For Baltimore Singer Songwriter Jenn Minor, a love for music goes far deeper than going to shows frequently. For Jenn, not only is art creating music that people can dance to, it’s about creating a feeling. “My goal with music is to create feeling, to make you feel more deeply about something. Life has so many ups and downs so I just try to create music that people can connect with”. Jenn remembers when she was 11 years old and being drawn to the power and emotion in Mariah Carey’s voice, so she started to nurture this talent. She joined the chorus at her school and even began taking vocal lessons. “Artists like Michelle Branch, Janis Joplin & Meredith Brooks, all women who really kicked ass. There were so many who played the guitar, wrote songs and sang… and I just connected with them”. So naturally, Jenn asked for a guitar and soon got a little blue Jay Junior ( and now plays a Martin, which she loves). She took a few guitar lessons at a local music shop but really honed her skills through self-teaching. She watched videos, did a lot of reading, picked up things from other musically talented people, and even today continues to pursue all of these methods.
Jenn continuously grew her talent, always playing, always writing songs and learning other instruments; ukulele, banjo and the mandolin. Her first gig was at an Italian restaurant in Newark DE when she was only 13 years old. She remembers being nervous but also remembers feeling that everyone really enjoyed hearing her. Jenn’s friends and family have always been incredibly supportive, and she likes to think of her dad as her number one fan. “He pretty much comes to all my shows, even helped organize the recording of my first song”. Soon she was skilled enough and of age to play in bars and started getting more gigs, that’s when her music really took off. She’s played at dozens of open mic nights, at the Clam Jam right here in Baltimore, the now-closed Leadbetters in Fells Point and one of her biggest venues was playing at the World Cafe Live at The Queen, in Wilmington DE. She’s even been featured on 93.7 WSTW’s Hometown Heroes a radio station in Delaware.
Jenn took somewhat of a hiatus 4 years ago but still wanted to share her love for music and that is exactly what she did. She joined Americore, moved to Boulder CO and made her legacy project to pass on the love of music, to fifteen third graders. She got different organizations to donate ukuleles, and with them taught the kids how to play the ukulele, and eventually play “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” She remembers teaching them and feels they enjoyed learning, but it came full circle when they performed perfectly at the Boulder Symphony. Jenn later moved to Portland Oregon and continued to write music, but also connected to nature and specifically to the Pacific Ocean, and as such Jenn Minor’s next album is entitled We Are The Sea.
Jenn’s genre would best be described as Folk Americana with bluegrass vibes at times, a nod to her early days admiring those powerful voices that she looked up to. Today Jenn continues to draw a lot of inspiration, from feeling. “I feel so much and I’m a thinker, and music is such a great outlet for me. It makes me feel so alive!” Jenn admits that at times pursuing your art can be difficult, especially when you want your art to be your main source of income. She explained to me that she doesn’t exactly know what music being her sole income looks like, but the decision has been made to always try and always follow it, and she’s motivated to make it happen. “You have this world where it’s so easy to get discouraged, Am I pretty enough? Are my guitar skills good enough? Do I really have a good voice? It’s been a lot of fucking work to even get this far… so many things to think about and get discouraged about, but I just keep moving forward because it’s what really brings me happiness.”
Like many other artists, the reality of financial gain from art can be tough. Jenn has tried tackling this with a more “open mind” in terms of selling her music. So in addition to performing at open mic nights and other gigs, she has begun looking into licensing her music to TV shows, commercials, and even movies. Regardless of financial gain, it’s abundantly clear the minute you listen to Jenn’s music, like the songs “Endless Journeys” or “It’s Not Over,” that her heart and soul is put into every word sung and every note strung. Not only does Jenn write, sing and perform all music, she’s even taught herself how to produce and has begun doing that as well! Another huge motivation to keep Jenn going is her fans. “When someone tells me I’m a good singer or ‘don’t ever lose your music’, it’s so motivating and makes me feel so good. Like the universe is telling me to keep going” and that’s exactly what Jenn Minor does, she keeps signing and keeps playing!
Jenn Minor’s advice for other musicians or any artist in general:
“Realize failures are going to happen and its a wall you have to figure out how to get around. There is a lot to be learned when things don’t work out sometimes.”
“Perseverance – get focused and try to get a plan together for what you want and know that life will get in the way, but flow with it!”
“Believe in yourself! Do the best you can for where you are right now, that will help you grow to where you want to be!”
Follow Jenn Minor on Facebook, Instagram & JennMinorMusic.com for the latest updates, new releases, buying her music, where she’ll be playing next, and to get deeper into the mind of another talented Local Baltimore Artist.
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All images and content created by Nick Hanyok Imaging
