Jenny Kern is a New York-based, Toronto-born indie singer-songwriter that’s just starting to make waves online and in the New York scene. She just got back from her first European tour and she also just released her very first EP, a self-titled release. Jenny features a vulnerable vocal that’s perfect for convey emotion to the listener and as good as her recordings are, her live performances are 10x more impressive. Incredibly, Jenny’s a seasoned performer but her very first foray into songwriting is her new EP. Alternative Addiction recently chatted with Kern about songwriting and her new self-titled EP. “I thought what I was working on was garbage,” said Kern when talking about her first experience songwriting and working on the new EP. “Then I really got into the whole process in the studio; boosting harmonies, synth, and just the vibe of everything. I think what I want my overall vibe to be came across perfectly. It’s rewarding to find an instrumental conception that builds the vibe of everything. I want people to know my music is from an honest place and I think that’s captured on this EP. I wanted to make that come across as much as possible.” Jenny had just planned to do what she had been doing, performing other people’s songs in and around New York City and making her way that way. Turns out in New York, unless you’re performing your own music, it’s hard to get a gig. So, Jenny got to work writing songs and she hasn’t looked back since. “I’ve always studied music differently when I listen to music. I always hear it and pick apart the things I want to hear. I’ve always known how structures work and things like that. I didn’t need to tackle that. I also knew there wasn’t a right answer to writing, it depended on the song. To me, the most important thing was writing lyrics that were meaningful. The first songs I wrote, I wasn’t really reaching a place and that was something that I wanted to grow with. I didn’t want to be scared to dig into myself. I didn’t want to do just what people wanted to hear. I stopped putting so much pressure on myself and decided to write from the right place and then the music got better.” Kern also talked about performing. If you can check out the video below, you can see she’s tremendous as a stage musician. “It’s funny, that’s where I want to grow more at. I want to get better at that. The thing that I love most about performing is that it’s an open space to share emotion. My goal is to create a safe space where it’s okay to feel. I want to be the performer that shares an emotion with people. I don’t know where that comes from.” Now that her EP is out and she’s back from her first European tour, what’s next for Kern? “I’ve been writing a bunch, still trying to hone in on that craft. I’ve been working on demos. My goal is to make an EP or an LP this year. I want to go on a Northeast/U.S. tour this year. I just got back from Europe and I fell in love with the idea of touring. I want to build my audience; I want to grow. I want to resonate with as many people as I can. When I get a message from someone and they talk about how something I did helped them, that’s what drives me to keep going.”-aa