We were lucky to catch up with Jayna Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jayna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
I have been writing songs since I was about ten. Lyrics were my favorite form of therapy. When I was bored in school, or having a bad day, I would write down all the lyrics to my favorite songs from memory, study them, and daydream about someday recording my own songs and sharing them with the world. Throughout my teenage and college years, I sang at talent shows, competitions, and school events. I posted singing videos on YouTube and social media. Finally, I started booking my own gigs at coffee shops, breweries, and weddings. It was invigorating to share my lyrics in front of a crowd and see listeners react in real-time. I knew I was on the right track when people started asking me after shows where they could find my music. I began imagining what my own Spotify and Apple Music pages would look like. At the beginning of 2020, I had several gigs lined up. I felt like I was hitting my stride. When the pandemic hit, they all got cancelled and suddenly, I had no idea how to pursue music anymore. I was fresh out of college, working a part-time, minimum-wage job, and barely paying my rent. Like many other people, I felt like I was forced to finally confront my mental health. That’s where songwriting came in. On my worst days, when I was feeling depressed or fixated on losses and unknowns, I wrote lyrics. It felt like the only way I could express how I really felt. Slowly, I started envisioning my most meaningful project yet: my first EP. Yellow Houses is a 4-track EP that took almost a year to record. I hired my friends to compose and play piano, fiddle, and mandolin tracks. Many, many recording sessions got cancelled due to COVID exposures or symptoms. I was spending every extra penny I had on studio time. But finally, in August 2021, I released an album that exposed my most vulnerable thoughts and feelings. It wasn’t easy, but seeing my songs on strangers’ playlists and receiving messages about what my lyrics mean to them makes every step of the way worth it.
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?
My name is Jayna Davis (she/her) and I am a folk-pop singer/songwriter. I am originally from Minnesota and recently moved to California to be near the ocean and enjoy endless hiking adventures with my partner and our giant dog, Blue. In addition to being a singer, I am also a social worker. Currently, I work as a mental health clinician for elementary-age kids.
Music has always been an integral part of my life. I believe lyrics help people open up and connect in beautiful ways. They bring us together during celebrations, tragedies, and every ritual in between. We may not remember many things from childhood, or facts we were tested on in school, but we remember every word to our favorite songs. My goal is to make a difference in the world by sharing lyrics that resonate with people— their fears, their love stories, and their heartbreak. I believe music has the power to heal us. In addition to sharing my own music, I write songs for other people to give loved ones or use at their event, for birthday parties, anniversaries, etc.
My music is accessible on Spotify, Apple Music, and anywhere else you stream. I also post covers and original songs on Tik Tok and Instagram @jaynadavismusic. You can commission an original song for a loved one by dm-ing me on Instagram o emailing me at [email protected].
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I identify as a recovering perfectionist. I used to think my music had to be 100% perfect and polished for it to be worth sharing. I would spend hours and days attempting to record the perfect 30-second cover of a pop song for social media and then get really down on myself when it didn’t get as many “likes” as I wanted. I didn’t audition for shows unless I had weeks to prepare, and I threw away lyrics if they were incomplete. It took me a long time to learn that I was actually holding myself back by maintaining such shiny expectations. Sometimes, the best art is messy, incomplete, or scary to share. I am still figuring out how to unlearn perfectionism so I can enjoy sharing a more honest, real version of myself in my music.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
The best thing society can do to best support artists and creatives is to give people a chance to share their art publicly, even if they are just getting started or they don’t have a huge online following yet. We now live in a society where likes and followers are a form of currency, and artists often get overlooked if they aren’t trending online. Every artist needs an opportunity to get their start and connect with other creatives. We especially need to be uplifting artists from communities that are marginalized and silenced. BIPOC, LGBTQA2S+ Folks, people living with disabilities, people who are undocumented, and people living in poverty face far more stigma and discrimination than the general population when attempting to access resources and opportunities. If you see a creative with the potential to thrive, give them a chance to show you what they can do.
Contact Info:
- Website: Jaynadavismusic.com
- Instagram: @jaynadavismusic
- Facebook: @Jaynadavismusic
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0SfyWTgifYJhOjIUCvmbvy?si=UFYydmm6RsmhiE1ScdnKHA TikTok: @jaynadavismusic Music also available on Apple Music, Pandora, and any other streaming service.
Image Credits
Photos where I am wearing a gold dress were taken by: Jess Meichsner