00:00
Couple years later, funny enough, I put a song on MySpace that then got me a record deal at Def Jam. Writing with other artists was sort of something that I never thought about, but amazing for me. And then I just, you know, it was one of those things that you don't plan for that became your life. And I was like, oh, I'm just gonna roll with the punches all the way from Dynamite, obviously a buttered permission to dance to like, you know, the remix of Savage Love. Like all this stuff that we've done together to this point has been really seamless and very collaborative.

00:29
you're listening to the Radcast. If it's radical, we cover it. Here's your host, Ryan Alford.

00:40
Hey guys, what's up? It's Ryan Alford. Welcome to the latest edition of the Radcast. We're going down the entertainment and music avenue again. This avenue this afternoon, my friends, I've got a super talented singer, Grammy nominated songwriter, producer, vocal producer. So many titles, I can't even keep my head on straight. Jenna Andrews, what's up? Hi, how are you? I'm great. I'm awesome.

01:08
I'm feeling like dynamite and butter all in one. Oh my God, I love that. Oh, pleasure to have you on the show and congrats on all the success so far this year and last couple of years. Thank you, thank you so much. I know it's been a bit of a whirlwind and all of us navigating the pandemic and some of us having banner years.

01:36
even in spite of that. So that's it's it's just great to see all your success. Yeah, yeah, it's definitely been an interesting couple of years just in the sense that, you know, obviously, as people, it's been it's something that, you know, we never thought we'd have to go go through. But as for my career, it's been, you know, the best two years for my career life. So it's been a very interesting time for me.

02:02
It's been interesting. I've talked to a lot of creative artists and different things here in the last few months. And, you know, it's every, everybody knows that the time period has been challenging in a lot of ways, but it seems like for some of the true artists that have had time maybe to spend longer on certain things, I don't know if that's been true for you, you know, with having to somewhat be apart, but maybe getting you in your zone. I don't know if that's.

02:28
had an impact on you and having, you know, be able to focus better, I don't know. Well, I think, yeah, I mean, for me, it's, I think it was definitely that, but then in the very beginning of the pandemic, when my song, Super Lonely, came out, that was actually written before the pandemic. So that was, you know, that was very, very lucky in the sense that it became, you know, the pandemic song is something that really, you know,

02:57
help cheer people up in the beginning, you know, so that was a really cool feeling. But other than that, like, you know, obviously, all the BTS stuff and all, you know, the rest of the stuff that that's come out during this time has been made in a pandemic. And that's Yeah, really, just because there's so much more time to like, focus and have a different type of process to be able to, you know, for me, just be able to zone, like you said, zone in, go in for hours, not feel like you have to go anywhere, which was really nice. Yeah, well, let's

03:25
We're going to, I know we'll build back to, uh, you know, the work with BTS and other artists and some of the songwriting hits you've had, but maybe let's start from the beginning or, uh, you know, wherever you want to take us, but I want to give everybody, you know, kind of the Jenna Andrew story a bit and, you know, your, your journey, you know, into the field. Yeah. I mean, what do you want me to start? You start where it's natural. I mean,

03:52
I want to build towards the business of music and how it's changed with streaming and writing and all those things, but I'd love for them to know just kind of like your journey, I don't know, you start from wherever it makes sense for, I guess your love of music and everything else. Well, yeah, I mean, I started when I was a kid, like literally when I was five, my parents bought me like this little piano and I just taught myself how to play and that was kind of a thing where they were like, oh.

04:21
I guess it's your musical, do you wanna pursue this? I think for them, like they were never pressuring it on me. It was something that I wanted to do. So, I mean, from a young kid, I just always was in every lesson possible, whether it be piano or vocals or dance or whatever it was. And so this has been a part of my life since the beginning. And then when I was about to graduate high school in grade 12, I met a concert promoter because a lot of the...

