Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jenna Irene. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jenna Irene, we are so deeply grateful to you for opening up about your journey with mental health in the hops that it can help someone who might be going through something similar. Can you talk to us about your mental health journey and how you overcame or persisted despite any issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
Bonjour! This is a tough question and would be for any person: artist or not. However, I want to answer this because there’s still SO many people who are struggling with mental health silently and are afraid to reach out. It’s heartbreaking. This is a HUGE reason why I wrote my song “RISE” in the first place, I wrote “RISE” on my porch during the Covid pandemic in 2020. I was feeling sad, scared and lonely like everybody else because I know the pandemic wasn’t just affecting me. Covid was universal and affecting everybody physically and/or mentally. I was feeling sad about everything so this became a therapeutic process for me too. I wanted to give people hope things can get better for them in the darkest of times. I wanted to spread a message letting them know they’re loved. One of my lyrics says, “You’re loved. Hold tight.” I also wrote “RISE” to help myself out when I’m struggling inside. You know, I had a big moment where I realized people aren’t always going to be able to help me out when I’m feeling sad or depressed! It sounds silly, but it’s the truth! I’m guilty for depending on people too much in the past to get me out of my dark spots. Over the years, I’ve learned and grasped that my friends and family will be there for me when they can but they can’t fix me and I can’t depend on them to make me feel better. I have to depend on myself, Yes, this sounds dramatic but I’m the one whose going to be with myself until God takes me away into the sunshine. I have to be kind to myself. I want to be kind to myself. I have to change my own attitude and do the work. I have be my own best friend and care for myself. I want to RISE up and not feel sad all the time. I realized if I wanted to live a happy life and go for my dreams… I needed to take responsibility for the role I play in my own life especially, if I was the one in control of making that change. I can’t control what people think of me, how they act and what they say about me. But, I can control me and what I think of myself. It was hard at first to say, “Hey Jenna, Nobody’s going to change your life for you. You got to do the work for yourself, Songbird.” Songbird is my nickname by the way! I got that nickname in 2019. It was hard for me to admit I needed guidance and extra support but seeking therapy and other resources changed my life for the better. Writing, singing and performing my entire life has been my way of overcoming any challenges related to mental health or not. It’s a healthy outlet and it’s my happy place. I love being able to sing and perform my soul out. People notice the joy singing and performing brings to me. I love when I can spread joy or when people feel they can relate through my music. One of my goals as an artist is to let people know they’re not alone and write stories or share my own personal stories through music that can possibly help somebody else.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My full name is Jenna Irene Gato but my artist name is “Jenna Irene”. I love my middle name so I wanted that to be a part of my music career too! That’s where “Jenna Irene” started. I’m a singer songwriter from South Portland, Maine. My dream is to go worldwide with my music and to help others through my experiences and stories. Being an artist is very special to me because it’s who I am in my soul! I’m not just singing words, everything is coming from my heart and soul. When I did my very first open mic there was one person who shouted the chorus to my song “Kingdom of Lies” and it was an amazing feeling and a wonderful moment. I felt so happy inside. Seeing other people enjoy watching me perform and seeing them have a good time is what I want for them to experience. Again, I’m not just a “Singer” there’s a lot of good to me and from me!
I started singing when I was a little kid and would constantly repeat lines out loud from TV shows or musicals. My mom actually has a picture of me sitting in front of the TV because I was watching and rehearsing a scene from a kid’s show. I was probably 5 or 6. My first Talent Show was when I was in third grade! I sang “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion from the movie Titanic. I wore a poofy purple dress and purple happens to be my favorite color too! I was on stage sitting on a stool. I had one arm folded while the other was holding a microphone. I was feeling super shy and scared. But, that didn’t stop me from deciding this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life! Some of my biggest musical influences or inspirations for me while growing up or even the past 10 years have been Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Olivia Newton-John (R.I.P), Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, Pink, Good Charlotte, Priscilla Block and so many others. As you can tell, I love all kinds of genres and there’s definitely a variety of sounds in my music including Pop, Pop Country and Rock! I’m inspired by a lot of my friends too who are also local artists as well.
