Artist Jennifer Hall aims to draw you into her musical landscape with no reservation, where emotions run high and vulnerability reigns.
Not one to shy away from sharing her pain and deepest secrets, Jennifer’s 2015 self-titled EP leans heavily into grief and loss, self doubt and inner turmoil, and unexpected love and her readiness (or lack thereof) to receive it. Commonly identified as a vocal powerhouse, Jennifer masterfully brings to life the most raw and exposed of emotions.
Shortly after the release of Jennifer’s 2015 EP, the independent Chicago artist hit the road, touring for over 3 years and playing in 31 states, including beautiful Hawaii. After years of touring and reaching digital milestones like 1 million Spotify plays, Jennifer went into a much needed creative hibernation to recharge.
Chicago based artist, Jennifer Hall, is releasing a brand new single/video titled “Why Cut Time” which creates quite an atmosphere between the desolate Chicago lakefront shots, the plucking/swelling synthscapes, and Jennifer’s powerful vocal delivery.
What’s your story as an artist?
Well, I started off as a shy kid who loved to sing in any way that I could. It was such a powerful emotional outlet and it was super therapeutic which was a total lifeline during some rough times growing up. I could never shake the love I had for singing and for music from when I was young, so that turned into becoming an artist. We (my writing partner Noam + me/ my band) have made a few EP’s and some singles over the years, and we have toured the country a bunch. We are working on more music these days, aiming for a record in the next several months. Despite this job being pretty unique and weird sometimes, I am so unbelievably grateful for it. Making music has saved me in more ways than I can count or keep track of. I feel most alive when making music and singing.
What do you want your music to communicate?
I tend to write and sing about things that are happening in my life, impactful events from my past, personal and in depth feelings. A huge hope of mine as an artist is that people will hear my music and find ways to relate, perhaps to feel less alone in what they’re going through and to perhaps be better understood myself. All that said, I of course want the music we make to make people move if they want, dance if they want, and to feel good in any way that feels right- vulnerable indie pop-rock with some guts is the aim.
What are some sources of inspiration for your storytelling?
My music has really mostly been about my own life- things that happened growing up, past relationships, my Mom, inner turmoil + internal struggles. Lately, I’ve been touching on other topics that I’m excited about, things like social and political issues, distancing myself from people pleasing, self improvement + emotional goals, and turning to art for healing. You know, all super lighthearted stuff!
Who is an artist that you look up to more than others today?
I’d have to say Frank Ocean! He seems to always march to the beat of his own drum. His production, his voice, his vulnerable lyrics and storytelling, his emotional performances- he is hugely inspiring to me. I always get this feeling that he is making the music that he wants to make, not trying to make music with pleasing others in mind. I covered “Thinkin’ Bout You” for many years and am working on another live Frank Ocean cover because of my great love for him and his music. His vulnerability is king and it moves me every time.
What’s the record or artist that made you realize you wanted to be an artist?
The first name that comes to mind RIGHT away is Rufus Wainwright. In my late teens/ early twenties I thought that writing for others would be my career direction. I knew I wanted to sing, but as far as being a writer goes, I wasn’t even considering singing about my own life or my own experiences. I didn’t want to share details about my life and felt protective of my struggles, so I thought that I would go on to write music for others. When I first heard “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” by Rufus Wainwright (this was back in 2007), I was struck and quite moved. He was singing about addiction, delicate and sensitive subjects, his insecurities, with seemingly no fear of sharing his highly personal struggles. I remember totally re-thinking about how I wanted to create music and what I wanted to sing about after binge listening to Rufus Wainwright that year. He was such a huge inspiration that I named my cat after him, and if you know me, that’s a really big deal! (I’m a major cat fanatic)
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about:
The latest release is a single called “Why Cut Time.” It touches on a few different themes that were on my mind in the Summer of 2020. It felt like time was passing so quickly as Covid raged and we were staying inside, BLM protests were in full swing which of course made me think a lot about mortality, social justice and how quickly and unjustly life ends for some. Because 2020 was a difficult and fragile and stressful time, I was also thinking a lot about my mom as I tend to do during tough times. She was chronically ill throughout the entirety of my life, so thinking of her tends to go hand in hand with thinking about the fragility of life.