04:49
like I would, I was just always sort of a hustler trying to get on as, you know, in any way I could. So I, and I was from Calgary, Canada, which doesn't have a lot going on. So a lot of the artists that would come in, I would just, you know, ask the promoter if I could sell tickets to open the show. And basically, one of the promoters introduced me to a producer that I then moved to Vancouver to work with. And that was when I first got my, you know, first production deal. And then

05:16
A couple years later, funny enough, I put a song on MySpace that then got me a record deal at Def Jam. And then, you know, the story continues. Yes. I heard MySpace in there. I know. I love it. Yes. I feel like I'm dating myself. You know, like the original music social media platform, you know, before TikTok or Facebook or anything else. So talk about, you know, the transition. I mean, I know it's... I mean...

05:45
Are you still producing your own music? I mean, like you're still doing, you're writing, you're doing all those things, but obviously you found a niche with vocal production and writing. You know, what's that transition or balance of those things of being your own artist versus writing for others? What's that been like? Well, for me, like when I, you know, I was signed to Def Jam for like seven years and when I left the label, I think for me, I was...

06:14
definitely signed right on the cusp of when all the streaming stuff really, you know, started in terms of like Spotify and mostly Spotify in terms of like that, you know, kind of like you said, changing what the industry is now. I mean, it's so much different than even when it first started, obviously. But anyway, I think for me, you know, it was weird being signed for seven years and only putting out, I put out one song in an EP in like, and one mixtape in like seven years, which is people put out in a month now, you know?

06:43
So I think coming off the label, I was just so hungry to just put out music and have all the songs on my hard drive release. So I think writing with other artists was sort of something that I never thought about, but amazing for me. So I was like, oh my God, these songs get to come out in the world. I love this. And then I just, it was one of those things that you don't plan for that became your life. And I was like, oh, I'm just gonna roll with the punches. That thing. Yep.

07:12
As far as your own stuff, what are your highlights? How would you classify your music? I mean, what genre? Seems like you covered a few different genres. I mean, definitely in the R&B land. I grew up into a lot of R&B, so for me, it's like, R&B, soul, pop.

07:37
I definitely categorize it like that. I mean, my own artist stuff when I was putting it out sort of had like a little bit of like massive attack or Porter's head as well, really holiday. But I'm actually doing like some artist stuff right now with the guy that one of the guys that I wrote butter with Steven Kirk, we have an artist project we're working on that's definitely like more R&B leaning.

07:59
So that's exciting. That's cool. I love it. And Massive Attack rings a bell with me. That was my jam back in the day. I still enjoy it, but like had a lot of that on like vinyl and different things. Oh, I love that. Oh, yeah. So let's talk about, you know, writing and working, you know, with BTS and, you know, K-pop, at least for me, like, I know it's not come out of nowhere, but it like seems like it for me,

08:29
necessarily plugged into every, you know, mainstream thing. I was like, it seems like it wasn't a thing and now it's like taken over the world. What's that process been like, you know, working with them and writing with them?

08:43
I mean, it's been amazing. They're just such, like, they're so easy to work with and they're so talented. And honestly, it's been some of the best music and some of the best, like, experiences that I've had working with artists ever, just because, like, you know, as much as it's been in a pandemic and I haven't met them or been able to see them, because a lot of the work we've done, actually, is over WhatsApp and all of the notes that we send back and forth to each other. But they've been really, like...

09:09
amazing about trying my ideas and being very collaborative. So that was a really cool experience for me. And like, you know, all the way from Dynamite, obviously, a Buttered permission to dance to like, you know, the remix of Savage Love, like all this stuff that we've done together to this point has been really seamless and very collaborative. What's, what's the music business like these days? Like what's, if you were to describe it, you know, like it seems.

09:37
so much, I know it's always been more complicated than people that just listen to music realize, but it just seems so layered now. We talked about the streaming, but the fact of how many people are involved in a single album or a single song, it just seems so dynamic and so complex. Am I over-complicating it or is it truly that dynamic? No, it definitely is that dynamic. I mean,

10:05
It doesn't have to be, but I think, you know, obviously, I think because we have access to so much today in terms of what you can add, like just on the production side and things like that, that's definitely plays a part. But also I think it's a lot to do with like, you know, you may have an idea.

