Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Suzanne Jamieson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Suzanne , thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
My optimism comes from the constant practice of ‘looking for the good’ in life. It’s ultimately just a choice, what we choose to focus on, and when you’re looking for what went well, what is a blessing, what you’re grateful for, what is beautiful, you start to see it all around you. That’s not to say I don’t see the other stuff. How could one not? I just don’t focus on it as if it’s the only thing, which are brains are wont to do. My new single, “I Turn Towards Love” from my upcoming album, Love Is…, is all about this daily practice.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My story, in X words….I great up in Wisconsin, got bit by the performing bug pretty early, and went on to earn a BFA in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University. I then spent years in New York and Los Angeles acting and singing, and studying yoga and mindfulness in my free time. In 2012, after having my first child, I made a lullaby album called Shine: Lullabies for Everyone. As that child grew, and I had another, I wanted to share more messages with her, and my second child, about how to be happy, how to thrive, how to love, but I wanted to do it in a fun, pop way, so I made my second album, Bounce, with 3x Grammy nominees The Pop Ups. And in July, I’ll be releasing my third family music album, Love Is…., also written with Jason Rabinowitz (The Pop Ups), which explores the concept of love in all its different iterations.
There are lots of wonderful kindie musicians making high quality music for kids, and I am happy to be in the kindie space. I think what makes my music exciting is that the songs always respect children and their innate ability to understand so much more than we think they can. Kids pick up on so much more than we as adults often give them credit for. So, in my albums, it is always my goal that parents like the music as much as the children do, because the lyrics are appropriate but never simple, the music is radio quality and beautiful produced, and we explore concepts like gratitude, resilience, love, community, and even spirituality (non-religious) in a way that honors childrens ability to understand the messages.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Collaboration. It can be tempting to hold on very tightly to your words, your ideas, your melodies. But when you collaborate, you must compromise your talent for the collective group talent, your idea for the better idea….it can be hard but it is so worth it. If I hadn’t sought out and been open to collaboration, there’s no doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t be where I am today.
2. Growth mindset. I am constantly working on my voice, my songwriting, my performance, my instruments. The more you work on your stuff, the more ready will be when an opportunity comes along. We can and always should be trying to improve.
3. Courage. It is a courageous act to believe in your wild idea enough to pursue it. It’s vulnerable and a lot of the time, it can feel awful to ‘put it out there.’ But believing in your wild idea, and yourself, enough to try is literally the only way to make anything.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My voice coach for the last seven years, Hila Plitmann, is a multi Grammy winning soprano. We met ages ago doing a show in Pasadena, CA, and lost tough. But right when I was losing my last vocal coach who was moving away, we ran into each other, and I asked if she would teach me. Funny how life works like that. Her special way of understanding and making art, and specifically music, changed the way I sang, and eventually how I saw myself. So what were the essential skills she helped me develop? Yeah, certainly the more technical aspects of singing (releasing tension, posture, tone, etc.) but much more than that, she helped me develop (or reminded me of) the essential skill of finding the fun when making music, connecting deeply to the meaning of the piece (instead of what I sound like), and recognizing always the energetic qualities of making music. She helped me to see myself more clearly as an artist, as I believe she saw me. It is such a gift to have someone who believes in you, and I hope every artist gets at least one person like that in their lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.suzannejamiesonsings.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/suzannejamiesonsings
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/suzannejamiesonmusic
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/suzannejamiesonsings
Image Credits
Photography, Styling, and Makeup by Robert Hayman
(Except jumping shot–that is by Jennica Mae)
Love Is…album art by Paul James
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
