Jennifer Hart – 1992

By starrymag | October 4, 2022

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) A little mix of contemporary and 90’s country-pop!

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) I grew up listening to country artists in the 90’s, so Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sara Evans, Shania Twain and Garth Brooks (to name a few) have always been some of my biggest influences.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Hearts Done Breakin’.”

 

A) “Heart’s Done Breakin’” is about the freedom of finally being over someone after a breakup. It’s about finally being able to listen to that song or go to that favorite restaurant again without reminiscing on the relationship.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) I think it’s very relatable because everyone has been through a breakup, and I bet most people can look back and think about all the time and tears they wasted on someone. It’s a feel-good breakup song, so it’s fun to sing along to!

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) My friends are who I would confide in after going through a breakup, so that’s why this video is so significant to me. The same friends that would help me through a breakup are the same friends that will celebrate with me once I’ve finally moved on. It was so much fun to film!

 

Q) What is your songwriting process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) My songwriting process can be different every time! It can depend on the day, moods, ideas (or lack of ideas), co-writers, etc. I don’t need music before lyrics, but sometimes it can be helpful. Most of the time when I walk into a co-writing session, we throw out some ideas to write about. As songwriter our ears are listening for song titles 24/7, whether they come from conversations, watching movies or reading books. Usually, one of the ideas will mutually click with all of us and we start writing. Sometimes we start with lyrics, sometimes melody or sometimes a guitar or piano melody. We don’t always write a song in its correct order; sometimes we even start with verse one, sometimes the chorus and sometimes even verse two. When I write by myself the process is very similar, except it usually happens spontaneously when I am feeling inspired. I may write a few lines of a song or a verse or a chorus and then bring that into a co-writing session for help finishing it.

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) I am newer to the production world, so it’s very important for me to have a producer I trust and work well with. I bring in ideas and opinions to my producer and the band and, if I’m hearing something I don’t like, I will communicate it and we will keep playing around with it until we land on something I like. But I wouldn’t say I’m involved enough to be a co-producer or anything just yet. I do hope to get there though for future projects! My friend and producer, Brandon Hood produced my EP 1992 and I absolutely love working with him. He brought all of my song dreams and visions to life!

 

Q) Your new EP 1992 is out now! What are some themes you explore on it?

 

A) This EP is very me. I incorporate my life experiences, faith, family, relationships, real emotions, nostalgia and personality traits. I think these songs will take the listeners on a journey of emotions down memory lane.

 

Q) What tracks on the EP are your favorites and what makes them so significant for you?

 

A) Oh my goodness this is such a hard question because I love them all for different reasons! That’s like asking a parent who their favorite child is. [laughs] “Half the Man” will always be very special to me and one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. I really like “1992,” as well. It’s the year I was born, and the song is about thinking I’d have everything figured out by now, but still feeling like I have no idea what I’m doing. My favorite line is in the second verse, “Thought that I’d outgrow the monsters hiding underneath my bed, but they moved up to my head, and my dad ain’t here to check.” It’s this really weird reality of knowing we aren’t kids anymore and we are on our own, but we have no idea how to do it and do it well. It’s like we are grownup kids who are still afraid of monsters, but we are mature and old enough to know there aren’t literally monsters under our beds or in our closets. The monsters we now face are fear and anxiety and what ifs in our own minds.

 

Q) What song(s) challenged you the most creatively when sitting down to write this EP?

 

A) Probably “WWJD.” I initially brought in the title thinking it would be a very ballad, emotional and meaningful song. It was hard for us to come up with the best way to write it, so we actually started writing another idea at first. In the process of writing the other song one of my co-writers, Alex Kline, went back to “WWJD” and had the idea to write it as a fun, upbeat, cheating song. I loved the idea since I have been cheated on before, so I wanted to make it relatable to my story and to others.

 

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to 1992 as a whole?

 

A) I hope they love it and it takes them on a ride of a bunch of different emotions and nostalgia. I hope they even dig up some old memorabilia just to remember who they are and where they came from, and I hope it brings back a bunch of great memories! I also hope they can bond in friendships over these songs.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Lewis Capaldi and/or Dierks Bentley!

Lewis Capaldi has one of my favorite voices ever and sings with such passion. I actually wrote a duet with him in mind and it’s probably in my Top 5 favorite songs I’ve written, so it would be a dream to show him and sing on it with him. He’s also a hilarious person, and I recently learned he has Tourette Syndrome, which I was diagnosed with when I was ten years old. So, I’m sure we’d have a lot to talk about!

Dierks Bentley and I are both from Arizona, and we are country music and aviation nuts! I have lots of pilots in my family. I grew up as a pilot’s daughter, and my uncle is a pilot as well and owns his own aircraft finance company (AirFleet Capital). I always thought it would be cool to do a duet with Dierks and some kind of Arizona or aviation themed themed tour together.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

 

A) I recently discovered pop artist Alexa Cappelli and have been listening to her songs on repeat! Love her voice, her vibe, her melodies, lyrics – all of it! Do yourself a favor and go listen!

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) I want people to feel like they know me through my music and my authenticity on social media. I try to be as real as I can and let people in on my life. “Cooking with Jen” is a fun little series I started whenever I’m cooking (or trying to). Something almost always goes wrong when I cook, like spilling things, dropping things, burning things, etc., so I started filming those moments. It has become a fan favorite series. [laughs].

Social media is also a great way to update everyone on what I have going on, new music, upcoming alerts, etc. and it’s a great way to reach and meet new friends and fans! I love connecting and talking with people and learning about their connections to my music.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) I cannot thank you enough. Truly! I appreciate the love and support more than you know. You’re helping my little girl dreams come to life, and I am grateful for every stream, download, purchase, comment, message. One of the coolest feelings in the world is when people are singing the lyrics to my song. I don’t think I will ever get over that!