10:27
with a certain group of people. Let's say like I write it with one person and one producer, one writer, and we have a song and then you bring it to the artist and the artist is like, oh, I have my person that I wanna bring in that brings my flavor. And then that person comes in and like, so it's more about like, you know, that every it's case by case, but in that situation, a lot of times like the artist wants to bring their, you know.

10:48
their sound into what the song is. So sometimes that ends up adding more people, but really that's a good thing. For me, I think whatever takes the song to put a place that it needs to be, I don't care how many people are on the song. Right. Who are your biggest musical influences?

11:07
I mean, honestly, like, like growing up, my biggest musical influences were like Brandi and Mariah Carey. Ha ha ha. How? Oh, you know, it was getting to- It was probably- Go ahead. It was probably Brandi, Mariah Carey, and Billie Holiday. Because, like, I, like Billie Holiday, just her, her heart and like, you know, you just felt.

11:33
everything that she was saying about and I think like the emotional side of listening to music was so like like it was just take you over I love just driving and listening to music that's something that really influenced like the way that I think about emoting in a song if that makes sense you know like it just is just I don't know if there's something that's just so and obviously her life was so crazy I don't know if you saw the movie that recently came out

12:02
but that it was just, it was amazing. With Andrew Day, did you see that? Yes, I did. Amazing. Oh, so crazy. I didn't know that story, so I kind of went into it blind. I didn't know that the story to that level.

12:18
Yeah, I mean, it was pretty crazy. I mean, it just, it just makes you, I love how much like that's the way that I feel, I mean, obviously not the pain that she had to go through, but I feel like with music, when you can listen to somebody's like pain through their music and it's just like, you don't know anything about them, that's pretty crazy. You know, like it's just, it's, it translates. Just that's what the craziest thing about music is. It is, it's the emotion. I mean, I grew up in a musical family and. It's.

12:48
it plays such a huge part in our, I don't know, a human dynamic of, you know, it takes people from good moods or bad moods to good moods, from sad to happy to, you know, sometimes it takes you from, to a sad place, but it's not a bad place necessarily. And it's amazing that the power that music has on us as people. I know exactly, it's so true. Do you enjoy the business?

13:18
I mean, is it is cutthroat as ever or has it gotten better? Is it like, do people play nice? I mean, it's definitely like, you know, as politically speaking, it's definitely the same. You know, I don't I don't necessarily enjoy that aspect of it, just because I feel like, you know, music business is such a oxymoron, you know, it's just so.

13:45
It's like there's such a creative aspect and obviously there has to be a business aspect, but that part can be, it's not always hard, but it can be hard and challenging just because, you know, you make this baby in such a pure way and then you see it go out in the world and there's all these like, you know, potentially corrupt things around it. So it's, it's, it's hard in that sense. But, you know, I mean, it's also, it can be fun because it can be a game, you know, like playing the right things like that. I like it. I like it.

14:15
So Jenna, talk to me about like the songwriting process and like, you know, the marriage between artist and songwriting, like, you know, I imagine certain artists come to you, you know, for songwriting help, but are you, you know, constantly like toying with ideas and then, you know, maybe you or your team shopping songs to different artists? What's that process like?

14:38
No, it's definitely like that. However, I think in today's world, you know, like it's so much about the visual aspect and the narrative of what an artist is trying to say in their story. So a lot of times, you know, it's becoming more songs that, you know, you're writing with the artists or developing with the artists in terms of, you know, creating their story along with just like the song, you know, obviously that does exist to be able to pitch a song, you know.

15:05
for example, Butter, you know, was that, but I mean, I'd already worked on Dynamite and sort of really gotten to know the guys and really understand their voices and stuff. So in writing Butter, you know, that was something that was super conscious when writing all the lyrics and, you know, certain melodies and just like the way that they would phrase things, like that was something that I feel like was in my, you know, all of our heads in writing the song that's like also tailored for a great song.

15:34
Does that make sense? I think that it's not just like as easy as now taping like, oh, there's a great song. It's just like send it to a bunch of artists. Like it's less like that in today's world. Yeah, that makes sense. So who's been your favorite artist to work with? Oh my God, that's so hard. Who's your favorite baby? Who's your favorite best friend? I don't know if I have a favorite. I love so many of the different artists for different reasons. You know what I mean? It's like, it's so hard to choose.

