Meet Jenna Nation

We recently connected with Jenna Nation and have shared our conversation below.

Jenna, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I was very fortunate to come from a family of hard working people. All of my life, my parents instilled in me the importance of hard work whether it was getting good grades in school, practicing my music and preparing for competitions, applying to schools or learning a new skill. They helped guide me through the process of working towards something by helping me to organize my thoughts and make a plan and set goals for myself. They also taught me the importance of staying committed to something and not giving up. When I asked my parents to try something new, like piano lessons for example, I knew that I needed to try my best and stay committed to it. There were points when I was taking piano lessons that I really wanted to quit. Sometimes I would sit at the piano crying in frustration because practicing and learning a new skill was hard but I am glad my parents didn’t let me quit because I learned a valuable skill. I am also someone who has been a bit of a perfectionist all of my life, so when I start something it is in my nature to want to finish what I start and to do it well.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am an R&B singer and songwriter based in Toronto, Canada. I have completed and released 4 albums and am in the process of releasing my 5th this year. I have been singing and performing professionally for over 20 years. I have worked with various producers and songwriters from around the world and have performed at various international venues and music festivals. Some of the places I have had the privilege of performing at include Parliament Hill, MIDEM in France, Live Nation HQ in Beverly Hills, New Skool Rules in Amsterdam, the Toronto, Ottawa and Beaches International Jazz Festivals and RBC Bluesfest. I have opened for artists such as Shawn Mendes, Chromeo, Lauv and Snarky Puppy. I have always loved singing and performing ever since I was a little girl and I truly couldn’t see myself doing anything else. I have had the opportunity to study with some incredible teachers and at the Berklee College of Music and have studied various styles of music including Opera/Cassical, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Pop, Soul, Latin etc but R&B music has always felt the most true to who I am as an artist. When I sing it is like this euphoric state where I am so in the moment and nothing else matters. I love to bring people together through my music and connect with others. Some of the best moments have been when people have told me that they were going through a difficult time and that my music has helped them get through that time. It’s the best feeling. My music combines what has inspired me most which includes elements of jazz, soul, 90’s R&B and current R&B. I make music to relate to people and that hopefully reaches a lot of people but I also do what feels best to me. I recently released the first song off of my upcoming EP called “Sign”. The music video is available on YouTube and the song is available on all media and streaming platforms. Stay tuned for new music coming soon!

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?
I think in this industry some of the biggest skills are knowing the music business and how to maneuver it, being able to network and understanding who you are as an artist and what you want. A lot of the time developing these skills requires a lot of trial and error. I would say studying the music business is a big asset. If you can have a mentor or take some music business classes this is super helpful especially when working with others, signing contracts and knowing what a good contract looks like. Being able to network and grow your network is also a great skill to have. The more people you know the more opportunity there is and the more people talk about you. Lastly, knowing who you are as an artist and what you want is so important. This industry can be really tough and confusing. If you know who you are as an artist and what you want – stay true to that.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
I think that while as a musician you want to be great at your craft because let’s be honest, that’s the most fun part, but sometimes as musicians we forget about some of the other necessary skills to be successful in this business. I’ve learned over the course of my career that the more well rounded you can be the more likely you are to succeed. This industry can be super expensive as well so the more that you can do yourself in the beginning (especially) the more money you can save to go toward other things. For example, if as an artist you can do some or all of these things like write your own music, record yourself, book your own shows, hire and organize your band, do your own social media, make your own website, be able to look over agreements and contracts, do your own graphic art, make your own music/lyric videos, promote your shows etc. it can really go a long way.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Sean Caesar

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Leadership Development
Empathy Unlocked: Understanding how to Develop Emotional Intelligence

“Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It’s the impetus

Productivity
Where do you get your work ethic from?

We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic

Productivity
Boosting Productivity Through Self-Care

When you have a never-ending to-do list it can feel irresponsible to engage in self-care,