We recently connected with Jeska Forsyth and have shared our conversation below.

Jeska, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

I often feel as if my work is misunderstood or mischaracterized FOR SURE!

Just to start with I am a female multifaceted artist that happens to have self confidence and determination and that isn’t a combo most woman like. I once made a post on a social media platform saying that “I am beautiful, I am talented, I am smart” and it was as if I wrote that everyone else in the world was terrible. As a child growing up I think most parents tell their children, especially their little girls these things but it became quickly apparent that people don’t want you to actually believe it enough to say it.

Woman are taught from birth to fell competitive with other females. It’s something that society has done for years & years & I believe it’s time to break the cycle of female rivalry. I hope to create music that brings all female identifying humans together & helps be a catalyst for positive change in the music industry & everywhere.

Now that we’re past the first obstacle of being female I do find that I am often being steered in directions that I wouldn’t have chosen for myself. Men telling me that they don’t understand my true crime angle & think that I am really digging myself a hole that I will never be able to escape. I have been advised to keep my band all male except for myself because it makes me stand out more, even though I am writing a female forward album. But the thing is….. what if I am right? There are a million chances that I fail but what if I stumble across something that woman all over the world are hungry for?

Had the Beatles taken the advice of their parents they’d never have become the band they are today. Same for Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley and an endless list of others.

My advise is to let people try their crazy ideas and support them even if you’re not positive it’s a slam dunk. There are also far more female musicians than male musicians and I would advise everyone to hire as many female musicians as you can, I plan to.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a Texas native, born in Fredericksburg TX) and people have described me as a powerhouse musician with “honeyed, soulful vocals” (Glide Magazine) who is making a splash in the Austin music scene. I am a “gifted vocalist” (Austin Monthly) known for my performances with the Guy Forsyth Band, the Hot Nut Riveters, the Honeysuckle Sage Riders and her own project Jeska and the vanity project. My highly-anticipated first solo release, Murderino, coming in 2023, is a riveting look into true crime, feminism, and power struggles, packaged in a compelling genre I like to call disco rock gospel.

I am no stranger to the stage, multi-instrumentalist, trained classical voice, blues singer, actress, model, professional photographer, children’s theatre director, designer and painter. I appeared at Austin’s “50th Anniversary of Woodstock” radio program, and performed the national anthem on ESPN at the Texas Motor Speedway.
Conspirators, my 2019 album was heralded for its “beautiful vocals” and “shining harmonies.” I toured that album all over the world, to great reception, and is ready to hit the stage in support of her new music.

My newest accolade is winning “Austin’s Best Female Artist of 2022” by the Austin Business Woman Magazine which is such an incredible honor.

My love of community and modeling/photographer has yielded 50,000+ loyal followers on Instagram, and I’m ready to turn all of those followers into music fans. @jeska_bailey_forsyth

I am a three-time cancer survivor & now use those experiences to work as a cancer advocate.
I spent the pandemic writing, recording, plotting, helping other artists learn how to survive in a virtual world, and generally letting my creativity run wild. She lives with her partner and their blended family in Buda and can’t wait to return to regular music tours around the world.

As far as my current work as a musician “Murderino” will be the world’s FIRST true crime album, shedding light on the crime and victims instead of glorifying the culprits while changing the rhetoric of abuse perpetuated in traditional murder ballads. Through my lyrics (I hope) and music I will explain why women are obsessed with true crime and broach the tougher subjects; stalking, victim blaming, rape, and countless other topics.

With such titles as “The Victory of Mary Vincent,” “Murderino,” and “Night Stalker,” this album will catch the attention of those who have felt that fear or pain. It is for the true crime obsessed, the broken hearted, the deeply wounded, the scared, the angry…. THE WOMEN. I want this album to leave it’s listeners feeling less alone, because you aren’t alone.

I am one of the Austin Texas Musician’s (ATXM) “Sisterhood” division leaders in Austin Texas which works with local government as well as the music commission lobbying for equality & equity for female and female identifying members of the musical community.  Her dream is to introduce music to the true crime world & pave the way for activism & progressive change for woman. I am also in the beginning stages of producing a weekly news show called “Austin Texas Musician News” where I will use the platform to spread the news to musicians as to what is going on in their community.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Artists & creatives need fans & supporters that believe in them & what they’re doing.