16:02
Is it, but it's, you know, it doesn't, it isn't just about the numbers, but the sheer volume of downloads and listens, I'm sure, you know, with BTS, what's happened with Dynamite and Butter and other songs, like that's gotta take a life of its own, I'm sure. I mean, I'm so grateful for the opportunity and I feel like that's, you know.

16:28
obviously something that's just completely changed my life. But you know, I think every journey is like something that I feel like will be in the memory bank forever, you know? And I think like when I think of different artists that I've worked with or different times in my life or what it's represented, I feel like it's like, you know, it's so special at that time. So I think that's why it makes it hard to choose. What about, I wanna talk about,

16:58
the green room, but before we transition to that, you know, any, uh, insights or artists that you'll be working with or anything that you can, uh, shed light on that might be happening in real time these days. Like that I'm working with now. Yeah. Or just stuff that might be coming or people you're talking to, like, you know, no guarantees, but is there, uh,

17:20
I'm trying to get you to break some, just some breaking news here on the radio. I mean, no, I'm working with a bunch of new artists, you know, so I'm working with this artist, Jessie Murph, um, you know, we put out a song called sobriety last month, um, and that's really exciting. She's an amazing artist, super talented. Um, and you know, EPing her project, which is really cool. There's another friend of mine, blue to tiger, who's also amazing, great bass player, I've been like working a lot with her, um, we actually have a song coming out.

17:50
Thursday called Blondes that we did with like Teddy Geiger and, you know, Scott Harris and Exquisite. And then just like a bunch of different artists, you know, I mean, that's something that I'm just like, I love working with new artists and help developing them. I have a song on the JLo movie that's coming out on Valentine's Day next year with Owen Wilson. I think it opens the movie, so that should be fun. And a bunch of, a couple of little projects that I can't talk about yet, but are really exciting.

18:19
Oh, very cool. And you kind of said it there, but give us a name. Give us an artist. Like, you know, not like a, I want it like a prognostication here. Like not that, you know, they're a pet project, like something you really like, but maybe not be mainstream. Who's, give me a mainstream, someone that's gonna be big that we may not know. You got a name for us? I think Jesse Merth for sure. Yeah.

18:48
So that's the name? Love her. All right, cool. I haven't heard of her. I'd heard of a couple of the artists you'd written for, but I haven't heard of that one. Yeah, she's amazing. You should definitely check her out. You'll love her. What's the style? What kind of, I mean, the R&B, is it, you know? It's like a mix between like, it's like, yeah, it's like a mix between like Post Malone and Billie Eilish. Oh, ooh, sign me up. Two of my, I'm not afraid.

19:15
I mean, those are two of my favorites. I mean, that's as mainstream as it gets these days, but you'll find them in my playlist when I'm working out or something like that. So I love that. Let's talk about the green room. I know it's a passion project for you and something that's really important with what's going on in today's environment and stuff in society and stuff. So what can you tell us about the green room? I mean, I started the green room because I feel

19:43
like talking about mental health is very important. And I've dealt with anxiety, you know, for as long as I can remember. And, you know, it definitely, in my opinion, as much as it can be a burden in life, it really helps your music. And I think it's, you know, in every session, I talk about mental health to some extent with, you know, whether it's my music or other artists' music, like, you know, the talking point is so therapeutic in building the song. It really builds a relationship with the artist.

20:11
Or with yourself, you know, if it was my project and I was talking to a producer about what I'm going through, it's like, you know, you go through that therapeutic journey to find what eventually becomes the song. So I was like, wouldn't it be cool for people to see, like, you know, their artists they look up to or whatever that may be, talk about something similar that they're going through and you would, you know, make them feel more human and less alone. And I, you know, obviously during the quarantine was a time that felt really, you know.

