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TORONTO’S POP SONGSTRESS JENNA NATION GAINING MOMENTUM ON THE INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SCENE

JENNA Nation is an R&B Singer/Songwriter from Toronto, Canada. JENNA has been singing ever since she can remember and never waivered from wanting to pursue music as a career. JENNA was lucky that she knew from a young age what she wanted to do. As a child, JENNA spent a lot of time practicing her craft and was fortunate to take piano lessons, saxophone and singing lessons. She started out mostly wanting to sing Disney songs as most young girls do but then moved into singing what her parents listened to like Stevie Wonder as well as what her grandparents enjoyed which included some of the jazz greats and classics like Judy Garland, Ella, Sarah and the list goes on. 

When JENNA started singing lessons she was classically trained. From there, she also began to explore other genres such as musical theater and pop and entered competitions starting at eight years old. JENNA started to lean more toward jazz music and completed two jazz albums as a teenager. She knew music was what she wanted to continue pursuing and studying after high school so she applied to different music schools and was accepted to her dream school, the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Since Berklee, JENNA has been focusing on writing her own music and performing. She has completed two original R&B/Pop albums and is continuing to pursue her dream. JENNA also is extremely passionate about fitness and she teaches group classes and is often in the gym in her spare time. JENNA also loves to dance, attend live music shows, and traveling. 
What are some of her biggest accomplishments thus far? 
JENNA’s first big accomplishment was winning a Kiwanis Music Festival competition in Ottawa (where she grew up) at the age of 8, which was her very first competition. From there many other opportunities began to arise. JENNA was asked to sing on Parliament Hill at age 9 for the Canada Day celebrations in front of a crowd of 10,000 people. She has also performed for the Prime Minister of Canada. JENNA performed at some very well known international music festivals and prestigious venues such as the Ottawa, Beaches and Toronto International Jazz Festivals, The Newport Folk Festival, RBC BluesFest in Ottawa where she performed on the main stage and opened for Shawn Mendes. JENNA has performed at Live Nation HQ (Beverly Hills) and in the US and Europe at some well known music conferences such as MIDEM and New Skool Rules where she was a featured artist at several showcases. JENNA is proud of the fact that she has completed four albums in the past 10 years and is working on her fifth. She have been fortunate to work with some very talented musicians and producers throughout her career that have also been JUNO and Grammy winning and nominated. JENNA’s last album, “You Don’t Know” was named #1 R&B album in Canada and Top 10 overall in 2017 which was a big accomplishment for her. She has also been a finalist and semi- finalist in some international songwriting competitions and her music is currently playing on 600+ stations worldwide. Attending Berklee College of Music was a big dream of JENNA’s and she was able to not only get her Bachelor’s Degree but also to become an Ambassador for the school.

Current projects? 
The grind never stops! JENNA is always performing and looking for opportunities to perform not only in her city but outside of the country as well so she am currently talking about potential touring opportunities and music festival appearances for the coming summer. JENNA is always writing and working on new material. She is currently working on her fifth project which will be an EP moving more in the straight R&B direction and is just working with people that she really loves to work with while making music that she feels good about and that she thinks other people would want to listen to as well. JENNA is just doing everything she can to keep pursuing her dream.

Where did the name JENNA Nation come from? 
Her real name is Jenna. She had a couple of different artist names that she went by over the years but nothing really stuck until JENNA Nation. As a jazz artist, JENNA used her full given name. Because she changed her style from jazz to R&B/Pop she didn’t want to confuse her listeners so she started going by just “JENNA”. Obviously, there are a lot of Jenna’s out in the world so it was sometimes difficult for people to find her. JENNA started using the hashtag #JENNAnation which she initially intended as name for her fans. People online who had never met JENNA assumed that was her actual name and started addressing her as “Ms. Nation”. She liked it, so JENNA adopted the name and hence JENNA Nation was born!

Why music? 
JENNA has always had music as a part of her life. She couldn’t see herself not singing or having music in her life. It is a huge part of who she is. JENNA just loves the fact that music brings people together and has the ability to impact people so deeply no matter where they come from or what language they speak. She loves being able to connect with people through music and having the ability to change someone’s mood by way of a song.

JENNA’s experience at Berklee? 
Berklee College of Music was such an incredible experience. JENNA spent four years getting her degree in Music. She feels very fortunate to have been able to attend and complete her degree there. It’s the best contemporary music school in the world. JENNA learned a lot in the classroom and from her professors but she also learned a lot outside of the classrooms from her peers as well. JENNA loved jam sessions, working on projects with her classmates and experiencing and exploring so many different kinds of music. It has also proven to be very beneficial in networking because now she has friends in all different parts of the industry from all over the world. JENNA was really able to develop her craft further as well as experiment and explore various genres. She learned a lot about herself not only as an artist but also as an individual. JENNA had classes in Jazz and Classical Harmony, Ear Training, Composition, Conducting, Music History, Music Production, Music Business, Counterpoint, various ensembles among many others… The classes were small so she really got to know her peers as well as her professors. They were all extremely talented and passionate about music so that was incredible to be constantly surrounded by like-minded people. JENNA had the chance to collaborate, and be in bands with people from all over the world and with different musical backgrounds, which was quite the education in itself. She still keeps in touch with many of her classmates and says that it is so great to see many of them going on to pursue music in various ways successfully.
Where does JENNA Nation’s inspiration come from? 
Inspiration can hit JENNA at any time. She could be walking down the street, or in the shower and JENNA will hear a melody in her head or have an idea for a concept for a song or even some lyric ideas. JENNA is constantly paying attention to conversations and the world around her for inspiration. Sometimes concepts for songs come from movies or TV shows or even phrases that she sees or hears. JENNA does her best to tell her own truth and to share who she is with the world through her music. HER phone is full of voice notes and little ideas in her notebook on her phone.

What is the biggest challenge JENNA has encountered during her career? 
JENNA shared: There are a couple of things. To be an artist and musician can be very expensive. Musicians and artists don't make a lot of money, especially in the beginning. That can be really tough when trying to do music full time. They do not get in return what they are putting in initially. There are so many expenses involved such as studio time, hiring musicians, rehearsal space, travel, hiring a team and the list goes on. Another challenge is that it can be difficult to find people who truly believe in you and your vision. There are people who did believe in JENNA, but wanted to take her in a different direction from what she wanted. Definitely finding a solid team who believes in you as an artist and has the same vision is tough to find and who can take you to that next level at the same time. It’s a journey and a learning process for sure.

JENNA shares her advice for other aspiring artists: 
“Speak your truth!!! People can tell when someone is honest and genuine and when someone is playing a part. Be yourself and don’t rush to try and figure out who you are as an artist. Take time to develop your craft and figure out who you are and what you want to say. The best you can be is yourself. This is a tough industry but it can be extremely rewarding. Be prepared to hear ‘no’ a lot and that not everyone is going to like you. That’s ok! Focus on what you do best and don’t let anyone stop you or discourage you.”
Though she was featured in recently released Lifoti's October/November 2019 issue 10, you can check it from below link's for your country:

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