The Tiniest of Sneak Peeks

Hello my friends!

Before "Wander With Me" comes out (release date coming soon!), I'd like to introduce the songs to you... Because I'm excited and it's really hard to wait.
So without further ado, here are a couple of songs that will be on the album...

"If you think I'll run
Think I'm out the door
If you think I'm gone
Thinkin' I want more than you can give..."

 
POSTED--Then You Don't Know Me.jpg
 


"From the day he was born his soul was made untamed
A lionheart was given him and a ticket for the train..."

 
Wilderness For Heart.jpg
 

More song titles to come!

Album Update

So what is going on right now?
I'm currently working on putting the songs in order--fitting the pieces together and puzzling out what goes where... The song order determines quite a few of the next steps, so this is my current focus.

I may or may not feel a little bit like the Grinch in the post office when he's sorting the letters in all the wrong boxes... Except I'm trying to avoid that. Which takes time.

But we gotta get it right, so the time is well worth it.

More soon...
Hope you are having a good day.

-Brittany

Looking Back...

Well, the past couple of weeks have been quite the adventure, and now that I'm home again, I've been enjoying looking back on it all. Here are some of the highlights. :)

First stop: Oriental, North Carolina

Oriental is one of the sweetest towns I've ever seen. It's beautiful. The people though... they were far more beautiful. On the first day of the festival, my parents and I stopped by an information booth. My dad mentioned liking the programs, and one of the ladies we were talking to seemed very pleased by that--come to find out she was the one who put them together. My dad smiled as he opened up a program and said something like, "Well, the main reason I like this program is because you put my daughter right here on the third page." The eyes of both ladies went wide, and they both exclaimed, "Brittany Jean--! Brittany Jean is your daughter?? Oh! Is she here??" Mind you... I was standing... right there. As soon as they realized I was the person they were asking about, I got pulled into about six different conversations. 

 
Oriental, NC
 

Why do I share this? Not because I felt like a celebrity, but because every single person I met was absolutely wonderful. I felt adopted into an entire town, and... it was lovely. They were lovely. I hope to have many excuses to return there. And the festival itself? Oh... it was so much fun. The Ol' Front Porch Music Festival takes place on beautiful front porches throughout town, and I loved every single second of it.

 
Ol' Front Porch Festival
 


Next stop: Nashville, Tennessee

Two weeks ago, I had the final recording sessions for Wander With Me, and recording days are still my favorite days...

 
In Studio
 

These guys pictured below (John Nicholson, David Smith, and Joel Key) helped me put the finishing touches on the album, and I can't wait for you to hear... all of it. I tried some new things for this project, and I'm excited to know what you think...
I hope you love it as much as I do.

 
In Studio 2
 


Next stop: Franklin, Tennessee

I'm so used to playing at county fairs, wineries, farmers markets, and festivals, that whenever I get a chance to play in a venue where everyone is sitting down, listening, and not milling about... it's almost kind of strange. In the very best possible way. I've only done a couple in-home shows at this point, but I love them. I'm thankful Terry and Wanda were open to this different kind of show. 

If you're ever in Franklin, check out their schedule--they have a fantastic, ongoing series of one-of-a-kind, songwriter shows.

 
Franklin, TN
 

One of the very best parts of the trip was that all of my brothers and sisters (and my littlest nephews and niece) came to meet my parents and me in Nashville--we all stayed in a little cabin in the woods. Some of them joined me in the studio and came to cheer me on when I sang downtown, and then the rest were at the concert in Franklin... They all dropped everything to be there, and that was incredible.

And these were just some the highlights.

If you made it this far... Thanks for reading. :)

-Brittany

The name of Album 3 is...


 
Wander With Me.jpg
 

And there we have it.

Album 3 now... officially... has a name.

"Wander With Me" is the name of one of the songs on the album, and it was written for you. Yep! For you! You who are reading this right now!

One of my favorite things in all of my musical travels... is seeing an old friend walk into the farmers market because she could hear me singing as she drove by, being surprised by Michael and Sue when they show up to so many of my gigs, seeing all the kids at the Bakery in Pateros running around and dancing while I sing (or sitting on the edge of the platform much to their parents' chagrin), meeting fellow Gordon Lightfoot and John Denver fans, getting to travel further from home to sing for people who have been supporting me since day one, receiving notes that lift my heart from someone I've never met on the other side of the globe...

I said "one of my favorite things", but then I started listing them and... there are so many more things that I love... I could easily keep going.

You.

You are my favorite thing about what I do.

You make me feel like I have a place.

And I can't thank you enough for that. 

As I wrote this song for you, my fellow wanderers, I felt like this would be the perfect name for the album. For the entire album is for you. 

And I can hardly wait for it to be yours.


-Brittany

In case you need it...

Today in the studio, I’m recording these words…
But I wanted to share them with you in case they're words you need right now too.


