LA based pop singer Jenny March writes music that is captivating and relatable, infused with poetic lyricism. She writes music like she is texting, with lyrics that are direct and that reflect her life and the message that girls can have fun too. That girls can party or go out and do the same things as guys. She released her debut single “California Daze” last year and has since released euphoric pop singles such as “Talk To Me”, “Normal In Love” and “FUWY” and has been featured on “Love Parade” with CMC$ and “Bottle It Up” with KXA, amassing millions of streams. Growing up in the suburbs of Cincinnati, March knew from an early age that she wanted to pursue a career in entertainment and started singing and performing by the age of 3. In addition to receiving classical voice training and piano lessons, she also attended New York’s prestigious Stagedoor Manor acting camp for 5 consecutive years. She headed to LA with her mom at the age of 14 to dive headfirst into pursuing her dream. Having been bullied in school, LA was the land of possibilities where she could watch her dreams blossom and grow. Although her true passion is music, she later landed acting roles with Marisa Tomei and Minnie Driver in the horror film ‘Laboratory Conditions’ and starred in the short ‘The Stanford Letter’ and a 12-minute Secret Deodorant anti-bullying spot entitled ‘Meanamorphosis’. With a sound she describes as edgy pop, she cultivated a sound that was inspired by the sounds of Halsey and Jon Bellion and the boundless ambition of Rihanna and Britany Spears. Today sees the releases of “November Nights”, the first single off of her forthcoming EP due out later this year. Inspired by a past relationship, “November Nights” is about how you can love someone so deeply, even knowing you probably shouldn’t be with this person, and yet you are still somehow addicted to making it work, longing for their love and validation. In addition to her Instagram live show “Wednesday Sessions” where Jenny chats and performs with a different artist weekly, in the coming weeks, Jenny will also be a social ambassador for Rihanna’s SAVAGExFENTY line, fusing her love of music and fashion. You can follow Jenny March and stay up-to-date with all upcoming music, album and artist news, as well as purchase her music, via the following links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | SoundCloud | iTunes/Apple Music | YouTube | Deezer | Google Play
You grew up singing and acting and attended Stagedoor Manor acting camp in NY for 5 consecutive years. What was it like for you ti dive headfirst into the entertainment industry at the age of 14 when you moved with your mom to LA to jumpstart your career?
It was definitely a bit of a culture shock for sure, being from Ohio. I had gone to theater camp before I moved to LA, and then I moved to LA and still finished up at a theater camp. I was doing acting in Ohio shortly before moving to LA, so I kind of got a little gist of it, but when I moved to LA there was definitely a culture shock. I didn’t know anybody and was in acting classes and stuff and figured out I could do music in LA. I didn’t really know how to do that but I had a friend that helped me and showed me the ropes and introduced me to some people. That’s kind of how I got my start with music and working with a producer and just starting writing a bunch.
You have said that it’s rare for someone to be an actress or singer in Ohio but that anything seemed possible in LA. What were those early years in LA like for you? When you first arrived in LA, did you instantly feel that that is where you belonged?
For me, I was dancing since I was a kid and just always loved entertaining people at school and doing all of the shows. Being an only child, I felt that I had to entertain myself a lot and just knew that Ohio was not the place for me. At school, things were going wrong and I was bullied and whatnot. I was going to switch schools but then I had this opportunity to move to LA and just felt like it was so perfect. My parents were really supportive and always told me that if I’d had a sibling, I never would have moved out to LA that early. I feel super blessed that I did because once I got to LA I jumped into acting classes and was constantly working. I just knew what I wanted to do since before I was 14. I kind of just felt right when I got here and just felt like it was where I was supposed to be.
You have said that it can be easy to lose yourself in California but that you feel you have held onto yourself. How have you kept yourself grounded as a person while living in California and being a part of the industry?
