We recently connected with Jenny Tolman and have shared our conversation below.

Jenny, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I remember hearing “We Danced” by Brad Paisley come on the radio, when I was 5 or so, on the way home from dance class. I said to my mom, “I love country music because it tells stories”. And ever since then, I knew I wanted to be creative and tell stories. There was never any thought about doing anything else.

Jenny, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was born and raised in Nashville, TN, as my dad moved to Nashville in the 80’s as a singer in a group called The Indian River Boys. They sang on Garth Brooks’ “No Fences” album on the track “Wolves”. So, I was very lucky to grow up around the music business. I’ve sang since before I can remember, started playing piano by ear when I was three, and enjoyed writing short stories when I was in elementary/middle school. It all kind of came together when I turned 16 and got a guitar for my birthday. I realized that I could combine everything I loved about music and writing and call myself a singer/songwriter- a Country Music artist. Ever since that light bulb turned on, it hasn’t flickered once, haha. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, and all I ever will do.

I really started digging into songwriting as a way to heal from an abusive relationship that I was in, in high school. A lot of it started out as wallowing in self pity, but evolved, as I realized that I couldn’t be miserable forever. I realized that I felt a lot better when I could make people laugh with my songs. So, I really started falling in love with tongue in cheek humor, in my writing, and you can hear a lot of that, today, in my music.

The one song that I’m probably most proud of, is “Lonely in The Lone Star”. I wrote this with my husband, Dave Brainard and Bill Whyte, about losing your love in Afghanistan, before anything with the Afghanistan withdrawal had even started happening. Something told me a couple weeks after we wrote it, that I needed to post it online. So I did. About 2 weeks after that, the bombing in Kabul happened, and we lost 13 of our great US Soldiers. Long story short, one of the widows of one of the Marines who was killed, Lance Corporal Rylee McCollum, ended up hearing that song. She was two weeks away from giving birth to their first child, and said that it described exactly how she felt, and asked if I would come sing it at Rylee’s memorial service. That’s the biggest honor I have ever, and will ever have, as a songwriter, to connect that deeply.

I’ve release two albums, so far, and I’m very grateful that I get to do what I love, and also help people along the way, whether that’s crying with them, making them laugh, or getting them on their feet to dance across the room.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist, to me, is connecting with people on a level that nothing else could reach, beyond music. They say music is the universal language, and it becomes very apparent when you attend a concert, or experience live music, in any way. It’s a privilege to get to be the guide, as you walk an audience through an emotional experience and let them process whatever they need to, together.

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 grew up always feeling like I was in a competition. I think I missed out on a lot of friendships, because I was so worried about doing better than the next person, and constantly comparing. As I’ve grown up, and gained more wisdom on how life actually works, I realized that you need other people, and you aren’t in competition with everyone. In fact, the more friends that you cheer on, the more they’ll cheer you on too. I definitely tell that to all young artists coming up- don’t let comparison keep you isolated from creating a village. Plus, it truly does just feel good to see people do well, and find success for themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jennytolman.com
• Instagram: @jennytolman
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennytolmanmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jennytolmanmusic
• Other: TikTok: @jennytolmanmusic

Image Credits

Hunter Berry, Marissa Taylor