20:39
appropriate more appropriate than ever to start something like that everyone is so isolated so um... you know started in the beginning two thousand twenty and you know i called the jet foundation which uh... is a non-profit mental health love them i've done stuff with them before and obviously they really like the idea so they provided therapist to be on every episode since i call because there's actually real support and we're just building a every episode that we go

21:04
So there's sometimes, there was a life coach on one, there was guided meditation. So it's not always necessarily a therapist now, but somebody that can sort of speak to whatever the topic is. So that's been a really cool thing. I've probably done over 20 episodes and continue to do so, and I just wanna grow awareness for mental health. That's amazing, and it's really cool that you've got Pasteur on it, and you're bringing that to life, and I think it's really important that

21:33
that people are becoming more comfortable talking about it. Cause it was so, I don't know, I think it was something that everyone's, almost everyone is either struggle with or know someone to struggle with it, but yet I don't know, there was this, there's an acceptability that's becoming more mainstream that I think is really great and really important. Yeah. What's the, you got time for, we do a little segment called Rad or Fad. I give you a keyword and you tell me rad or fad.

22:01
Okay. What does fad mean? Rad means. What does fad mean? What's rad mean? No, no, no, no. What does fad mean? Oh, fad, it's kind of a fad. Like may not be here to stay. Like it's a fad. Okay. You know, like, or you could take it as rad or bad. Okay. Okay. First one, the metaverse, rad or fad? Oh my God.

22:33
What do you think? Oh, I think it's gonna be rad, but it's fad right now. I don't know. I mean, Facebook's changing their name to Metta. I mean, you know, like. I know. I agree with you on that. Yeah, I know. Space travel seems to be all the talk with all the- Oh, rad. Yeah, okay. All right. You'd like to go to space?

22:53
I think that would be so fun. When I was a kid, every time I would do talent shows, and I have like video of this, it's so funny, they're like, what do you wanna be when you grow up? And I'd be like, either an astronaut, a lawyer, or a singer. Hey, well you've found one of them, you know? You could be a singer in space. Otherwise I'd be in space right now, but it is interesting to me. Mom jeans, rad or fad? Oh, actually?

23:22
Munchies are kind of rad. Like, I'm not gonna lie. Like, if you wear them right, they're kind of cute. Not gonna lie. Yes, yes, yes. And finally, TikTok. Oh, see, TikTok's like rad and fad because I love it, but then like, when you have to do it yourself and like, it's just like, you have to find your sort of identity without sort of feeling like you're just kind of jumping onto something, you know, that part, I think is kind of like fad.

23:49
But I love her. I think TikTok's been really great in ways to, you know, in certain ways, you know, obviously to break songs and fad in the sense that it doesn't necessarily break artists, and that's really hard unless you really find the right way to do it, you know? So, and there's ways to break songs. It's all strategy. As much as you have this platform, you still have to be strategic with it. So it's a tough one because it's not TikTok itself.

24:14
I think it's more rad than fad. How about that? I like it. That might be the most eloquent way I've heard anyone do. I throw the tick tock one in there and it's, you know, it's probably to be fair to tick tock, it's probably passed way past being a fad. So it's probably not fair, but it's interesting. Everyone seems to be, it's a little polarizing because, and I think you you summed it up perfectly. You can't just jump on it easily. You know, like.

24:39
With Instagram, you know, a little selfie, throw a story up, you don't have to think about it. And then TikTok, if you're not like editing it properly, doing it properly, it just doesn't come off right. Exactly, exactly. No, it's cool. Jenna, I really appreciate your time. I wanna tell everybody where they can keep up with all things, Jenna Andrews, The Green Room, where can everyone follow along with all these great things you're doing?

25:07
Well, my, my, my social media is just the Jenna Andrews across the board. And then for the green room, it's the green room talks. Sweet. That's easy enough. Yeah. The Jenna Andrews and the green room talks. Sweet. I love it. I really appreciate your openness and coming on. And I dig that hat more than, uh, I dig your style. I mean, it's cool. Like I, we didn't even talk about your influences there, but, uh, get a unique style. I love it.

25:35
Oh, thank you so much. Well, I really appreciate having you on. Hey guys, you do where to find us. We're at theradcast.com. Search for Jenna Andrews. Search for the green room. It's all there. You know where to find me. I'm at Ryan Alford on all the platforms. We'll see you next time on the Radcast.