Yeah, I mean I’ve definitely gone through some stuff and now that I’m older, I think I’ve learned from certain situations. But really, I think it’s just family and keeping a close-knit group of friends and knowing who is there for me and who is not. I think I just get that from my family and still being really close with my friends in Ohio and talking to them about certain things and communicating. Mostly my family, though, is what I think has kept me humble and having a level head about everything. It is really competitive out here and there are some bad people, but there are also some really good people out here who are all really supportive and are a great community of hard-working people who want to do the same thing as you. In the beginning I thought there were all of these bad people who were trying to take advantage of you and stuff, but now that I’ve been here for quite a while, I’ve really seen how awesome this community of entertainers is.
You have talked about how cool it is to see more and more female artists supporting each other. What has your experience been like as a female in the entertainment industry? What differences do you see, if any, between the film and music industry having been a part of both?
I think they are pretty similar. I think when you are young…it’s a matter of just the stuff I’ve been through age-wise, I think. For me, I think I just thought there were things going on that weren’t really happening. I just heard a bunch of stuff and thought that’s how it was. But I think there are just so many more female artists and actors that are sticking up for themselves and really supporting each other. A lot of my girlfriends now who are all in the same genre, doing the same things, but will all go to each other’s shows and will post each other’s music when they have a single released. Even just something as simple as that is really important because we all have insecurities and feel down somedays. It’s just really nice and cool to see other people feeling the same way and sharing about it, whether on social media or with you directly. I think that’s just really important. I haven’t been around the acting scene for a while because I’ve just been focusing on music a lot, but I feel that for me it was more shown in music personally, but I know it goes on.
You were 16 when you realized you could have a career in music and have been called an open book with regards to songwriting. You have talked about how songwriting is a way to express your thoughts and emotions. What has that journey been like for you, having that outlet to express yourself and do you ever find it difficult to be so honest and vulnerable with your lyrics?
I do and I have completely, which I’m sure every artist has. At the beginning, I feel like I went through a phase where I was really open and honest. I was younger and feel like when you are younger, you don’t think so much about what people are going to think of you. Once I hit that, and then social media blew up, it got to me a little bit with people telling you what you are supposed to be like and who you sound like. When I was younger, I didn’t really have the full grasp of that but knew what I wanted to write about, and what I was writing was just myself. I think it was more when I started doing sessions with other people is when it kind of blinded me a little bit. I don’t do that anymore, obviously. I think I’ve learned from that. Personally, for me writing is just a way to express things that I can’t really say out loud. Like if I’m feeling a certain way about somebody, I’m not really good with confrontation so writing is the only way I can really get out my emotions and thoughts I am feeling. It’s just easier for me.
You have talked about learning the music business as you go along. What do you feel have been some of your biggest challenges along the way? Has anything surprised you about the industry that you weren’t expecting?
I think that at the beginning, it was really surprising to me that you could just do everything independently. I think that me and my family, when we first moved to California, thought you would need a label to get yourself out there. I think that was a big surprise, knowing that you can just do everything on your now nowadays and don’t really need a label. You can make more money and can have a good team that supports you without a label. You can still have a pr person and manager and all of these other people and put a team in place without a label. I think that was really cool. I think that once you reach a certain point you could get to a label, but I think right now a lot of people don’t really need one at this stage, with Spotify and Apple Music and the whole spectrum of social media. I think the biggest challenge is myself, honestly, and me getting in the way of myself! My biggest challenge has been realizing I can do it and breaking down my insecurities and finding the confidence. It kind of got hard for a while.
Traveling and experiencing other cultures is something you have been passionate about since you were a kid and you have been to all 50 states with your mom. What led to your love of travel and what kind of impact do you feel experiencing so many other cultures has had on you as a person and how has it shaped your worldview?
I think my parents are definitely the ones who instilled that in me. They took me on trips with them when I was a baby, so I don’t even remember going to London or Austria when I was a kid. They just brought me everywhere on their travels when I was young, which was amazing to experience. I remember telling my mom that I wanted to hit all 50 states before I graduated from high school, which obviously didn’t happen when we moved to LA. We finished it I think last year or maybe 2 years ago, which is when we hit North and South Dakota. I think just seeing all of these different countries and hitting every state has really made me more open as a person and more understanding of other people and what they go through and of different cultures and that we should just all come together. We’re all the same, really. There’s really no difference, you know? It just made me respect everybody a lot more and have love for everyone.
