Jessica Lynn — crowned “The New Queen of Country Rock” by Ramblin’ Man Fair — announces the release date for her eagerly awaited 13-track album ‘Lone Rider’ album, which is due out on 9th Sept, 2022 with the single ‘The Morning Always Comes’ out today.
Hailed as a “rocket force” for her spectacular live performances, presence and stagecraft, Jessica has been charting her own course. With a relentless international touring schedule of 14+ countries, a pair of Top 40/Top 50 singles on country radio, not to mention three full-length concert television specials airing nationwide in the USA, and strong fan followings in the UK and Europe, this New York singer-songwriter is quickly becoming a household name.
I sat down with her to discuss new music, her teaching experiences and future plans…
Hi Jess, thanks for hanging out today. How are you?
I am great! Thank you so much for having me, it’s always a pleasure speaking with you.
Thank you.It’s an exciting time for you, you’re heading out on tour across the States again after a tumultuous period with European tour cancellations and pandemic issues still rearing their ugly head. How are you feeling about getting back on the road?
I am extremely excited but also quite nervous to get back on the road. Packing a suitcase and heading out for months at a time used to be second nature but now it seems foreign! We’ve been working very hard on the new show and new music so my excitement to share it with everyone is certainly overshadowing any worry.
To coincide with this, you have a new album coming out. ‘Lone Rider’ is set to be released on the 9th September. What can we expect to hear from you with this release?
‘Lone Rider’ was my pandemic project. What was meant to be a 6 song EP that we brought with us on the world tour in 2020, blossomed into a full-blown record when everything was cancelled. It gave me something really wonderful to focus on and a way to express myself. The record is country mixed heavily with blues, soul, rock, and pop and the songs tell the story of my life. I was very intimately involved and focused on all of the writing, producing, and artwork for this release because it really is my baby. I also partnered with an amazing company called StraxAR that made all of the graphics for the record interactive. If you download the free StraxAR app on your smartphone and scan any of the images of the artwork on your hard copy of the record (which can be purchased at ( www.JessicaLynnMusic.org/store ), the images will come to life and I will tell you exclusive stories and share lots of behind-the-scenes content. It’s extremely cool!
That’s awesome! Your new single from the album is called ‘The Morning Always Comes’. You managed to pen this within half an hour once you’d started. Tell me a little bit about the track and how it came about.
I was sitting in my living room one afternoon and it just came to me, as if I had sung the lyrics and melody a million times before. I ran inside and completed the entire arrangement in under 30 minutes. I remember feeling something very special inside when I had put down my pencil and although my upcoming ‘Lone Rider’ record was already complete, I rushed the band into the studio because I knew this song had to be on it. I have been anxiously waiting to release the track and music video and am so excited it’s finally here. It is a story of waiting for each night’s sleep to come, because it is the only time you get to be with someone you love, but as much as you want the night to last forever, the morning must unfortunately always come and you have to say goodbye.
You’ve classed the new album as ‘country arena rock’. With songs like ‘The Morning Always Comes’, as well as ‘Run To’ and ‘Getaway Car’ I’d agree. What was the difference you found in writing this album compared to previous releases.
With this album, I just made a firm decision to really be myself, even if it didn’t fit within a genre. Growing up as a New Yorker, I was not only living in the melting pot of culture and lifestyle, but also experiencing it within the music I was exposed to and listening to. In an industry that has so valued fitting within a mold, I finally have the confidence as an artist to make the type of music that I want to make and be the type of artist I want to be, even if it is very different. The music on this record really speaks to my heart and is from the heart and I hope that everyone will feel the same way when they hear it as well.
Your live shows are also very memorable too. I presume you haven’t really had a chance to showcase this album too much apart from your online shows. Which songs do you think will be crowd favourites from it from a live perspective?
Thank you so much! We have only really been able to perform the new record in livestreams, yes! I am very excited to finally get out and showcase them for real. If I had to guess, I think the most fun live songs would be ‘Now or Never’, ‘Worth It’ and ‘Getaway Car’, with standout moments coming from the new single ‘The Morning Always Comes’ and ‘Run To’ which was the first single off the record I released in 2020.
If people want a peek at your live shows, you now have two full length shows available on Amazon Prime!
Yes! My two most recent television specials can be viewed on Amazon Prime! They are titled ‘Jessica Lynn – Live at Dramatic Hall’ which is an acoustic storytelling concert, and ‘Jessica Lynn – Takin’ Over’ which is a full-blown concert with cut segments and dancers.
You’ve kept very busy outside of writing and performing too with you being chosen as an educator for the US Embassy’s international music academies/universities. Tell us a little bit about that.
Teaching for the US Government has been such an exciting venture for me. I have a Master’s degree in education and to be able to use it in this way is really fun. I created my own course called ‘Tips and Tricks for the Independent Musician’ where I show students and young inspiring musicians from around the globe how to pave their own way in the music business. To say it has been rewarding would be a severe understatement.
If you could give an aspiring country artist three one sentence pieces of advice, what would they be?
Always stay true to yourself. Always follow your gut. Dream big.
You’re a magazine star now too with front page features on Maverick Magazine, Guitar Girl Magazine & MNPR Magazine. That must be a fun experience for you.
It has been a dream come true to become a cover girl! Some things never cease to spark that butterfly feeling in my stomach and being on the covers of magazines definitely does that. It really does make me think about all my hard work over the years.
What are the plans for 2022 after this run of US dates?
We are heading all the way from New York to South Dakota and back and are also playing some dates with Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and The Wallflowers. I am so excited to just get out there and get rolling again!
Anything else you’d like to add for the readers of Entertainment Focus?
Thank you so much for having me! I would love if you would follow me on my socials!
You can find Jessica’s social media links below:
www.facebook.com/jessicalynnmusicpage
www.instagram.com/jessicalynnmusic
www.youtube.com/jessicalynncountry
www.tiktok.com/officialjessicalynnmusic
www.twitter.com/jessica__lynn_
Jessica Lynn’s new single ‘The Morning Always Comes’ is out now. You can listen to it below:
