and has kind of become an inside reference with my fans. 10:43 has always been my lucky time and my lucky number, and I like to align release dates with these numbers, etc. My good friend and collaborator on this project, Addison Cox, and I were talking about this video because I knew I needed it to be something professionally done and something special for my fans since it has become my most played most requested song. Addison is a brilliant filmmaker and when she said she was down for this project, she really meant it. She booked us an incredible venue, got props, a lead actor, everything. She even hid references to the number 1043 throughout the video. It turned out so amazing! We really just sat down with the narrative of the song which is two people falling in love in a train station drinking black coffee knowing that when they arrive at their destination, they might never see each other again. We made a storyboard of how to communicate this on camera and it turned out so cute. Two people strike up a conversation in the station, play cards on the train, drink coffee, and make the people around them annoyed because of how much fun they’re having. Then they step off the train and everyone will have to watch the video on April 26th to find out if they have a happily ever after or not, haha!
Did you always plan to release a video for “10:43”?
Jayna: I knew I wanted to, but when I wrote the song, I thought the prospect was too far out of my abilities. I was nineteen years old and doing local performances with only a couple hundred followers. As my career saw growth and I decided to put out the visual album, I knew I wanted every song to have a video so I figured I would do every other video myself and cross the bridge when I get there, haha! This is a great example of trusting God’s timing. It was incredible to see the way all of it fell into place at just the right time and its so much better than I had envisioned because of the work of the talented filmmakers I was able to work with.
What were some of your highlights from creating the official video?
Jayna: Samuel Ibach, our lead actor, and I made up an entirely different version of this story as we filmed it and it was so unhinged. I think it was something like that my character was a spy who was after his character and they aren’t actually falling in love, she’s just tricking him to gain his trust. It was crazy. I kinda like that storyline a lot… might use it later.
The song centres around two people falling in love in a train station, drinking coffee, & happening at your favourite time of day. How did the inspiration for the story behind this song come together?
Jayna: I took a long train trip from Georgia to California in 2014 and loved watching people part/reunite in the station at every stop we would make. On the train, I watched strangers make friends and play cards and tell stories and it felt so cool to see these interactions as an observer. As a creatively minded person, I, of course, was dreaming up things about each person I saw. In 2019 I was actually going through a break-up, haha! And I had written a lot of break-up songs and just poured out my feelings and after a while, I got kind of sick of feeling sorry and depressed so I just looked back on my favourite things and I started reminiscing about that trip and how I would see people feeling lonely standing in line and then start laughing with someone they just met a few hours later on the train. So I wrote this song and played it for my mom and she loved it. I was not sure anyone would like it because I thought it was so niche, but it ended up being a total bridge between me and my listeners.
What does this song mean to you & what would you like listeners to take from it?
Jayna: It has evolved for me so much since I wrote it. At first, it was about the hope for new love, or hope for a fresh start. Love, relationships, friendships can come in a lot of different ways and sometimes when you least expect it. You never know what one door will lead you to, and you never know what better things will come when a door closes. For me, this song allowed to accept JMA Folk/Americana Song of the Year in the historic circle at the Grand Ole Opry House. It connected me with so many new friends through Addison and through this collaboration. I absolutely love the way that this song led me to so many unexpected things. I think for me, I would want to communicate that there are better things coming even when you don’t know what it means in the moment. Keep your eyes out for how your hopes will be fulfilled and you’ll be amazed at the results.
Do you have any further releases planned that you can currently tell us about?
Jayna: YES! I have a few other videos up my sleeve and I’ve been recording new music for almost a year and its getting closer to time to share. Be sure to check out my social media, stay in touch, and don’t miss the fun stuff ahead!
What advice would you offer to someone who was looking to pursue a career within the music industry?
Jayna: Use discernment, and like everyone. Even if you don’t like that song, you do like that song. Be gracious and take criticisms well and learn as much as you can from anyone willing to share!
Finally, is there a message that you would like to share with the readers of Fierce & Fabulous Revolution?
Jayna: You have a purpose! There is a reason why you are alive and breathing right now and that means that someone needs you. Even when you can’t feel it or see it, you are so worthy and so needed. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help when it comes to mental health, then use your voice and story to help others.
You can find the official video for “10:43” below following the release. In the meantime, you can find the song, along with Jayna’s further releases here.
Fierce & Fabulous Revolution 