Is there a country you haven’t yet traveled to that you are hoping to visit at some point in the future?
Ooooh…Dubai is on the list for sure! I really want to visit Germany. But Dubai is high on the list. Everybody wants to go to Dubai and experience all of that. That would be cool. Also, Morocco. My mom actually just went there and said it was awesome, so that is somewhere I really want to go.
You’ve called your single “Rebound” your baby and most vulnerable song yet? Why do you feel that particular track is so special for you and do you see yourself taking that lyrical approach going forward in being more vulnerable with your music?
When I wrote that, which was a couple of years ago now…I just wanted to find the right time to release it…it was just something that was really real in the moment and I woke up the next day and wrote about it. It happened really fast and organically. I definitely think that I took some of the things I learned while writing that song for my future music. It was just something that happened so fast, which is why I called it my baby and held onto it for so long.
How have you found yourself adapting to the changing musical landscape that the Coronavirus has created?
Oh my gosh! At the beginning, it was kind of hard. I think that now everybody has their own niche with what they are doing. I started a livestream show on my Instagram that I’m going to do every Wednesday for the next couple of weeks while we are in Quarantine. I’m going to bring in other artists and am starting out with female artists. I’m going to have men too, obviously, but I just wanted to start off with some female artists to give some support to the girls! I’ve been trying to do that and I’ll perform a couple of songs each time and will also interview them and ask them about their music and allow them to also sing a couple of songs. I also have a couple of things lined up from people who asked me to do livestreams on. I think everybody is kind of joining the online world and doing livestream shows and stuff. All live shows are getting cancelled. I had a show right before quarantine at The Hotel Cafe in LA. I know a lot of other artists had shows that got cancelled and are just trying to give people entertainment from their homes.
Do you feel that the livestream from your Instagram is something you will continue with going forward?
Yeah, depending on my schedule and stuff. It’s definitely something I want to do and I love supporting other artists in some way. Maybe not every week, but it’s definitely something I’d like to continue.
What can you tell me about your upcoming single and video for “November Nights”?
Yeah! So I just finished this song and we’re waiting for the final cut for the video. The song is about a relationship that I had that I added on to. It’s one I kind of had a vision for and put myself in this person’s shoes and developed on that. It’s about being in a dark and complicated relationship and being kind of addicted to making it work. Eventhough it might not be good for you, it still feels really good and you have so many high highs and so many low lows. I think a lot of people can relate to that and your friends may tell that you that you can do better but you keep going back and are obsessed with making it work. Its a really cool song about love that is shown in a different light.
What can you tell me about the video?
The video is directed by a Canadian director named Juliana Carpino. She’s really cool and actually reached out to me on Instagram. I was looking for directors and we had interviewed so many different directors and tried to get different treatments. It’s crazy that I found her last minute! She was really into the song and really wanted to create a concept for it. I loved her work, so we worked together on creating a treatment. I told her that I wanted to show all of the different emotions that I felt in the song so we kind of used different colors to try to describe that, and there’s a really cool car shot where I’m sitting in each seat…the front seat, the passenger seat, the back left and back right. We stuck a camera in the middle of the car that rotated in a 360° way, so you’ll see me talking to myself in each of the seats, which is cool. We just wanted to play around and this is the first music video that is just me. My videos for “Rebound” and “Talk To Me” had some extras and a lead male. For this one, I just wanted to fully focus on me and go all crazy and really dive into the emotion of the song.
I know everything is up in the air right now with Coronavirus, but what’s next for you? What do you have coming up?
Honestly, I’ve just been working on new music. The “November Nights” single will be the next thing coming up. Then, I’ll just continue with my live-streaming every week and am writing new music at home and am trying to work with producers through email and FaceTime. I hope to have another single to follow “November Nights” shortly!