Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer Marie. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jennifer, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I released my first EP in 2023 and quickly realized the message wasn’t quite what I thought it would be and as so many indie artists know, we try and try and try again until we find our way. My first album didn’t allow me to share the music in the way I wanted and I knew I needed to re-think much of my original branding/genre/writing/venue selections to reach the audience I intended. In writing the 5 songs that made it on the EP for “Do It All Again”, released Jan 10, 2025, I quickly found my deep love of soul-inspired pop music pulling influences from artists that I’ve always loved, like Teddy Swims, Adele, Sara Bareilles, P!nk, and Sam Smith.
Much of my story is a mantra to starting over and encouraging many with the message that you can do incredibly hard things at any age. I’ve been a songwriter since the age of 14, but as so many of us know, there are seasons of life that demand our attention and for me, I had to set my dreams of songwriting aside for 11 years while I was dedicated to raising my two girls with my husband. Family is so important, and our children deserve our full and present selves, but I’m very lucky to now have an opportunity to come back to a love I’ve had my entire life and be an example to my girls that their mom is a fighter and that dreams can still come true!
Aptly named “Do It All Again”, the album that released Jan 10th is so meaningful. As a testament to never giving up, but also as a success in creating music that represents me as an artist – more than ever before.
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.
I’ve always had a song in my heart, a firm commitment to family, and a strong desire to encourage others. With the release of my sophomore EP, “Do It All Again”, I love sharing the hopeful reminder that no matter your story, your dreams can come to life once again. No matter your season of life, believe in yourself and never doubt what you are capable of.
I’ve been writing songs since the age of 14 or 15, but after having my husband and I welcomed our second daughter, I felt the need to put my writing and music on hold to raise my young family. I remember the sadness of laying aside my music endeavors, for many years, as it felt like a flame went out in my heart. But I rekindled that fire during one of our family’s annual vacation in 2020. During the week, sitting alone by the fireplace at a secluded cabin in the Minnesota woods, it was made very clear to me that it was time to begin writing again.
I love so many artists and derive influences from pop stars like Adele, Teddy Swims, P!nk, Sam Smith, Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, and Sara Bareilles, to gospel/CCM greats like CeCe Winans, Naomi Raine, Brandon Lake, Natalie Grant, and Kari Jobe, plus a lifelong love for classic Disney. As an artist who lives in both secural and non-secural music, I love to reach within and beyond the church walls to connect with people. I will always have roots in the church and my faith is foundational in who I am, but I also love soul and pop music and am so fortunate for the ability to explore genre styles with this project.
The EP track listing includes the momentum-building anthem cry, “Take Me Back,” which paves the way for the just-as-pristinely-produced “I’m Releasing.” “I’m Releasing” is a contemporary pop gem with a contemplative tone, and lyrics that focus on the struggling between wanting control over our lives while at the same time being so weary of having the reins that we long to release all the weight we carry.
There’s also the playful rhythms of the unwaveringly optimistic “You Got A Hold On Me,” the soulcentered beauty of the title track “Do It All Again,” alongside the chilling, ethereal closer, “How Do I Get There,” a lament of falling far short of our expectations.
In songs like “How Do I Get There,” I’m not afraid to tackle the toughest topics with honesty and authenticity. This ballad was written directly from my feelings of frustration that I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. I started my music journey in May of 2021 and within 2 years had fallen flat on my face so hard that I questioned whether or not I should keep going. Those are really hard realities to walk through when everything within you wants something different than what you’re experiencing.
“Do It All Again” was written out of my deep love of soul music and the dichotomy of loving someone or something that is bad for you. I think many of us have experienced a love in our life, or a relationship, that we know intellectually is not right for us, but in our hearts we’re drawn so deeply.
The message of this EP is that resilience can take many different shapes. Believe in yourself and never give up. Take care of your heart and your mind and surround yourself with supportive people that will help you along the way. You can do incredibly hard things, my friend.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media is a necessity. I know many get tired of the platforms and their nuances that can drive us crazy sometimes, but in a world where human connection is becoming harder and harder, if you are not using multiple platforms, I don’t know how else you can build your brand. Follower count equates to opportunities and while there is not a proven formula that equates followers to recording contracts, if that is something an indie artist is pursuing, having a presence on FB, IG, TikTok, YouTube will only aid in your conversations as you speak with venues and business executives in the industry.
When I first started my artistry in May 2021, I recall finding a company that I thought could help me reach more followers. I had built my FB music page to 6500+ followers and sadly learned that the company was fraudulent. When I integrated their access into the Meta ads manager system they removed my access and started posting pornographic photos all over my page – for many days. I was helpless to watch as my controls were removed and despite arguing with Meta for 6+ weeks to regain my control, the page was lost in its entirety and I was faced with the harsh reality: there is no “quick fix” in building followers and rebuilding my FB page would take time.
Since that time, I spend so much of my energy on networking. I connect with artists to study their patterns and ask them questions. I post consistently and constantly scrutinize my content quality to find where I can improve my videos. I wish the ads on FB and IG were true about building follower count without “fake bots”, but the truth is, there is no easy fix. I believe in the advice given to me that if an artist “buys” their followers through one of the advertisements and then tries to book a local venue, the artist will have such a difficult time finding real, actual followers that follow them because of their message and music. Artists want people who are willing to buy a ticket and come see them at a show! Online engagement is nice, but having excitement at a local venue is the real win.
My advice? Slow and steady with consistent, quality content. I’ve worked with marketing agencies who claim the answer is posting 3-4 times a day, every single day. I’ve spoken to other large artists who are terrible at social media and post one a week. One of the greatest advice given to me was by a local indie artist in my area. She said to focus on consistency and self care. I couldn’t have said it better myself!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Oh boy – can I just summarize this answer with “all things that relate to being a creative”? Ha! When I think of my resilience I think of:
– The 25 year old mother who laid aside a dream in her heart of songwriting to then later rekindle that fire 11 years later. Knowing that she had no idea what laid ahead of her, but that she knew how much she loved the journey and the music within her.
– The baby indie artist who officially launched her website May 2021 and had no idea what was coming: failed relationships, terrible business advice, fraudulent contracts, and what felt like failure after failure.
– The release of an album May 2023 that was not quite what I thought it would be, but instead of stopping and giving up, I dove head first into re-thinking every step I had taken. How would my message change? How should my branding look? What type of genre am I really creating with my music?
– The many emails that go unanswered from venues and industry executives, coupled with the one’s who do respond that don’t believe you have “what it takes”.
I wish I could tell you that being an indie artist has been the greatest moments of my life. I wish I didn’t have many things to warn a new artist about because I know from experience, there is a lot of hardship. There is, however, unbelievable satisfaction when you know it was your resilience that placed you here. There is something so special about an industry, or a profession, that rewards the ones that never stop trying. I’ve failed countless times and received the many unsolicited opinions of others, but I also know what I am capable of and so much of my message has been to encourage and uplift those around me that they, too, can do incredibly hard things! Believe in yourself, even when you have no idea where step one is, and you’ll do amazing things.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jennifermariemusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifermariemusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferMMusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jennifermariemusic
- Other: TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@jennifer_marie_music
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jennifer-marie/1580177810
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Iq7p1OofHNLGJ0EzqP6Tv?si=JDT7nkPcTKGqCXryt1HxrQ
Image Credits
PHOTO CREDIT: Sara Westcott