Hailing from a small town in Ontario, Canada and now calling Nashville home, is country singer-songwriter Jaclyn Kenyon.
Jaclyn was only 3 years of age when she first got into music–attributing much of her musical & songwriting roots to her father. Before pursuing a career in dentistry, her dad was a piano player and an artist. She used to sit at the piano alongside him as he played. She was very young when she composed her first song, the result of playing around with 3 chords on the piano and making some melodies up.
Years later, she participated in a Honey showcase and made it to the final round. An experience that opened up many doors for her, including the opportunity to work with Sony and many other notable companies. They didn’t understand how she was writing these mature songs/sounds at her age and named her a ‘Young rising star’.
When she was in high school, she secured an artist development deal in LA to put together a 12-song, experimental album. While it was a good experience for her, she always felt something was missing in that project.
That ‘missing’ element led her to start soul searching. She felt she had lost her passion, so she turned to God and prayed for direction on what to do. Then, she received some signs that helped her gain clarity. She shares,
“People started coming up to me, saying I had ‘A natural twang in my voice’, and would ask me if I was from Nashville. Then one night, I had a random dream about contacting a producer I knew when I was 12. I decided to reach out to him in real life, and went to Nash to complete another 12-song project with him. He came up with this country/rock sound for me. I put this album out, which was released during the pandemic” (Kenyon, Jaclyn).
In October of 2021, she finally made the move to Nasvhille– which she states was a a “Driving force to help her come up with her identity as an artist” (Kenyon, Jaclyn).
Unpacking her decision to make the move, she shares, “Every single time I used to come down to Nashville, something would always happen the day I left” (Kenyon, Jaclyn). That fear of missing out, her desire to be taken more seriously as an artist and wanting to meet more people in the industry all became deciding factors. She further adds,
“You have to be here to get on the rounds and meet people. It’s the best way to connect & build relationships. (…) It’s a humility thing too. Talent is the pre-requisite to get in. It can be a little intimidating being around so much talent, which is why it’s so important to focus on being an individual” (Kenyon, Jaclyn).
Evidently, you have to be a consistent presence in Music City to set yourself up for success and take full advantage of the opportunities it has to offer.
According to Jaclyn, the message she wants to share through her music is,
“Just share ‘my heart’. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to do that properly. With this song, I wanted to talk about things that I want to talk about. As much as I love a catchy song or melody, I really wanted to focus on something authentic/my heart. She adds,
I’m breaking out of the box of what country sounds like, so I’m a little scared and excited. Never done it before. What I wanna do and say. I’m also moving away from people pleasing and worrying about what people think I should be doing– I’m finally doing what I want with my music” (Kenyon, Jaclyn).
Of course, she’s referring to her upcoming October release (at the time of the interview), “Heart Says No”— a pop-country/rock track about going back to the wrong person one too many times, even though she knows in her heart that it’s not a good idea and she doesn’t love them.
As for the writing process behind the track, Jaclyn had a banjo loop recorded on her phone for an extended period, which she started working with again. Back in 2020, she came up with the pre-chorus for the track, but could never quite nail down the chorus. So she decided to bring Milan D’Agostini on to help her finish the song. She mentions,
“I reached out to Milan D’Agostini and said, ‘I got this song I think you need to hear it’. In the write, he came up with the chorus of the song and we then mashed it with what I had written two years ago. The result was ‘Heart Says No’ (Kenyon, Jaclyn).
According to Jaclyn, the ideal setting to listen to the track stems from her own experience. As she shares,”I was driving down a dirt road in Muskoka the first time I heard the mix. Just turn up the dial with your friends, drive down a dirt road and feel all the feels” (Kenyon, Jaclyn).
Moving forward in the second half of 2022, Jaclyn shares her aspirations, “I really want ‘Heart Says No’ to be my breakout song. It truly showcases what I want to say and do in country music. I also want to gain more relationships and connections with radio and have a band set up for the new year” (Kenyon, Jaclyn). So stay tuned for all she has in store.
Jaclyn, Kenyon Interview. Conducted by Kyla Pearson, Sept. 2022.
Unknown.“Featured: Official cover art for Jaclyn Kenyon’s single, ‘Heart Says No’”. Photo courtesy of Jaclyn Kenyon. Accessed Sept. 2022.
Unknown.“Featured: Singer-songwriter, Jaclyn Kenyon”. Photo courtesy of Jaclyn Kenyon. Accessed Sept. 2022.
Unknown.“Featured: Singer-songwriter, Jaclyn Kenyon”. Photo courtesy of Jaclyn Kenyon. Accessed Sept. 2022.