What inspires your sound?
My writing partner Noam Wallenberg produces the music, and we write the music together. We both go into making new work with pretty open minds, not really aiming for a particular genre or classification of sound which is freeing and a nice goal to have. I think when we each hear a song or record that stands out to us though, that work, in some way, influences how we record what we are working on at the time and how we create. For example, we recently wrote and recorded a new song and in the weeks that we were working on this song, we were listening to the record Sad Hunk by Bahamas a bunch. The space and openness of the production on that record really made an impression on me, and the common use of dry vocals (little to no reverb) stood out- they really made the songs feel so intimate to me. I remember Noam pointing out the dryness of a lot of the vocals and realizing how that production choice made me feel and thinking that I wanted to try recording vocals dry in more places. Usually I love a bunch of reverb on my vocals but for the new song that we had been working on, all the reverb was removed at this supercritical and heightened point of the song, and I think that it creates a feeling of intimacy and closeness in that moment. I think that that choice must have been partly inspired by Sad Hunk.
What’s your favorite tune?
It’s tough to pick just one, but a few of my all time favorites include “Real Love” by John Lennon, “Edge Of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks, “Bad Religion” by Frank Ocean, “With A Little Help From My Friends” by Joe Cocker, “Tonight (We are Young)” by FUN, “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin, and “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream. These are the top picks that came to mind, songs that always get me right in the guts.
What are some things you really want to accomplish as an artist?
I’d love to play more festivals and have more touring experiences, perhaps support bigger artists on the road. I’d really like to play internationally, which I have yet to do.
Favorite lyric you ever wrote?
Of the songs that are already out there I’d have to choose this one as a top pick- “Hard to locate, hard to showcase, better for a minute til the thermostat was in it, staying honest, could you pro-rate?” That is a line from a song called “Replacement Blues.” It hasn’t been recorded but we play it live though. I love this line and the connection between good times in a relationship and pro-rating, a concept that was on my mind at the time of writing due to some rent issue with my apartment. There is a new song that hasn’t been released yet that has this line in it, one that I’m really pleased with- “The greatest high lives in freedom. To love, it pains my heart, it strains, but aches for the sun”. It’s a song about vulnerability and embracing it rather than running from it, and about the freedom that comes with being your authentic self, sensitive and raw. It’s about how loving and being loved really calls for that vulnerability and realness, but how it’s still hard to do. I’m looking forward to releasing that song into the world soon.
Was there ever a moment when you felt like giving up?
Oh, for sure. When I was a teen I definitely struggled with thoughts of throwing in the towel due to bullying, tough issues at home, my Mom’s health. I remember feeling like the party I was invited to wasn’t that great and so I was simply going to leave the party. After my mom was also immensely difficult and deeply painful. I certainly felt like giving up on successfully moving on and getting past grief. It felt all consuming. Turns out, nothing stays the same and I am beyond lucky that I had the resources and support to recover and move on from these tough spots. I am tremendously grateful for all the good that’s come about since then, and for all of the positive experiences and wonderful friends that have made my current life so full and so good. I’m grateful for therapy and for healing through art, and for love that is healthy and kind. It can be really intense for me to reflect on how much my life has changed and evolved. You can totally build new paths with self compassion, some time, and support from good people.
What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
- Good thoughts breed good thoughts.
- Try therapy, and know that not all therapists are the same. Keep trying until you find one that you gel with 🙂
Where do you think the next game changer will be in the music industry and entertainment scene?
Oh gosh, who knows. My only hope is that the next big music industry game changer is something that really benefits and supports artists in a real and authentic way. There have been a lot of big industry changes in the last 15 years, some that feel exploitative of art and of artists. I hope that the next big thing helps lift up artists and can be something that allows artists to make more money to support themselves so that they can keep making art. <3
