Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jillian Speer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jillian, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?
I got a call from a movie producer saying we want to use your song “Angel Among Us” in an HBO film and the lead actress in the movie will be lip syncing to it. I was super excited. A few days later I got asked from a music supervisor of the TV show Dawsons Creek and Party of Five if they could also use the song for an episode. So that year I got a few big checks for music licensing from the HBO movie, and then from the TV shows. Publishing checks rule. I was in my early 20’s so I thought I made it hahaaa…..These days, they don’t pay as much for tv or movie song licensing like they used to, so at least I got to feel what’s its like to get a really big check in the mail for a song I wrote straight from my heart.
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 was born and raised just north of Seattle, and music has been at the core of my life for as long as I can remember. I started ballet, tap, and jazz at three years old, began vocal lessons at nine, and classical guitar at ten. My childhood was a whirlwind of dance competitions, musical theater, songwriting, and recitals. At 14, I recorded my first demo of original songs — and that’s when I caught the bug. By 16, I felt like I’d outgrown my small town and applied to be an exchange student. I was one of 24 students chosen and received a scholarship to live in India for a year, which changed my life and has deeply influenced my music ever since.
When I came home, I recorded my first album at 18, Silent Teaching, and it quickly attracted label attention through an entertainment lawyer in L.A. That led me to move to Los Angeles, where I was offered a million-dollar record deal — but I walked away because they wanted my publishing rights. Artistic integrity has always come first for me. I ended up forming The Jillian Speer Band, playing sold-out shows across the city, and turning down or losing four separate million-dollar deals over a few years. I stayed true to my path, opened for artists like Jewel and Michael Franti, and sold thousands of CDs at my shows. Eventually, I moved to Maui to rest, reconnect with nature, and swim with wild dolphins — which was truly a spiritual experience and reset me creatively.
In 2015, I launched my own label, Speerit Records, and released Deeper This Way in 2016 — produced by Grammy-winner Qmillion and featuring the legendary Chris Dave on drums. That album blended Folk, Soul, Rock, and Hip-Hop, and hit the Top 20 iTunes Singer-Songwriter chart. In 2018, I released my next EP, Wet With Fire, which leaned even more alternative and experimental. My newest project, Beautifully Complex, drops March 2024 and is my most vulnerable and stripped-down work yet — raw, acoustic, honest. I pour my soul into every lyric and every melody. My voice and my words are my truth, and I’ve always been committed to making music that actually means something. My influences include Joni Mitchell, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, and even Dave Matthews — but I’ve always aimed to create something uniquely my own.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
In my view, the most powerful thing society can do to support artists and a thriving creative ecosystem is to value the process as much as the product. Creativity isn’t just entertainment — it’s medicine, storytelling, healing, truth-telling.
Artists often give voice to what others are afraid to say, or didn’t even know they felt.
Supporting that means making space for vulnerability, depth, and authenticity — not just what’s trendy or profitable.
Practically, that looks like investing in local arts programs, funding independent projects, and creating platforms where diverse, underrepresented voices can be heard.
But on a deeper level, it also means changing the cultural mindset — recognizing that artists are not just content creators, we’re soul workers. We need emotional support, fair compensation, freedom to experiment, and time to rest.
If we want a thriving creative world, we need to stop asking artists to starve for their art and instead nourish the artists who nourish the world.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Talent doesn’t mean much sometimes, so if they pass on you, its NOT personal.
Success is a combination of having a team, a hustle, Talent, and then LUCK.
If you have a lot of talent and not a team, a strong hustle in you, or Luck…….don’t be heart broken if you keep not reaching your goals. Its not personal.
I wish someone would have told me that. Do it because you love it, and if you don’t do it you feel miserable.
Do it for the passion, not the fame. Do it EVEN IF no one acknowledges you. THAT right there is the definition of a REAL TRUE ARTIST. :-)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jillianspeer.com
- Instagram: @jillianspeer
- Facebook: @jillianspeermusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jillianspeermusic
- Other: http://www.YouTube.com/JillianSpeerVevo
Image Credits
Photos by @Wildcardphoto and @Parsons