The Loud Magazine: How do you balance experimenting with new sounds and styles while still maintaining your unique artistic identity?
Jett Jenkins: The main constant in my music is the lyrics. I’m currently a writing major and I think that says quite a lot. Everything I think I write and everyone, in my opinion, has their own writing style unique to them. I may still be searching for “my sound” and may never find one thing. It’s always fun to change up what you’re working on and really do what you love rather than what the audience wants.
The Loud Magazine: Can you discuss the role of social media in promoting your music and connecting with your fans?
Jett Jenkins: I use my social media usually to promote live shows and interviews on Instagram and use my tik tok to promote new music. Honestly I feel like I connect with my audience more at live shows and it's always fun to meet people who start listening to my music because they were at a show.
The Loud Magazine: How do you handle situations where your music is used in ways you don't agree with, such as in political campaigns or advertisements?
Jett Jenkins: I’ve come to the hard realization in my adult years that there’s always going to be someone out there that is going to hate on you or disagree with you. The best thing to do is continue to speak your own mind and be true to yourself and beliefs.
The Loud Magazine: How do you deal with stage fright or performance anxiety, and what tips do you have for other artists facing similar challenges?
Jett Jenkins: I’m a very anxious person and while I grew up doing musical theater I had quite some stage fright at the beginning of my career. I think since it was my music and so personal to me, but after pushing through and doing shows more constantly. I have been able to start overcoming that hurdle and become more comfortable on stage and performing. My best advice is exactly that; keep going until you don’t want to stop.
The Loud Magazine: Can you share your thoughts on the importance of music in today's society and its ability to bring people together?
Jett Jenkins: Music is incredibly important in today's divided society. I feel blessed to love music so much that I can always find at least one artist in common with a stranger. I find comfort in knowing that basically every person on this planet listens to music, it’s the one thing we all love and relate to. We express ourselves through music and that unites us.
The Loud Magazine: How do you handle the pressure of constantly creating new music and staying relevant in the industry?
Jett Jenkins: In 2019 I attended Clairo’s concert at The Granada Theater in Dallas. It was my first concert after my fathers passing that I can remember. I went with two friends and we created a sort of tradition of going to her concerts together, attending her next one in 2022 together again. Seeing an artist only a few years older than me and being so vulnerable in her music inspired me. I had only been to huge arena concerts beforehand but going to a small theater where everyone around was there for the same reason was a community I didn’t know I had been searching for. I started writing songs shortly after to help me grieve and put my feelings into words. While I’ve felt pressure to keep up with the demands of the industry and society today, I have yet to succumb to it. My dream has never been to become a huge pop-star and not because I don’t want to be famous, but because I want to connect with as many people as I can. That’s all I can really ask for, to reach people and have my music help them in any way it can. All I want is to repay the favor that music has done for me and that’s why I keep moving forward and creating.
The Loud Magazine: Can you discuss your songwriting process, and how you develop concepts or stories for your lyrics?
Jett Jenkins: Many of my songs are produced from the aftermath of my personal experiences and I use my music as a way to grow and leave to experiences in the past. I also use social media to promote suicide awareness and other mental health messages along with social justice information. It’s always been important to me to use my voice however I can, especially when they are close to my heart. When I’m developing a new song I usually write the lyrics first and make up the melody as I write. After I’m happy with the lyrics and the structure I then meet with my producerand start working on the track. I remain consistent in my process but I’m always experimenting with the sound and playing with genres.
The Loud Magazine: How do you stay connected with your musical roots and influences, and how have they shaped your current sound?
Jett Jenkins: I grew up in a house filled with different genres of music that all took hold in me. I love hyper-pop and country, new wave and hip-hop as well. I realized that I just loved all music as long as it was good music. Since I’m still in the early stages of my career I’m experimenting with different types of music and it’s fun for me. I don’t want to constrain myself to one style and would like to see myself grow into it rather than choose one and be stuck forever. I remember listening to the song Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings. It was the first song I listened to and I thought “wow, this is what music should be, this is the kind of music I want to make, I want to make people feel the love of music that I feel when I listen to this song.”
The Loud Magazine: How do you manage your time between creating music, touring, and other personal or professional commitments?
Jett Jenkins: I’m very organized actually. I keep everything in my phone calendar and also keep a physical calendar with me at most times. As a college student it definitely got more difficult to manage but am able to by separating school for the weekdays and music during the weekends.
The Loud Magazine: Can you discuss a specific collaboration or project that was particularly rewarding or meaningful to you, and why?
Jett Jenkins: I’ve always had incredible experiences collaborating with other artists. Everyone I’ve worked with is there because they love music. Recently I’ve been working with Nick Brown (Mona) on my upcoming releases and my latest EP “Break Cover, Vol. 1”. There is never pressure to be perfect, we just make what we want and have fun. I’ve learned so much from working with other artists and I feel so lucky to have these people look out for me and teach me.