We recently connected with Jillian Rae and have shared our conversation below.
Jillian, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I have been head over heels in love with music ever since I can remember. To be honest, I’ve never really thought seriously about doing anything else. Growing up in a small town, singing for anyone who would listen, starting violin lessons at the age of seven & doing my first big performances when I was nine, growing up with a ridiculously supportive & hardworking single mom who did everything possible to help me follow my dreams… it might sound kinda cliché but all of these things kind of created a perfect storm for me to keep my focus and just go for it. And also provided me with a pretty strong work ethic. The whole, “if you want something you have to go for it & do it yourself” ethos runs deep.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
A LITTLE ABOUT MYSELF: Hello there! My name is Jillian Rae and I’m a Taurus, a small town raised / city dwelling musical artist, a lover of dogs & food & wine & all things odd, I enjoy long walks outside… kidding! (Well, not really. Those things are all actually true, but I digress…) In short, I am a musician. (And I suppose a bit of a small biz entrepreneur!) The long form is, I’m one of those musicians who wears a lot of hats. I have a solo career (I think they call us Indie Musical Artists nowadays) where I sing, write and produce the songs, do live stage performances, and play a bunch of instruments including violin, guitar, and piano. Through this, I have released 2 full length albums, 1 ep, 7 singles, and 8 music videos, and have more planned for the future. I also play and perform with a variety other bands and projects— most currently with folk trio Corpse Reviver, and the grammy award winning Okee Dokee Brothers. I also do studio work as a session player, arranger, and producer. And lastly, I am a Music Educator— working with a small studio of private students.
A few notables in this hustled-together-music-career of mine include: opening for acclaimed acts such as Dr. Dog, Shakey Graves, Five for Fighting, Lissie, The Secret Sisters, Tiffany, and Steve Miller Band. Performing at sold out music festivals such as Basilica Block Party, Boats and Bluegrass, and the Austin City Limits Festival. Having a viral hit song in China. Opening a music school (The Music Lab/Minneapolis, Mn). And my latest project, opening a recording studio (Iron Bull Records/St. Paul, Mn/opening in 2024)!
WHAT TYPE OF PRODUCTS/SERVICES/CREATIVE WORKS I PROVIDE:
As an Indie Artist I have released 2 full length albums, 1 ep, 7 singles, 8 music videos, and have more planned for the future. I am currently working on new music that will be set for release in 2024 and 2025. I always have live performances on the books throughout the year— with both my Jillian Rae project as well as with my other bands & projects that pop up along the way.
As a Session Musician I provide string and vocal tracking for folks looking to add fiddle, orchestral arrangements, &/or backing vocals to their music. I also love doing production work with bands and artists. Collaborating is my favorite and I also love being a cheerleader to fellow creators and helping them in any way I can.
As a Music Educator, I maintain a small studio of private music students, both virtually and at my home studio space in Minneapolis. I am currently working with students in the areas of violin, viola, guitar, voice, and songwriting.
WHAT PROBLEMS I SOLVE FOR MY CLIENTS / WHAT SETS ME APART FROM OTHERS:
Hmmmm, what problems do I solve for my clients? My hope is that my music speaks to people in a way that makes them feel seen, validated, not alone, and just plain good. My hope for my recording clients is that my additions to their music add the frosting and sprinkles to the top that they were looking for; to help them push their music over the edge from feeling good to feeling amazing. For my music students, my hope is to basically show them everything I know and help them be the best musicians they can be. Solving the problem of… I guess… the despair of not enjoying music in one’s life? (Lol, why is this question so hard for me?)
Something that sets of apart from others… probably my versatility and adaptability. Playing so many instruments, enjoying so many styles, wearing so many hats… I suppose all these things put together are my superpower. That and my willingness to do whatever it takes to make the music the best it can be and to make the person I’m working with happy. Whether its helping a student figure something out, or helping a client with a part or arrangement, I want us all to feel amazing about what we’re working on.
WHAT AM I MOST PROUD OF:
Other than plain old persevering in this equal parts wonderful / equal parts insane career path, I am pretty proud of my album releases. With no label budgets, bigtime producers, or big time pr firms, the fact that my little team and I have been able to create some good old fashioned high quality music, and somehow get it out to enough people to help us keep the lights on makes me feel pretty darn good.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN THINGS I WANT POTENTIAL CLIENTS/FOLLOWERS/FANS TO KNOW ABOUT ME/MY BRAND/MY WORK:
My ethos is really a combo of, “be good to people,” “embrace your beautiful inner weirdo,” and “do what makes you happy.” I suppose in the grand scheme of my work, I want people to know that they are loved and they deserve to be happy. And if happiness comes in the forms of music listening, music creation, &/or learning how to play music, then I am honored to take part in those things for people in whatever way I can.
As far as the typical, “What things are happening that I want people to know about in the near future?” message, here’s what I’ve got for ya… Keep your eyes peeled for a new single coming out in 2024 and perhaps an album to follow! Come on out and catch me and the band performing live on 1/18 at the Turf Club (St. Paul/Mn), 2/17 at the Big Turn Music Festival (Red Wing/Mn), and 2/29 at the Parkway Theater for the Minnesota Music Coalition’s Farewell Concert. And finally, stay tuned for more announcements on the construction & opening of my brand new recording studio baby Iron Bull Records!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Oooof. So many lessons learned! And I’m still learning! If I have to pick one that still sticks with me today, its that there is no “one right path” in a music career. And there is no “one right way to be” as an artist. Like all art, it’s personal and ever-changing. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and I do believe that when we play into our strengths we end up forging our own unique path. Being told early on that I needed to “pick a path” or “pick a lane” or adhere to some arbitrary trope that someone else was choosing for me was advice that I had to unlearn & deprogram myself from for quite some time. Looking back, this was hammered into me mostly by men in suits who I now realize don’t know much at all about creating music. Or maybe they just didn’t think of music as an art form, and were coming at it from a more commercial / dollar-signs-and-spreadsheets place. Whatever the case, it was a terrible limitation to put on myself as an artist. Especially at a time when I was very new to creating my own music & figuring out who I was as an artist. The one thing I’ve always known about myself is that I am versatile and have a lot of different musical puzzle pieces to bring to the table. I spent way too much time in the beginning trying to fit myself into a box that was just too small for me. Not the right shape. At some point I finally figured out that I’m allowed to just be who I am and do exactly what I want to do. Which has been so incredibly freeing! And in my opinion, has made my music better.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
About seven years after co-founding and opening The Music Lab music school (with my friend and business partner Josie Just) there came a time when I just could not balance the operating of the school with teaching, and session work, and writing and releasing new music, and touring. It was a struggle for me to keep my head above water and I was perpetually burned out. It was also a huge struggle for me to make the move to pivot and step away from the ownership of this thing that my best friend and I built from the ground up together. I had a lot of fear about what would happen to the school, and my friendship, and whether or not this change would feel good or like a huge mistake. Co-founding The Music Lab is still one of my favorite things that I have ever done, and stepping away from my role as co-owner was also one of the hardest yet life changing things I’ve ever done. Thankfully, I was able to sort myself out and put more energy toward the indie artist and studio recording aspects of my career, and Josie was down to give sole-ownership a shot! She has been running The Music Lab beautifully on her own for several years now and our little south Minneapolis music community continues to flourish. It delights me that my Scary Pivot Story has a happy ending!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jillianraemusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jraemusic/
- Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/jraemusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jillianraeviolin
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jraemusic
Image Credits
Emily Isakson Seraj Farabi Iverson Sam Bramble Darin Kamnetz