Jenna Marotta is a New York City based songwriter with a passion for love that translates into beautiful poignant music. She writes from the heart, using a combination of her own experience and others around her. She touches your heart with songs such as “Never Forget” and “Goodbye”, but will kill you with laughter on songs like “Diesel Woman” and “The Restaurant Song”. Her audience is never disappointed as her vocal chops are powerful and rich, and she pours her heart out with song.
01. How did you get started in music?
I began playing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on our piano when I was 3 years old, and by 4 was singing in the church choir. I couldn’t read yet, but I had every song memorized. My family was musical, so when they recognized
this, they encouraged me.
02 .Where did your direction come from?
I studied voice, piano, flute, and trumpet in school, then chose The University of Tampa for Musical Theater. I started singing Karaoke for fun when I was 21 years old and decided I needed to write my own music.
03. Who were your major influences and inspirations?
Billy Joel, Madonna, Adele to name a few artists, however I was influenced by all great music from the 1940’s on through hip-hop.
04. What inspires you to make your current type of songs and sound?
I am currently listening to a lot of soul music and writing things that have good beats. I love making people dance!
05. What can someone who has never seen you live before expect from your shows?
Powerful, honest vocals, a few laughs, and maybe you’ll see a couple of grown men in tears after one of my sad songs.
06. How do you begin writing your songs? What types of themes and subjects do you deal with?
I like to write while I’m walking, so I don’t walk with my guitar on me. I usually hear a whisper (I like to say the angels are bringing me God’s songs to sing. If I get the notion the words and music come out at once. I normally record the beginnings on my iPhone and then go back to them when I have my instrument so that I can work out the chords. I sing about anything that comes to my mind, whether it is my experience or someone else’s. Last night I began writing a lullaby for all of my friends who are about to have babies.
07. How has your music evolved since you first began playing?
I have grown up a little bit. My lyrics are starting to be on a deeper level, and seasoned musicians who helped me on my first album showed me a thing or two about changing melodies up a little bit to make them more appealing for radio. I think of that when I am writing now.
08. What has been your biggest challenge? How were you able to overcome this?
Getting a following was hard, but I was able to combat that by finding my way online. I have boosted my online following to great numbers and appreciate whoever can make it out locally.
09. If you could pick any song, what would you like to cover most and why?
I’m not sure if this is the one I would like to do most, but I always wanted to do some sort of techno version of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”. I love the song, and think that the young generation would really love an EDM version of it.
10. Where do you envisage being in five years time?
Hall of Fame? haha Just kidding… well, maybe!
11. Who would you most like to record with?
Madonna. I say this all the time. I love to make people dance, and she is the ultimate master of that.
12. What should we be expecting from you in the near future?
More records, and probably a video too.
Tour dates:
I am playing in Long Island every other Wednesday for the summer. I will be back with my band sometime soon.
Link to buy the current single:
cdbaby.com/jennamarotta
Web Links:
jennamarottamusic.com
facebook.com/jennamarottamusic
twitter.com/jeanaeluv
instagram.com/thejennamarotta
