The second musician in our series is Jenna Marie from Galway, Ireland. She recently spoke to Tassoula Kokkoris about her artistic journey.
TK: Tell us about your evolution as an artist. How did it all begin?
JM: I asked my parents if I could take guitar lessons when I was 10. I always loved music—and once I learned guitar, I started singing to accompany myself. Later I started songwriting.
TK: Who are your musical inspirations?
JM: I like Alanis Morissette—she’s incredible. Also, Pink, and more modern artists like Billie Eilish and FINNEAS.
TK: How did you get involved with Future Youth Records?
JM: I saw an ad on Instagram —it was for a songwriting competition for a Think Earth campaign in 2021. I just entered for the songwriting challenge for myself with my song “Smoke Storms”—I didn’t expect to actually get anywhere with it, but I was one of the winners! I also recently worked on a Think Peace project to create a song for Ukraine.
TK: How did you find out about this specific Think Earth 2023 project?
JM: I was on a call with Jason and he told me about an idea for a project, and it sounded great, but it wasn’t fully planned out yet with artists. Then, I got an email from him a few months later saying Julian Lennon and The White Feather Foundation were getting involved and that we were going to LA.
TK: Had you been to LA or America before?
JM: I had been to America before—Florida—once on holiday, but never to LA.
TK: You’re the first voice on this new version of “Saltwater” — were you familiar with the song before this project?
JM: My parents knew the song “Saltwater” from its original release, but this was the first time I had heard it because I’m only 20. I really liked it.
TK: What was it like working with Julian Lennon in the studio?
JM: It was really cool—I was so starstruck! He was so friendly and it was fun being around him and all of the other musicians who were working on the songs.
TK: What’s next for you musically?
JM: I’m working on a couple of projects at the moment —I want to release more music independently. There’s a song that I’ll hopefully be releasing soon called ‘Fourth of July” and I’m simultaneously working on a few others as well.
For updates on Jenna, follow her on Instagram at @jennamariemusicx.
The Future Youth Records Think Earth Campaign EP featuring the new version of “Saltwater” will be available for purchase on Earth Day on our collaboration website. Proceeds will equally benefit our Save the Mirning Sea Country campaign and Future Youth Records.
