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Jenna was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the age of 6, she began studying the piano and by the age of 8 was performing in front of audiences. Shortly thereafter, she realized her vocal abilities and began singing jazz with musicians such as David Budway, (pianist for Regina Carter) Paul Thompson, (bass, Maynard Furguson, Beam) and George Heid, (drummer, Jimmy Ponder Quartet). In 1999, Jenna began performing solo with her guitar as a singer/songwriter. In that time she has had the privilage to perform with some of folk music's most talented artists, such as Chris Whitley, Shayne Fontayne, and East Mountain South. Stylistically, Jenna pulls from many influences. Phrasing from the jazz artists of the 30's and 40's, unorthodox guitar chords and melody, early American folk and bluegrass rhythms are all combined into what has now become apart of Jenna's unique style. She has performed in front of a variety of audiences and venues, including a live NPR broadcast from the University of Virginia in 2002 featuring herself along with one of the region's most talented folk artists, Brady Earnhart. In 2003 Jenna was selected as a featured artist for the annual Amnesty International Conference.
Jenna now lives and works in New York's East Village, she has released her debut album entitled "Curled Up Toes in Red Mary Janes". It is available on itunes or CDBaby. She is getting wonderful reviews for her work and is a refreshing voice to the village scene.
Interview: Jenna Nicholls - ThePittsburghScene.com
Jenna NIcholls this weeks guest on Mic Stand
Bound to be a smash!author: Natalie Herman Copyright © 2008 Natalie Herman and Paddy-Whacked Radio™Listening to Jenna Nicholls’s debut CD is an experience akin to perusing a pop-up book; from the moment the music opens on the first song, “Just How Much,” Nicholls paints pictures that seem to dance before your eyes as the music plays on. These pictures are drawn not as much by what she is singing but by the way she is singing it. Ten years in the making, Curled Up Toes in Red Mary Janes, brings the listener a refreshingly cool and confident Nicholls.
Although she sashays through her songs, she maintains a childlike innocence that complements rather than negates her sultry sensualism. The title, which comes from an early song of Nicholls’s, furthers the picture of naivety unbound and struggling with coming of age. Her songs evoke the early-Americana time period which influenced her musical style. Her approach to the music is minimalist – her voice is definitely her vehicle, and it is going to take her places. The majority of the tracks sound heartening and optimistic with a definite leaning toward a simpler time.
However, her revealing lyrics, as on the incongruous “Passport 25” -- about a woman who is at the end of her very self -- demonstrate that Nicholls is not simply another disposable songstress, but that she has considerable range as both a musician and as a writer. If there was a doubt left, Nicholls blows that away on the following track, “Hallelujah.” A startling contrast to the acoustically bare-bones songs, “Hallelujah” roars in with an explosion of instruments and a gigantic voice that seems to stem from those curled-up toes. In “Dirty Old Town,” Nicholls recalls a spirit of fealty to one’s place of origin not unlike the Springsteen hometown anthems that defined his early career. Michael Brunnock, to whom Jenna lent her vocal talents on his 2007 solo debut, So I Do, returns the favor to appear as harmonizing vocal on “Holy Moses.” Each artist is phenomenal in his or her own right, but when they two combine voices, it causes an exothermic reaction that has the capability of liquefying the very bones in your body.
Despite its obvious power, Jenna’s voice is so sweet and true that even monosyllabic words find it difficult to tear themselves away from her and linger with her for as long as they can. Nicholls ends her CD with the dulcet ode, “Winter,” featuring a soulful tenor saxophone. Although Nicholls’s imagery is largely auditory, her lyrics paint distinct pictures as well: “Knit me a sweater from the last threads of summer. . .” She chooses a beautiful, stirring and settling piece to send the listener on. Our “sweet consolation” is that it is not likely that we will have to wait another ten years for the follow-up.
author: Tim Moore (CDBaby)In a global culture brimming with repugnantly packaged and tactlessly commidified music there is a growing undercurrent of listeners who are not content with being regarded as consumers and a body of musicians who are uncomfortable with the idea of churning out sanitised products for the mass market. And each of these need to work hard and search earnestly to find and create music that celebrates the humanity of each. To this end I was thrilled to come across Jenna Nicholls' soulful creations. Her music takes you into far off living rooms and into the midst of intimate conversations. Her songs reach beyond words and melodies to speak gently to the heart of the human condition. Thankyou for being an oasis in a wide desert.
Voice of an angelauthor: Chantel Rosario
Soothing to the ears and warming to the heart like a glass of red wine you will find yourself floating in a bubble of sweet imagination. Definately an album to tune your heart to.
Jenna Nicholls has the sort of voice that entrances within a couple of seconds of coming into contact with it. What makes it even more special is the fact the songs she writes are so memorable. Nicholls is part of a new folk movement based in Greenwich Village called the Fairplay Collective(there are a smattering of Irish troubadours in there). Her voice is distinctive but from time to time you may hear traces of Norah Jones, Stina Nordenstam and most especially that singer from the Motifs who I don’t know the name of. ‘Just How Much’ is as unhurried as it is precious with Nicholls in reflective mood. The atmosphere is serene; you’ll pick every word that is uttered and find a world that normally goes at a million miles an hour slow to a relaxing canter. Powerful stuff, more of which can be found on Jenna’s upcoming album ‘Curled Up Toes in Red Mary Janes’. KD at mp3hugger
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Indie Sounds Interview
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