Jen smiles, sings, & shares.

“That is NOT music.” Who says?

Have you ever heard a song or even a snippet of a song and thought, “what the heck did I just listen to? I can’t believe they call this MUSIC.”

I have. I’ve thought it, said it out loud (perhaps not those exact words or to that degree), and shared my opinion.

As individuals we have our taste in what we like to listen to and when we want to listen to it. My first taste of music was Korean Ballads played by my parents.. then some Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah, Celine.. then it led to Disney music classics.. Elementary school I was a big fan of Spice Girls, Britney, Christina.. middle school my ears opened to the beautiful tone of Frank Sinatra and jazz.. high school I then had a long love affair with Jason Mraz.. in college I listened to all that I just listed.. and let’s add some House in there. I love it all. If you look through the videos I uploaded on my YouTube page you’ll see that I’ve covered all types of genres.. some loved by many, some very few knew.

I’m the type to give most music a chance and I would say I have a pretty versatile music folder.. but as diverse as it is, I won’t take time to listen to EVERYTHING. There are musicians and songs I fancy and some I really don’t.. but at the end of the day it’s just my taste and opinion.

Most recently I had a conversation with a close friend about Lana Del Rey. Basically there’s a lot of heat about how she isn’t as authentic as everyone hoped she was.. coming from a wealthy family.. was already under a label.. had tried pursuing with her name “lizzy grant”.. and had a not so awesome performance on SNL. By the end of the conversation though, I was encouraged to think outside of my usual box. Despite what a lot of people say about her music and who she is, she fascinates people enough to be making a mark in the music industry. It may not all be “good” criticisms, but the girl is expressing herself and people are listening - like it or not. If that isn’t already a win, I don’t know what is. And yes, I watched her SNL performance.

Personally for me, the artists I look up to are artists I’ve seen perform live who have captivated me and continually inspire me through their music very timelessly. Here and there I have artists go in and out of my life who I dig during certain periods. I may not like all of their work, but if I like what I hear and it can help fuel my fire for my pursuit in music, I’m all for it.

We’re just naturally programmed to judge everything that is presented to us. As a musician there are so many factors in which we analyze music: the tone, voice, skill, presence, message, performance, arrangement.. etc. but people listen and look for different things. My strength as a musician is my vocals. I can’t play piano for shizzz or guitar for my life but I can belt a killer note when need be (depending on the note, that is) so when I watch a performance I concentrate on the vocals. Does he/she have control? Do they know when to take breaths? What’s the texture of their voice? Those things speed through my mind naturally, but as a performer I also appreciate anyone who has the balls to go on stage and give it all they’ve got. It can be scary up there especially when everyone’s eyes look like daggers pointing at you lol.

Basically.. what I’m trying to say is that I’ve been humbled very recently with my take on what “music” is. I applaud everyone who earnestly expresses themselves.. rookie or pro. You wouldn’t typically compare Beyonce with Lana Del Rey but somehow we find ways to do it anyway and discredit what both artists express in the process. “But Jennifer, it was the record label that created that music! Not Beyonce. Not Lana.” Okay, well that still doesn’t mean it isn’t music. Someone wrote it, orchestrated, and performed it. It was a piece of art. A more typical comparison would have been Britney and Christina back in the day, one may sing better than the other (this is also objective), but it doesn’t mean the other can’t dance her ass off with her UNIQUE voice which majority of listeners can easily tell it’s her. Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it isn’t music!

I hereby solemnly do swear that I will no longer judge something as not being music just because it doesn’t personally move me.

2012 is gonna be the year that I solidify MY sound. I know what I love and write what I know I can sing with conviction. I know “4 years & counting..” isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Some of those songs were written when I was 18, some of them when I was 21.. it was a wrap up and a thank you to those of you who have supported me the past 4 years and gave me a chance by listening to a song that I wrote. I will continue writing and performing thanks to those of you who give me a chance. You listen, and so I have a voice.

p.s. Lana Del Rey’s album is dope. I recommend: “National Anthem”. It’s been on repeat - that and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know”