Jenny Plant
The first time I interviewed Jenny was for her song “Sideline” - which has become one of my favorite songs. Today she has a new song out called “Unknown” and I think it’s one of Jenny Plant’s best songs. If you know me then you know I love songs that share a deep honesty and vulnerability. “Unknown” is one of these songs. I love the message behind it, and I love the emotion and the comfort this song brings. We need this now more than ever.
Thank you Jenny for this beautiful song and thank you for chatting with me.
“Unknown” is now available worldwide :)
Photo credit: Nat Michelle
Hi Jenny, how are you? What have you been up to since our last conversation?
Hi! I am good thank you. It’s great to be chatting to you again. Since we last spoke I have been doing lots of writing and collaborating with some awesome songwriters and producers. I have lots of new music coming out over the next few months. I have also been working quite a bit in the media world composing and singing which has been fun. I love the variety, one day I will be working on a pop song and the next writing dark and moody TV drama soundscapes. Oh…and growing a baby!
You're getting ready to release your new single "Unknown" - what's the inspiration/story behind this song?
‘Unknown’ is a really personal song to me, it was written for my friend who was going through a life changing cancer diagnosis. It was a message to her that even though life is really tough right now, you will never be alone. The message can apply to any situation though in life where someone needs to know that they are being supported.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this song? Who helped you create it?
I wrote this song with an all girl dream team consisting of Jess Sharman and Kaity Rae, who also produced the track. I will always remember the session as I had just found out the news and was feeling really down. We sat down, had cups of tea and talked it through and the song was born quite quickly. It was a really special moment when the ‘In the Unknown’ lyric was born, it just felt so right as it sums up that feeling when things are upside down in life.
What did you feel when writing this song?
It was very emotional. I remember Kaity playing it stripped back on the piano at one point and the tears came rolling in.
What's your favourite thing about this song?
I love the epicness that it achieves, it strongly supports the message behind it, ‘you will never be alone’ but equally, it has a vulnerability about it which is just as powerful.
What made you want to release "Unknown" as a single?
I have written a few songs recently that I am really excited about and they all felt like singles rather than a collection so I thought I would take this approach rather than an EP. My next plan is to release my debut album, next year I hope!
What can you tell us about the artwork?
I had a photoshoot with the very talented Nat Michelle back in November on a beach in Cornwall and when looking through the photos this just popped out as capturing the right feeling and emotion for the song. Looking out into the ‘Unknown’ but the soft light makes it feel reassuring.
What message do you want to deliver through this song?
I want people to take away a feeling of comfort from the song. Even though I wrote this for my friend originally, the message can apply to anyone in a tough situation who seeks the comfort and stability of someone close. The song is a reminder that you never need to feel alone. I feel this message is especially poignant right now with everything going on in the world.
What biggest lessons have you learnt since the beginning of your career?
So many. I think the main one is that things change so quickly and so in those down days (that we all have!) you have to remember things will get better. Being in this industry is very up and down and expectations change as you progress, I know that Paul McCartney has been said to wonder if he has achieved enough (!). Remember to stop, look back and actually see/write down what you have achieved, it will be a lot more than you think.
Don’t scroll on social media and compare yourself to others because everyone has a completely different journey. There is only one of you and you have to be true to yourself.
I would also say that I have learnt (the hard way sometimes) you can’t rely on other people. It has to come from you as it’s your art and you are the driver. Of course it’s nice to have a team around to help things along but if you feel you are not getting traction, perhaps ask the question are you doing enough yourself to steer that ship.
If you could change one thing in this world, what would you change?
I think right now, let’s start with Putin.
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