Jennifer Alvarado
Jennifer Alvarado is a singer/songwriter from Vale, North Carolina.
Her first EP project titled ''Playing with Fire'' was released in April 2021. She is currently working on a country pop album titled “Songbird” that will be released in Summer 2022. “Songbird” is a two part collection of songs that shows Jennifer’s growth as a writer and is sonically much different than her earlier projects. Her second single from the “Songbird” project, titled ‘’Rock This Way," will be released in June 2022. Her music has a country sensibility with a pop current running through it. Her voice is smooth and passionate with a sweetness and power that merge seamlessly into satisfaction for the listener. Her sound is a mixture of country, pop and blues that reflect an eclectic blend of influences.
She has been recognized locally for her songwriting and was named ''One to Watch'' by Nashville Songwriters Association in Spring 2021. Her songs “IDWYB” and “Filthy Water” were Top 10 Finalists for “Best Pop Song” and “Best Modern Country Song” for the Spring and Summer 2021 World Songwriting Awards. She was just recently named the “2021 Country Artist of the Year” by Indie Star Radio. Her song “Curious” was a Finalist for "Best Pop Song" for the Winter 2022 World Songwriting Awards and won "Best Pop Song" for the Indie Songwriting Awards in Winter 2022. She is currently nominated for five International Singer Songwriter Association Awards, including “Female Vocalist of the Year”, and nominated for a Josie Award for Female Music Video of the Year for “Filthy Water."
For fans who have never heard your music, can you pick three words to describe it?! If three words just aren't enough then tell us more!!
The three words I hope to illustrate are honest, raw and encouraging.
What is your favorite part about being an artist? Is it songwriting, performing, recording, something else?) Tell us why.
Songwriting has always been first love of music. I like being able to tell stories. My grandmother and I used to people watch and make up scenarios and stories about people and I still do that even now with my songs. I am naturally very shy and introverted so songwriting (and creative writing) was my way of expressing myself. It is a form of therapy for me.
Can you tell us what being in the recording studio is like for you?
I love the studio. I have been working with my producer Ricky Rodriguez (Bombhouse Studios, Morganton, NC) for seven years. He has taught me so much about production and recording. From the very beginning, I felt like I could explain ideas in my head and he just got them. I had had other studio experiences in the past where I was almost afraid to speak up and I was left with projects that did not correctly reflect me as a musician. The producer/artist relationship is so important and it matters who you choose.
We approached this latest project completely different than we have my previous projects. I sent Ricky rough scratches of songs and together we experimented with different elements and ideas. The whole attitude going into this project was not to try to limit the songs to a certain genre and stylized box.
Okay, this a fun question. When you are not doing music, what else do you enjoy doing?
So my day job is a music minister for a local church. I also lead worship for a recovery ministry. I love recover ministry. So when I am not doing music, I am usually volunteering somewhere or teaching a recovery small group.
Who do you admire most in the music scene today and why?
I really admire Taylor Swift's ability to reinvent herself and try new sounds. I think she is still evolving and her ability to try new things and not settle for one particular sound has made it okay for others to experiment as well. Also, she is a great lyricist.
Can you tell us what song you've written that is the most emotional and describe the meaning behind it?
I tend to write emotional songs. Probably because I write the most and truest when I am upset or angry. My rawest song is called "Filthy Water." I wrote it to help heal from a narcissistically abusive relationship that I experienced at church a few years ago. I left that experience questioning myself and even questioning whether I had a place in music and ministry. It left me broken, but I now know that experience left me stronger and able to relate to others that have been abused and/or experienced church hurt.
There is a song on my "Playing with Fire" EP called "Blood is Thicker than Water." I wrote the song for my parents. I have a strained relationship with both of them and that song was part of my healing. The meaning goes back to an old saying from my childhood that no matter what family is always there because "blood is thicker than water." However, the song discusses that in my case that simply was not true.
Are you working on any new material right now or what's in the works for the upcoming year?
Yes. I am currently finishing up a new album called "Songbird." It will be released as a two-part EP set. Part one, "Songbird: Questions" will be released in July and part two, "Songbird: Answers" will hopefully be released in September. I also plan to work on a few holiday songs for December 2022.
Tell us where fans can access your music.
You can follow me on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0bM0RX6zTNn5MuKdpb92xU?si=JN7iP-R-SAKAAkQJWBX49Q
You can follow me on Instagram @jenniferalvaradomusic or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jemmusic12
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