An In-Depth Interview with Jes Loren, Part One

We would like to introduce you to a rising star, Jes Loren. She has over a million views on YouTube and is a great example of how to use the internet to further your career.

Her premiere CD is due for release in a few weeks and we thought this a good time for you to get to know her. She is a delight and we  have an in-depth interview with her; this is Part One.

Click through for the interview and a video!

Follow up:

We also talked with her Mom who gives us great advice for parents of fledgling rock stars. We have her music for you to listen to and links to find more. When the CD is done and while they are preparing to take the promo road trip, we will talk with her again, along with her collaborator/mentor Dad, who will fill us in on the process and the business of making music with Jes. Without further delay, I give you Jes Loren.

BFMN: Look at you, 16 years old, pretty as a peach, making music, making people smile and reaching for the stars. Where do you get your drive? What makes you work so hard?

Jes: Well thank you for the compliment! My drive comes from everything and everyone, including myself. I have this dream, and I have had it for a long time. Being a musician and sharing my feelings and lyrics through music is my purpose, and I must fulfill it. There is nothing else in the world that I want to do or be. I know that the more I practice and the harder I work, the better I become. When I am on the bus on the way to school and I see all the cars on the highway driving to their morning jobs like everyone else, I think that there is no way I could ever become one of those 9-5 workers in today’s world. Negative things like that push me even more than the positive, because I think of all the places I do not want to end up. Also, in the music industry today, it seems there is so much that is manufactured and over produced to make the song sound “perfect.” I feel that music is about creativity and feeling, and that is also why I want to make my mark. Every note and lyric you hear is written by me, and that is how I feel artists in general should work.

We share a wish. It says on your YouTube channel, surfhouse, “My one and only wish is to share my love of music with all of you.” Other than me, has YouTube been good to you?

YouTube has been wonderful! Everyone seems to enjoy the music so much. It is nice to see my work paying so much on my channel.

We’ve met fascinating people from all over the world through our channels on YouTube, and have great stories and comments. Do you have a favorite?

I definitely have a few, but one of my favorites was about a girl named Ashley who created a video for me. She lip-synced to my song Beauty Queen and danced to it! It was the coolest thing ever! That really meant so much to me. I was smiling so wide throughout the whole video, and called my parents into the room. It was a big event. :)

What was your first guitar like?

I got one of those ‘First Act’ guitars for my birthday when I was around ten. It sat in the attic for a good five years. One time I remember taking it out, and there was a spider on it. Yeah, that went away for a while. The first guitar I actually got into playing was my Dad’s acoustic guitar that he had from his high school years. Apparently it goes way back. I love that thing; it has a real deep tone.

Tell us about starting out, was guitar your first instrument?

Guitar was not my first instrument, actually. My Dad played guitar and I always wanted to, but I actually did not start really getting into it until last summer. I have gotten pretty good at it for the amount of time I have been playing!

My first instrument was piano, which is my main instrument. On my CD that is coming out soon, there are so many songs that are piano-featured. I have been playing piano for four years and have such an amazing teacher, Fabiola Leon. She is a Juilliard graduate who has played in many Broadway shows and teaches me so many things that range from jazz and improv to classical to theory to writing my own music. I also play the flute, which I started playing when I was in the fifth grade band at school. Some of that will also be featured on the CD.

Do you find them to reflect a different voice or perhaps a different attitude?

Actually, yes I do. When go outside during the summer and play guitar, it is a much more laid back, loose feeling, compared to piano. Then again, I know a lot more theory and have many more skills on piano, which really helps in the creative process. I cannot say which instrument I enjoy more!

Who is your hero?

I have so many heroes, it’s ridiculous. :)

First are my parents, who taught me how to rock. They are the coolest parents you will ever meet. This is kind of nerdy, but they are like my best friends. They blast rock music while driving, and all my friends always tell me they wish they had my parents. My Dad and I are so much alike. We love all the same things. We also work together on music and with recording. Being a Father-Daughter act is the greatest.

There are so many musicians/artists that I look up to. A lot of them are from 70s and 80s rock bands, because they were so creative.

Another one of my major heroes is Laird Hamilton. He is the king of surfers. He wrote a book called Force of Nature which I live by. Laird knows how to live life mentally & physically. He lives in Hawaii.

Tell us about your influences, who do you listen to, emulate, wish you played like?

There are so many! I will start out with Sheryl Crow. I love all of her music. Normally after listening to it, I will come up with ideas myself. It is so laid back, yet it rocks. That is the way I would like my very own music to be classified. Some of my favorite bands are The Beatles, The Who, Yes, Tesla, Led Zeppelin, the Killers, and Van Halen. My favorite artists are definitely Jimi Hendrix, Sara Bareilles, Bob Marley, and Jason Mraz.

You got to play to a packed house at some very cool places, Madison Square Garden for instance. Were you nervous? You look so confident in the video. Tell us what that was like.

Man, that was such a cool experience. I was standing right on the basketball in the middle of the court! I have to admit, I was a tad bit nervous before I went on, but normally when that happens I will tell myself to just trust in my work. I had practiced Love Song by Sara Bareilles nonstop since I got the call that I was playing there. It was amazing to look into an audience that large. Even just standing there was mind-blowing. But hearing myself and seeing my face on the screens all over the stadium? Now that is awesome stuff.

I love the comment from your Mom on the video, is your whole family as supportive as she?

My Mom, my Dad, and my brother are all so supportive of me. They believe in me, and that has such a positive impact on me.

1,119,776 views on the video of you singing the national anthem from Sussex Skyhawks Stadium How did that feel, that must have been a great day? Both the day you sang and the day it hit a million. Over a million views! How cool is that?