Although prices have been inflating like crazy across the board the pay of musicians is the same as it was in the 90’s.

Things you can do to help:

1.) Sign up for their mailing list (www.jeskaATX.com)

2.) Follow them on all social media & click the invite button & send requests to your friends connecting them wit the artist.

3.) Attend shows! Artists put so much work in to preparing a show for an audience that it’s really nice having faces there once the show finally starts. Did you know that you an buy tickets online for any show you know you can’t actually attend just to DIRECTLY support the artist? Because it’s ticket count tally’s that are important to be booked again.

4.) Hire for private events! You could book them for music at your grandmas 90th birthday or christmas party, connect them with a venue you think they’d like to play.

5.) Subscribe to any fan club they may have. Such as Patreon.

6.) Tune in to livestreams & comment & share like your life depends on it. The more comments the artist is getting the more visible the livestream they are creating will become on the platform.

7.) Share their music!

8.) Put money in the tip jar. Yes, even if you paid a cover. Remember that whatever tip you put in there is split equally among the musicians and sound tech. Did you also know that musician’s still have to pay the cost of parking just like you do? And it is common for the venue to take money off the top to pay the door person and sound tech.

9.) PURCHASE MERCH! And wear it so others see

10.) Make a monetary donation towards their current project or just for them to live.

11.) Add their music to playlists

12.) Donate to crowdfunding campaigns

HAAM & SIMS do a wonderful job helping it possible for musicians to have affordable healthcare & Mental wellness. I know it’s a dream but I would love to see the city put money towards the musicians monthly housing payments. The rising cost of living is quickly pushing creatives out of Austin…. how will we be the live music capital of the world if there are no musicians living here? Find a way to help us exist.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have spent my whole life pivoting but it has only made me stronger and more determined. I lived on my own starting at the age of 16 after helping raise my little brothers and sisters after my parents divorced when I was 11. I got and held my first musical residency from the age 11-19 & worked at the mall from ages 9-11 drawing characters in the mall. I have always been a hustler and I am unfortunately pretty accustomed to having to pivot at a moments notice.

Perhaps the first big pivot of my life was Getting pregnant with my daughter Isabella Jane who now goes by Bunnie.
My boyfriend (Jason) and I had separated and during that time I saw an ex-boyfriend who is an african american and unknowingly got pregnant. Not knowing this I got back together with my most recent ex-boyfriend (Jason) and we found out that I was pregnant a few months later where Jason then told me that he had never had any children and he would love to have this baby. I decided I would do that but I was really scared to tell my family and friends that I was not sure if I was having a white baby or a biracial baby. I had been raised in a world where this was going to be an issue. So I kept it a secret except for both possible fathers, my aunt and my brother. When she was born she was biracial and the most beautiful perfect thing I have ever seen in my whole life. Living in West Texas I was definitely the talk of the town for a while as my than Partner and her dad (redheaded Jason signed the birth certificate) had a biracial baby. This was a real big lesson to me in prejudices, racism and standing up for myself ( and my daughter) and being strong. Eventually we moved to Austin where the prejudice is not so thick.

Another hard pivot would be my having had cancer three times. Which is honestly the reason that I’m running at my dream so much right now. I found my first spot at the edge of 25 and then again at 28 and then again at 31. I have had basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and nodular melanomas…. Just yesterday we found a new cancerous spot on my chest but it’s early because I do quartet skin exams. Realizing that my life could be over at any moment gave me the courage and drive to move to Austin with my daughter and start carving out a life here for us. My cancer has a 65% reoccurrence rate so it’s some thing I will be dealing with for the rest of my life but I consider myself incredibly lucky and I use my experiences to help others through cancer advocating so that’s something good can have come from my having cancer.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.jeskaatx.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jeska_bailey_forsyth
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeska.forsyth
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYK2I9LA54w87XfHG6u3VbQ
• Other: https://account.venmo.com/u/Jeska-Forsyth