Mostly MN Music with Jaedyn James and theme International Women’s Day

Jaedyn James was the perfect guest to match our theme today – music for International Women’s Day, which is actually on March 8. She is working to creating a new space for the voice of womyn in songs. And we can hear more on April 23 at Palmer’s Bar.

On stage Jaedyn is a force to behold; her voice is powerful diva, her persona is confident and sexy. As she told us she wanted to be the sort of woman that men might fear and she is in the most intriguing way. Today she gave us a look behind the curtain, starting with the backstory for her latest single (and video) Push & Pull, dedicated to domestic abuse survivors, those we’ve lost & those finding the strength to get out.  It comes from her own recovery from a toxic and abusive relationship.

She is a model of someone who gets out and becomes stronger. And now that the experience is farther in the rearview mirror, she has the space to be less strong. Listening to how she is recording her latest songs is testament to trust and reward. She let go of portions of production and direction and worked with Ilan Blanck and Holly Hansen and said she has never felt to strong as a singer.

It’s a lesson for other artists. There’s a satisfaction in doing everything yourself but sometime you get lost in the work. It sounds like Jaedyn has found a more fully developed version of herself, which promises to include the rough and ready tough mama we know but also more notes of vulnerability.

Listen to the interview with Jaedyn about an hour into the show on Soundcloud (above) OR watch the video. (Because we’ve had trouble with the mics in the studio we decided to try a backup.)

You can listen to the playlist of the show on Spotify, which is more aspirational than actual and check out the list of tunes we really played below. (We always run out of time!)