Lauren Jenkins has been named one to watch in 2019 by the New York Times, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Pandora, and many more, and this Friday she will release her debut album called No Saint. In a world that is constantly trying to label music and define artists, Lauren says, “I think sonically and who I am as an artist lives more in this Americana, alternative rock lane. And I don’t really know exactly what you call it. I sort of feel like where I am as an artist, and as a writer, and as a singer, it’s kind of off the beaten path, which is what I’ve done since moving to Nashville, is just kind of exploring off road and going down this other lane.”
While she has tons of respect for powerhouse singers like Carrie Underwood, Lauren says, “I just don’t have the vocal range to sing like Carrie Underwood or to belt, and I think she’s one of the best singers ever. But we are two completely different artists and two completely different abilities and I think in terms of a live show I’ve really sort of found my sound and found like, what works for me and where I feel comfortable and feel like I’m meant to be and I don’t know what you call the lane that I’m in.” On second thought, she says, “It’s the Lauren Jenkins Lane.”
Lauren’s sound was inspired and influenced by a wide variety of artists from Dave Matthews to Norah Jones, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and the Dixie Chicks. And just like those artists, Lauren’s music is full of raw honesty and emotion. Her bluesy, moody delivery also creates an almost cinematic feel to some of her songs, like “No Saint,” “Runnin’ Out of Road” and “Maker’s Mark and You,” which is what inspired her to create a short film based around those three songs. On a shoestring budget, with a script that she wrote, Lauren and some friends set off for New Mexico, where they created music videos for all three songs, which in turn, were transformed into a short film that is being released on Friday, in tandem with her album, No Saint.
Lauren Jenkins – describe Lauren Jenkins music :47
“I think sonically and who I am as an artist lives more in this Americana, alternative rock lane. And I don’t really know exactly what you call it. I sort of feel like where I am as an artist, and as a writer, and as a singer, it’s kind of off the beaten path, which is what I’ve done since moving to Nashville, is just kind of exploring off road and going down this other lane. And I hope that more people feel free to do the same thing and find their own path or sort of model after the one that I’m on if that’s what works for them. I mean, I don’t think that it’s country pop. I don’t think it’s shiny I mean it’s just kind of just honest and raw and it is what it is.”
Lauren Jenkins – found my lane in country music :28
“I just don’t have the vocal range to sing like Carrie Underwood or to belt and I think she’s one of the best singers ever. But we are two completely different artists and two completely different abilities and I think in terms of a live show I’ve really sort of found my sound and found like, what works for me and where I feel comfortable and feel like I’m meant to be and I don’t know what you call the lane that I’m in … the Lauren Jenkins Lane.”
Lauren Jenkins – artists who influenced sound :58
“I think it’s all over the board. My dad took me to a Dave Matthews concert for my tenth birthday and we have gone to see him every single year since then. And I was a huge fan of Dave because of his storytelling, because of his live show. Norah Jones is a really big one. But I listened to a lot of Tom Petty growing up, a lot of the Allman Brothers, Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, listened to a lot of Dixie Chicks, lot of Patty Griffin. And it’s kind of been all over the place, a lot of Led Zeppelin, and I don’t know what bits of that I took with me and comes out whenever it’s on paper or comes out into the microphone, but I’m sure it’s a combination. I think Ryan Adams is a career that I really admire and respect. He has a huge bulk of work of incredible songs and he’s able to sit at Carnegie Hall night after night and just play with his acoustic guitar and a piano, and to me that’s the dream scenario.”
Lauren Jenkins – inspiration for film 1:26
“I have always loved filmmaking. I started working on film sets when I was about 15. I’ve always loved telling stories with visuals, not just songwriting, and not just music, but actually giving a visual clear picture. So, a couple of years ago I went out to New Mexico with my friend Cole Smith, who’s the director of the film and I fell in love with the landscape, and I said, ‘We need to shoot something here.’ And that was around the same time of, when I recorded these songs. And I do this weird thing like if I’m running and listening to music, I will envision in my mind how I would shoot the video, or how I would tell the story. So, after writing these songs I was already thinking in terms of OK how would I tell this story, and have it play across a screen. And I came to Big Machine with this idea of, I want to do a three-part music video series, because these songs all did tied together, just in terms of my life, and when I wrote them. And I always saw them as one complete narrative arc, and telling this one story, and sort of threading the music throughout. So Cole and I started working on the treatments and on the script and then I hired a friend of mine that I went to acting school with in New York, and we went to New Mexico and did all the videos. And the big dream was to expand it even further, and turn it into a short film which I was lucky that we were able to do that.”