Jessica Lynn has consistently been maintaining a relentless international touring schedule of 14+ countries, along with releasing a pair of Top 40/Top 50 singles on country radio, and three full-length concert television specials airing nationwide in the USA, this New York singer-songwriter has been on an upward trajectory and is on the way to becoming a household name.
Following the release of her debut album last year, Jessica recently shared her track “Mixed Signals” (available HERE) and begins the highly anticipated UK return next week starting in Cambridge before dates in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Blackpool, Southampton and rounding off at The Lexington in London on July 12th. We recently caught up with Jessica ahead of these UK dates to talk about new music and being back playing shows in Europe. Hey Jessica, thanks for taking some time with us today. I saw from your socials that the Swiss show in Interlaken looked absolutely wild! How has it felt to be back playing shows in Europe again? “Thank you so much for having me. It has been so incredible to be back on the road and I'm having the time of my life. The reception has been so warm and welcoming and I just feel so grateful.”
This tour has been a long time coming and has hit one or two roadblocks along the way so there must have been a part of you thinking that it may never happen but what is it that inspires you so much to make the UK and European market such a big part of your planning? “This tour has been very emotional for me. There were many days that I thought I would never be on the road again or ever get to come back to Europe or the UK and my heart was broken over it. These places have become such a big part of my touring schedule because of the amazing fans here. My singles and records continue to chart in this part of the world and playing shows for such excited and enthusiastic audiences makes all of the travel worth it.”
“Lone Rider” came out last year and this is the first time that you have been able to play the songs on the road over here. In a way is really good to be playing songs for the first time to an audience that have been out in the world for a while as people will had more time to hear them. “It has been quite a strange delay to just be able to play the record now. We recorded it in 2020 and have been so anxiously awaiting being able to get out on the road to perform. In a way, it was good to be able to spend so much time with the music before going out on tour, but it was also challenging making the set list because I had been writing new material throughout this time that I wanted to include.”
A lot of people talk about how over here is a great place to be playing new music compared to back at home and you have recently shared “Mixed Signals” as a new release. So, can you tell us a little bit about the track and why it was the right fit to be leading into your next musical chapter? “I'm really passionate about Mixed Signals because it is a good representation of who I am as an artist. I was heavily influenced by rock and roll and soul music growing up in addition to country music and I think that this song perfectly wraps all of my loves into one. Going forward, I definitely plan to highlight this mix of musical genres because it's where I feel most at home and it's the music I most enjoy making.” I’m guessing that you had a lot of fun making the video too. “Out of all of my music videos, I had the most fun making Mixed Signals. It was such a good time having so many friends be a part of the filming and it was really nice to get to be behind the camera for a lot of the shooting rather than just in front of it. Good vibes all around.”
The UK dates are starting next week, do you have any things that you really are looking forward to getting to sample once again? Are you a big fan of English breakfasts or fish and chips maybe? “My favourite thing in British cuisine is the English Breakfast! The hash browns and mushrooms that you serve at that time of day. 😂 I am totally obsessed and can't wait to eat them.”
Your live shows are all about energy and obviously during the time that you weren’t able to tour you had to adapt so you put a big focus on live streams and your socials. Are there any things that you developed through those that you feel have really helped you as a performer, that without the pandemic you may not have had time to explore? “All of the livestreaming I did during the pandemic made me a much stronger singer and player. It was quite frightening in the quiet of your own living room playing to thousands of people. I took a lot of requests and would play any type of songs that the listeners and viewers wanted. Having to be so on the cuff really pushed all of my skills to the max.”
Lastly, I can’t wait to catch up with you again at the show in London but for anyone that has not been to one of your shows before, what can they expect from a Jessica Lynn show and what do you as a performer hope that they take away from them? “I am so excited to see you there! You can expect a very high energy show with a lot of audience participation and a lot of heart. I am really looking forward to it.”
5th July: Junction, Cambridge 6th July: Hare & Hounds, Birmingham 7th July: The Playroom, Leeds 8th July: Gulliver’s, Manchester 9th July: The Waterloo, Blackpool 11th July: Suburbia, Southampton 12th July: The Lexington, London The new single “Mixed Signals” from Jessica Lynn is out now and available HERE. Jessica begins her UK tour on Wednesday 5th July in Cambridge, with all dates shown above and ticket information is available on her WEBSITE whilst you can also keep up to date with her socially on INSTAGRAMTWITTER & FACEBOOK.