If I didn’t make it into every Talent Show, Musical or into the Chamber Singers while growing up…I kept going! Of course, I was sad but I needed more experience and had to move onto the next opportunity. I still work hard on my voice and constantly find ways to educate myself in order to improve and grow as an artist. I took voice lessons, auditioned for American Idol a few times, auditioned for our local “Maine Idol” where I was a finalist and would audition for theater productions. Again, if I don’t make it into a show I just keep moving forward! I have an amazing vocal coach named Claire Hosterman who is a gem and doesn’t just teach you how to sing, she educates you about your voice and sound. Lessons are so much fun with her and I hope to have another lesson soon! This summer I had the amazing and fun opportunity to sing the National Anthem for the Savannah Bananas Baseball team at a game in Portland, ME and got to be on NESN! It was a dream come true. One of the employees from the team found one of my videos of me singing the Anthem at a past Portland Sea Dogs game. She messaged me at the last minute asking if I’d be willing to sing and of course, I said yes! I had a blast at the game singing and watching the players. The atmosphere was so much fun and everybody was so happy. One of my friends this summer told me the reason I got to sing and be on NESN was because I’ve worked hard to get to where I am and earned it which meant a lot to me. I wanted to share this because if I gave up in the past this experience never would’ve happened. I want to inspire others to keep going after their dreams as well and to not give up on themselves. I’m happy my mom told me when I was a kid if I wanted to sing “My Heart Will Go On” or be in other shows I’d have to practice because this stuck with me forever. Taking constructive criticism from teachers or other artists was hard at first but I’m happy I learned this at a younger age because this has made me grow thicker skin.
I’m so excited the past 6 months I’ve released my song and music video for “Kingdom of Lies” which you can find on my Youtube @Jenna Irene and under my Instagram: jennairene_official. I filmed with some of my closest friends at the beach and inside a studio. It was a really fun day. I recorded a song “Ghost Story” which is a song about being ghosted by a friend who was a coward and stopped talking to them without giving any kind of explanation even when they reached out to see if there was something they did wrong. It’s a song about moving forward and reminding people you deserve to be treated way better and to not waste your energy on people who don’t care about you. The saying is true “If people act like they don’t care about you, believe them” and “when people show you who they are, believe them.” I’m hoping to release that song in early 2024 and can’t wait to release/make more music. I’m also very excited to be working with Portland Media Station for their annual New Year’s Eve Live show. This will be my first time participating in this event! I get to sing my song “Kingdom of Lies” live which will be a good time! I’m excited to interact with other local talent and help out. The show will have already aired by the time this article comes out but I’m so excited to ring in the New Year with music! One of my goals in 2024 is to release an EP so I can’t wait to get started.
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?
My goodness, there’s a lot I’ve learned growing up and throughout the years that has been impactful on my musical journey. I hope whatever I share can help someone else especially if they can relate to me.
1. Willingness to learn/improve! This is super important because it’s hard to grow if you’re not willing to improve on areas that need to be worked on. People can be incredibly stubborn and avoid feedback because they think they know everything. There’s a difference if you can tell someone is just trying to use you and change everything about you compared to helping you grow. I went to a Songwriter’s Workshop this Fall and even though it was hard to be critiqued in front of everyone, I threw myself into the water! I was brave and wanted to know what I could do to improve on my songwriting skills. I’d like to thank David Gutter and all the other artists for being honest but not breaking me down because I was scared to open up. David flat out said if I wanted to learn guitar in order to write my own music from an instrument that I needed to set aside some time and START. That hit me in a good way. He was professional and to the point. He was trying to help me out and he did. Overall, I got educational feedback that made an impact on me and I do feel like it was because of my willingness to listen and learn.
Another example, comes from High School. I didn’t know I sang out of tune sometimes! It wasn’t until my Senior Year of High School where I auditioned for our annual musical. I got cast in the Ensemble for the third year in a row. I was so frustrated and didn’t understand why I wasn’t landing leads or getting into Chamber Singers. I felt super confused and didn’t feel good enough for anyone. I felt as if nobody liked me because I wasn’t popular or the best in the music department. It took me a long time to build any self-esteem especially while in school because I was bullied and picked on for being sensitive or for whatever stupid reason. It wasn’t until my High School Music Teacher finally explained to me the reason why I wasn’t chosen for bigger roles or solos was because I’d sing out of tune! I had no idea. I didn’t have a voice coach until my first year of college. Sounds silly, but I didn’t know and I didn’t have any singers in my family who could tell if I was out of tune or not! I’m SO grateful my teacher told me this because after that moment it ignited the fire inside of me. I decided “Ok, I’ll work on this!! What do I have to do in order to improve as a singer?” Instead of leaving the show because I didn’t get a lead, I stayed! Footloose was so much fun to be a part of and later that year we got to perform the opening song in front of George and Barbara Bush in the Best of Broadway at Merrill Auditorium! Instead of dropping out of Chorus because I didn’t make Chamber Singers, I stayed! I listened to my voice to see if I was having a hard time staying on pitch or not. I would start to ask more questions and ask for help. It was a beautiful moment when I was offered the solo song, “Nothing” from A Chorus Line for the Spring Choral Concert. It was because I worked hard and was wiling to improve that I got that solo! It was my time to shine. I was ready to show people what I got! I did cry when this moment happened. So, don’t give up on yourself just because you didn’t land the lead role or solo. It’s not the end for you. Find out what you can do to get better. Keep learning from others. ASK questions. Listen to people who have experience and can tell are helping you for the right reasons. Be open minded and keep that willingness to learn and educate yourself.
