Jenni Stark Interview
Q: Can you talk about your history as an artist?
A: I’ve been singing to myself and writing songs as long as I can remember, but my training was as a classical flutist. I started playing flute when I was 10, and I got funneled into that hyper-competitive world pretty quickly. I don’t know when or where I learned to be scared of my own voice, but it happened early. Most people close to me had never heard me sing until these songs came out. So, all this is pretty new!
Q: What is your recording process like for Salt Water?
A: We recorded the bulk of the album at my producer Eric’s apartment. He’s got a spare bedroom that he’s set up as a little home studio. Because we recorded during the pandemic, and most of it in the pre-vaccine days, we rarely had more than a couple people in the studio at once. My friend Justin, who played all the drums and percussion on the album, tracked separately from a practice studio he’s got, so I didn’t actually see him face-to-face until the album release party, haha.
Q: I read that you said, “I didn’t set out to write an album, I didn’t even really set out to write a song. But I found myself writing what I desperately needed to hear.” I have a feeling I know what you mean by that but can you expand on that sentiment?
A: Our creative pursuits have a way of revealing things to ourselves, I think. During the time I was writing these songs, I had a lot on my plate, and not a lot of time to process any of it. I would sit down with my guitar and suddenly I’d have clarity about a situation just from writing a verse or two of a little ditty. This project happened really organically because it wasn’t about saying a particular thing or trying to achieve a particular end, it was just a collection of a whole bunch of clarifying moments that I couldn’t keep down anymore. So we used it as an opportunity to connect and collaborate with our friends at a time when that felt impossible, and to experiment with a bunch of different sounds because no one was telling us “no.”
Q: Can you talk about your history as an artist?
A: I’ve been singing to myself and writing songs as long as I can remember, but my training was as a classical flutist. I started playing flute when I was 10, and I got funneled into that hyper-competitive world pretty quickly. I don’t know when or where I learned to be scared of my own voice, but it happened early. Most people close to me had never heard me sing until these songs came out. So, all this is pretty new!
Q: What is your recording process like for Salt Water?
A: We recorded the bulk of the album at my producer Eric’s apartment. He’s got a spare bedroom that he’s set up as a little home studio. Because we recorded during the pandemic, and most of it in the pre-vaccine days, we rarely had more than a couple people in the studio at once. My friend Justin, who played all the drums and percussion on the album, tracked separately from a practice studio he’s got, so I didn’t actually see him face-to-face until the album release party, haha.
Q: I read that you said, “I didn’t set out to write an album, I didn’t even really set out to write a song. But I found myself writing what I desperately needed to hear.” I have a feeling I know what you mean by that but can you expand on that sentiment?
A: Our creative pursuits have a way of revealing things to ourselves, I think. During the time I was writing these songs, I had a lot on my plate, and not a lot of time to process any of it. I would sit down with my guitar and suddenly I’d have clarity about a situation just from writing a verse or two of a little ditty. This project happened really organically because it wasn’t about saying a particular thing or trying to achieve a particular end, it was just a collection of a whole bunch of clarifying moments that I couldn’t keep down anymore. So we used it as an opportunity to connect and collaborate with our friends at a time when that felt impossible, and to experiment with a bunch of different sounds because no one was telling us “no.”
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: I write constantly: in my notes app, in notebooks, in voice memos. It’s mostly a collection of phrases that come to me, or things people say to me, or passages from poems and books I’m reading, combined with a sort of diaristic report of various goings-on. With music, it’s the same thing – I’ve got hundreds of voice memos that are little melodies I like, or guitar licks, or chord progressions. Things like that. When I actually get to constructing songs, I’m thinking a lot about what the song would be like if it were a tangible thing. What would it feel like if I could touch it? What would it taste like? What color is it and how many colors is it?
Q: What are some of the themes that are touched upon in your release Salt Water?
A: Salt Water is a lot about different kinds of heartache – from romantic heartbreak to grief to trouble you get yourself into when you’re feeling disempowered. But, ultimately, I think it’s an album about choosing yourself – the last two songs, in particular, are just love letters to myself.
Q: I noticed you live in Chicago. Same here. Have you started playing shows or virtual shows?
A: Well, re: my previous answer about being scared to sing… But I finally ripped that bandaid off, so we’re working on bringing some live shows to Chicago. Stay tuned. In the meantime, we do have some videos of live acoustic performances coming out in the next couple weeks, and some artsy and fun music videos that should be released late this year/early next year.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: We’ve started working on the next album and it’s pretty different. It’s beautiful and vile and I’m excited for people to hear it. But for now, all you need to know is that I’m immensely grateful for everyone listening. xoxo.
A: I write constantly: in my notes app, in notebooks, in voice memos. It’s mostly a collection of phrases that come to me, or things people say to me, or passages from poems and books I’m reading, combined with a sort of diaristic report of various goings-on. With music, it’s the same thing – I’ve got hundreds of voice memos that are little melodies I like, or guitar licks, or chord progressions. Things like that. When I actually get to constructing songs, I’m thinking a lot about what the song would be like if it were a tangible thing. What would it feel like if I could touch it? What would it taste like? What color is it and how many colors is it?
Q: What are some of the themes that are touched upon in your release Salt Water?
A: Salt Water is a lot about different kinds of heartache – from romantic heartbreak to grief to trouble you get yourself into when you’re feeling disempowered. But, ultimately, I think it’s an album about choosing yourself – the last two songs, in particular, are just love letters to myself.
Q: I noticed you live in Chicago. Same here. Have you started playing shows or virtual shows?
A: Well, re: my previous answer about being scared to sing… But I finally ripped that bandaid off, so we’re working on bringing some live shows to Chicago. Stay tuned. In the meantime, we do have some videos of live acoustic performances coming out in the next couple weeks, and some artsy and fun music videos that should be released late this year/early next year.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: We’ve started working on the next album and it’s pretty different. It’s beautiful and vile and I’m excited for people to hear it. But for now, all you need to know is that I’m immensely grateful for everyone listening. xoxo.