Dear heart, I know your soul is weary
Dear heart, I know you feel alone
I know you feel you don’t belong
Like you don’t have a home…

Dear heart, you have a home with me
I love you more than everything you see
I know these shadows drag you down
But I’m with you here and now
So don’t lose heart
You are stronger than you know
Don’t lose heart
You are dearer to me than you’ll ever know


-Brittany

Interview with the 16th Independent Music Awards!

Artist Name: Brittany Jean

Home Base: Brewster, WA, but originally from West Chicago, IL

Genres: Singer/Songwriter, Americana

Category Entered: Folk/Singer-Songwriter Song

Title of Work Submitted: “Like No Tomorrow”

Label: Self-released

Producer: Brittany Jean and Stormcave

Instruments Featured: Voice, guitar, piano, and cello

What’s the story behind your artist name?: Brittany is my first name, and Jean is my middle name

Describe your sound: Hopefully, it’s refreshing and a sweet change of pace…

Who’s sitting in your audience?: Friends I’ve met along the way and friends I’ve yet to meet 

What’s your favorite press quote about your music?: “Brittany Jean’s vocals combined with Nashville’s finest studio musicians makes for an enchanting and delightful listen, and as the song “Turn Right” proclaims, “We should do it all again...” The audience will hit repeat over and over again.” 

Every artist wants to hear that… 

The song or songs that changed your life and why: I would say… The theme song from “Chariots of Fire”. When I was about six, my family watched that movie, and afterwards, I was sitting at the piano playing the theme song by ear. Because of that, my parents found me a (the best) piano teacher, and that was the beginning in many ways. Another would be “I Saw What I Saw” by Sara Groves. I heard it for the first time in high school, and it inspired me to start writing more songs of my own… I wanted to be able to write like her—to be able to say something and move hearts like that…  

Describe the first time you walked onstage: Well, I don’t remember it. I must’ve been pretty little. However, one of my most memorable first times on stage by myself was when I was auditioning for a play when I was 13 (I think). I was auditioning for a children’s theater rendition of Sleeping Beauty, and I’d never been in a play before. I went up to sing my audition piece (“A Whole New World”) in front of all the other kids and all the other kids’ families, and I couldn’t for the life of me remember any of the words (to a song I’ve heard all my life). Being shy and quiet, I was mortified when I ended up needing to sing “Happy Birthday” instead. I have no idea how I got cast…. 

Why did you submit to this year’s Independent Music Awards?: Because it would be a tremendous honor to receive an IMA. Because like every other artist in the world, I’m hopeful that someone will take a listen to my song and like what they hear. Because like everyone else, I hope my work is worth a shot. 

If you win and/or get nominated, how will you use your IMA honor to further your career?: First of all, that would be super exciting. Being nominated or winning would be a great credential. My song “Adventure” was nominated for an IMA in the Bluegrass Category last year, and when people learn that, they seem to listen a little more closely when they hear it for the first time. IMA’s illustrate direction—up. 

Who is your musical hero & what would you like to learn from them?: Alison Krauss. And everything. 

 Where can fans follow you/purchase your music?: 
 My website: bjeanmusic.com
 Facebook: facebook.com/bjeanmusic)
 Twitter: twitter.com/bjeanmusic
 Instagram: instagram.com/bjeanmusic/
 iTunes: Whispered Stories & Leavin’ Home
 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/23Efm6oysk3wpHPNtPqu8A
 Pandora: “Wildfire” by Brittany Jean

 I have a new album coming out this fall, and I can’t wait to share it with you all!

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

"I don't know much about life, boy, but I do know that there are big days and there are small days..." 

Well, today is a big day that starts a couple of big weeks!

Today, we're off to North Carolina! 
I'll be singing at the Ol' Front Porch Music Festival in Oriental, NC, on Saturday!
This festival takes place with artists performing on front porches throughout the town of Oriental--how cool is that? This sounds like my kind of festival.

If you know anyone in the area (it's about 2.5 hours outside of Raleigh), send 'em on over! I'll be at 204 King Street (The McDaniel Home) on Saturday (October 7) from 12:00 - 1:30 PM! And you can check out the rest of the schedule here!

Then...

It's onward to Nashville! 

Next Tuesday and Wednesday, I'll be in the studio! This is the final recording session for Album 3, and eeeeeep! We're so close! I know I say this a lot... but that makes it no less true... I cannot wait to share these songs with you! Soon!

Then next Wednesday night (October 11), I'll be singing downtown Nashville at The Commodore in the songwriter rounds sometime around 9 PM.

And then on Saturday (October 14), I'm greatly looking forward to putting on a house concert in Franklin. I'm excited to hang out with lovely, wonderful people. If you're interested and would like more details about this show, email me at bjeanmusic@gmail.com! I would love to see you there!

Here we go!

 -Brittany