That was one of my first videos on YouTube, which makes it even better! That day was great. It was beautiful outside. Everybody knew my name after I performed that day. I sang on many occasions at the Sussex Skyhawks Stadium that year. The day that it hit a million views was so exciting! That put a big smile on my face!

They know your name now! Tell us about your latest single and where we can get it.

I have two singles on iTunes right now, called Home in California and Beauty Queen. Home in California was written for a friend of mine who had moved to California. I wrote that over the summer. I wrote Beauty Queen in October of this year. You can find both of these songs by either searching ‘Jes Loren’ on iTunes, or going to this link.

What is life like where you live for a musician; lots of places to play?

Right now I am actually working on recording the CD, so once I have it I will be able to perform everywhere and promote it like crazy. There are many places to play around here, and many opportunities.

How do you balance school, music and all the rest at the same time?

Haha, well, normally I will come home from school and go right to the music room. Unless I am feeling very studious (which happens rarely), that is what my days are like. Right now, it is 10:00 p.m. and I have been rehearsing & recording all day. Spring is practically here, so I have been outside in the sun, too! I have Algebra II homework that is due tomorrow! Great….

I go to a performing arts academy at my school. (Did I mention I am also a dancer and actor?) Tomorrow, we will be shooting part of my music video. Besides the math and science, it is a real good time. I have to admit I am much more focused on my art than my academics, but I am an ‘A’ & ‘B’ student! I just have to do it all.

What do you do to relax?

On a daily basis, I will sit in the sun or go for a bike ride. I love to read. I am constantly listening to music. I recently bought a CD full of Hawaiian music; that sure does help me relax. My time for major relaxation is at the beach. I am such a beach bum; I can spend hours there over the summer. That is why I want to move to Hawaii when I get older.

How important are your friends in this process?

My friends support me so much! I am very lucky to have the friends that I do. My dancer friends will be helping me shoot the music video tomorrow and will be a part of it! Going to a performing arts school is so great because my friends have a lot of the same interests as I do, and we all collaborate. I also have many musician friends who will come over and just jam for a while. That is always fun!

The new CD is almost done now, right?

Yes it is. There are still a few decisions being made, but my Dad and I are constantly recording. We will not put something out that does not sound exactly how we want it to.

How did you like the “studio experience?”

The “studio experience” is in my very own home! I record on a Tascam 8-track, then send the tracks to my producer. I can record whenever I would like to. :)

Tell us a little about the process and all the folks that have helped.

Well, it is really nice being able to record in your own home, because there is no pressure! You are not paying by the hour, and are on your own time. I normally put down a click track, then my piano part, vocal, and guitar. Then my Dad will come in and play his guitar part and the bass part. We send the mix to our drummer, who then records his tracks and sends it to our producer. We have such a great process going. I am so lucky to have each and every one of them.

What’s next for you and will you please keep us up to date in the future?

Well, my CD will be coming out, and I will be playing out everywhere. I never stop writing music, so expect a constant flow of it!

Awesome kiddo, we will check back in with you after the CD comes out, any idea yet how soon that will be?

Great! The CD will be out in about a month! Thank you so much! It has been great!

Thanks Jes, we’ll talk to you then.

You can follow Jes on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, or check out her links on MySpace for merchandise, fan mail, booking information and more. Click on photos of Jes in the BareFoot FotoBlog.

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After getting to know Jes a little, it was clear how much a part of her success is the influence of her parents and best friends. Here’s my chat with her Mom, and after the CD is done we’ll talk with her Dad too. They should be very proud. It aint always easy being the parent of a smart, creative kid; it is a balancing act. Sounds like these folks do just fine.

BFMN: That is quite a kid you have there. Let’s get this out of the way first thing: Tell us, how proud are you? :D

Mom: Words can’t describe the pride I feel for all Jes has done and will do in the future. I could not be more proud as a mother to see her daughter shining on stage.

When did you know there would be no stopping her from chasing her dream?

As a young child, Jes was a very determined girl. She would practice singing for hours a day at 7 years old. There was no stopping her.

Have you been on board from the start?

Yes I have! From Day One. I want her to follow her dreams.

As parents we worry about so many little things. With my rock and roll son, I worry a little about his hearing. They play so loudly in such close quarters. How do you deal with communicating your concerns without losing your mind or becoming a “helicopter parent?”

I don’t have any concerns, except for when I text her to come down from the music room to eat dinner and she doesn’t answer. She’s got to work on that. I think her ears will be just fine.

Celebrity is a two-edged sword, Jes seems really grounded to reality is there something special you guys do to help or is she naturally that way?

I think Jes is naturally that way, but being cool parents always helps. You got to be cool with your kids, and let them go down the path they choose. My husband, John, is a musician who started her in this direction, and now they play together.

I read a quote from you online somewhere after Jes played Madison Square Garden that read something like “This Day was the greatest day a mother could ask for!” Tell us about that day and how you got there.

Jes went through an audition process before she got to sing there. At the audition, she sang and played piano to one of her original songs, and they loved it. Just watching her play in such a giant stadium like that, where many famous people have performed, made me feel very special to be her mother. I had the chills watching her perform in front of such a large crowd. It was surreal.

If you could give one piece of advice to the parent of a rising rock star what would you say?

Just go with the flow, and let your child create and explore their talents. Don’t hold them back; if anything, push them forward even more.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us a little. We hope you let us check in now and then to see how things are going, we expect good things from your little girl. We suspect it may have something to do with her parents.

Thank you so much for the interview, it has been a pleasure!