2. Practicing/consistency. You can’t get better if you don’t PRACTICE and aren’t consistent. You can’t sit here and expect all the opportunities you want to come to you. You can’t expect to get better if you’re not doing anything. That’s very rare. It takes a lot of time and effort. You don’t have to be perfect while practicing you just have to try. Stay passionate too while rehearsing and remember why you love music in the first place. I’ll feel overwhelmed because I work full-time and when I get home, I’m drained. But, I still want to practice on my voice, guitar or writing skills. Sometimes, I don’t practice for week and I’ll be really upset with myself. But, this is something I’m continuing to work on too aka be kind to myself for not always working on music. This year, I’ve learned even taking 15-30 minutes a day can still make a difference and is still considered practice. You have to try to organize your time ahead of time so you know when and how long you want to spend rehearsing or writing. Make a schedule for yourself. Do vocal warm ups while driving to and from work (obviously pay attention to the road first hehe). Decide you’re going to spend 15 minutes writing whatever is on your mind. Watch videos or tutorials online related to music that are beneficial for you. 10-15 minutes a day starts adding up over time and you’re still showing yourself consistency. Eventually, who knows maybe you’ll spend 30 minutes, etc. Whatever works best for you and doesn’t completely drain you.
3. Believing in yourself and not being so critical on yourself. My friend and music producer DJ Matt Perry told me during one of our studio sessions how I can be really critical on myself. I’m glad he pointed that out to me so I can have that awareness. In general, I can not tell you how much it breaks my heart when I hear people say they have a dream but don’t feel like they’re good enough so they don’t try. We only have one life and I encourage people to try to do what they love whether it’s learning to cook meals or ride a bike. BELIEVE in yourself. BELIEVE you can get better and be brave. Nothing kills a person’s dream more than their own self-doubt or critical mind. It’s not an easy road. I’m still riding the waves and learning. You’ll hear things about your voice and music that’ll upset you. You’ll be turned down, a lot. You’ll have to fight for yourself to get to where you want to be. You’ll feel very lonely and not good enough some days even though you’re not alone. But don’t give up and this is where being so critical on yourself can also stop you from progressing. I’ve learned over the years to give myself some love and be kind to my mind. I had my therapist ask me one time what I’d do if one of my friends was being so hard on themselves to the point they were crying. I told her I’d want them to cut themselves some slack, be nice to themselves and I’d want to hug them. She said “Don’t you think your friends want that for you too? Can you imagine them wanting you to give yourself some kindness when you’re being so hard on yourself” That hit me so hard and over the years I’ve been challenging the moments where I’m mean to myself. There’s a difference with being honest with yourself about something that’ll help you in the long run but there’s a huge difference where you’re being so hard and critical on yourself on every decision you’ve made and regret. It can be good to critical about some stuff but not to the point you’re being unkind to your mind. You’ll know the difference and be able to feel when you’re helping yourself and hurting yourself. I’ve worked on that so it doesn’t stop me from chasing my dreams and growing as a person and artist. There’s no way I’m going to let bad days and bumpy waves stop me.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I’ll make myself take deep breaths and slow down. When you don’t slow down and you’re rushing everything that’s how mistakes happen! I’ll try to pause and look at what’s happening around me to remember to stay present. If I can feel anxiety within my body that’s another sign I’m overwhelmed too. I’ve been learning to listen to my gut a lot more and take care of myself better. I’d say stop giving yourself a hard time if you’re feeling overwhelmed because it happens to everybody. You’re not alone even if you’re feeling lonely and overwhelmed with whatever is going on. I have to remember I’m human and if I’m feeling burnt out that means there’s something I need to take care of in order to get back on track. If you don’t take care of what’s making you overwhelmed it’ll hurt you and your soul in the long run. I’d say if you’re at home or in your car and have to cry to let things go, do it. Get everything out so the stress doesn’t consume you for the entire day or weeks to come. Some things I love to do when I’m feeling overwhelmed are going for a run or walk to blow off steam. Walking and running help me a ton. Singing and writing of course are ways I can escape and get my emotions out. I try to not check social media constantly too if I’m overwhelmed. It’s okay to take breaks from social media for a bit because social media can make things worse. Just don’t avoid the world forever or people who care about you. If you have some things going on let the people you love around you know. Overall, listen to your gut and take care of yourself so you don’t hurt yourself in the long run.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://solo.to/officialjennairene
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennairene_official/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenna.gato
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@JennaIrene
- SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/5Dn15
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0U6atHEBiNE79USP1xzdmu?si=jcN2mMdMS8WCaa9SZUdiUw
Image Credits
Savannah Daras Photography Honeyvision Media
