.

.

Interview with
JAYNE DENHAM

(13th August 2021)

Interview by Dave Bruce

.

.

Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you start writing music?
I was always destined to be a singer growing up in a family of entertainers and singers, and I was on stage from the age of 5. Song writing didn’t start till I was in my 20’s.  Its not something that I find easy to do but working with other talented writers I found my place and what I wanted to say.

How would you describe your sound?
I have always been Country Rock but this album we decided to have a bit of fun with that and add a bit of Western. My Nashville producer Brian White calls this album Country Rock with a big serve of spaghetti Western on the side.

Why do you think people resonate with your music?
I love writing songs about other people I think are cool, or stories I hear, but I love to rock and my voice also has that edge.  Performing live I can bring both the party and a musical experience.

Which music did you grow up listening to? How has it inspired you?
I grew up on Country music but then got into Rock in my teens.  By the time I wanted to create my own sound the two styles blended together without me even trying.

Your new Album has just been released/is about to be released! Describe its origin and evolution.
After having my US trip and tour dates cancelled last year, I decided to get busy doing some songwriting. I knew my next album was going to be called WANTED, so we wrote the title track with a country rock meets western sound and theme in mind. I said to my mates and co-writers Matt Scullion & Troy Kemp “how cool would it be to create a whole album in this style” & the rest is history. I have spent the last 12 months creating the album via Zoom with my producers in Nashville and it has ended up even more epic musically than I could have ever dreamed of thanks to them. It is created to be a musical experience – we have even added sound effects in between the songs so you feel like you are in an old westerm movie.

.

.

Do you have any more new music in the works?
I had a song I recorded with a friend last year, but it got held back and then my album was rolling out. So sometime next year it will be out.

Any tours or events coming up soon? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
Sadly my Album launch that was to happen at a big festival in Mackay and my 15 tour dates are now cancelled or postponed. It is devastating for myself my band & my Agent Geoff Bell. We have all put some much time and effort in & I have lost an incredible amount of money. But I just try to stay positive and look forward to the time I can perform this album live as we have quite a show planned. There are some big festivals booked for later in the year, but we will see.

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
Hmmm well it should be a Country artist but today I was thinking how cool it would be to sing with Jon Bon Jovi. His is one of my favourite voices ever.

What’s next for you in 2021.
Due to COVID, there’s not a lot of ways I can tour the new album at the moment, so I will be doing all I can to get the word out on social media and also tuning up the new show, so it is even more epic when we come out of the gates to perform again.

If you could perform anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why?
Any Country artists dream would be to perform at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. It is iconic, I have been there a few times to see people and even got to hang backstage a few times with the artists so you never know.

.

.

Do you have any long-term aspirations as a music artist?
I just love to make music and perform so for however long people keep buying my albums and coming to my shows, I will continue to keep doing it.

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience?
Seeing them singing the words and having fun with it is the most rewarding part of being an artist. It’s the best.

What’s been the career highlight so far?
I think being invited to film the video for my song ‘Black Coffee & White Lines’ in Alaska with the Ice Road truckers was something I never thought would happen to me.  It was just an incredible experience and a place like no other.

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – At this moment Daydream by The Buckleys
Artist – Gretchen Wilson
Movie – The Quick & the Dead 
Place to visit – Alaska 
Venue to play – In Australia, Moonshiners Tamworth 
Food – Seafood 
Drink – Red wine 
Person in History – Elvis
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?) I don’t have one, but I love roses so a one colour open rose if I did.

.

.

Follow JAYNE DENHAM
Facebook – Instagram – Website

 .

AMNPLIFY – DB

Press Release 13th August 2021 (below) 

JAYNE DENHAM
unleashes new album
‘WANTED’
 + upcoming show dates

.

.

“I’ve had Jayne Denham’s brand new album, “Wanted” totally cranking in the ute.  Fully loaded with hits…it’s new country….and western music at its best” – Lee Kernaghan

Three-time Golden Guitar nominee Jayne Denham today releases an album like no other titled WANTED. With the cancellation of her dates in both the USA – where she toured regularly for four years playing at major events including some of the biggest truck shows in the world – and here locally in 2020 due to COVID, Denham saw an opportunity to create something new.

Never one to waste time over trivial matters like only having the one song written, Denham called her producer, Nashville-based Brian White, and put the entire album idea to him. Straight away Brian knew that this was a project he wanted to be part of and immediately jumped on the phone to friend and frequent collaborator – Grammy nominated songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brian Bunn – asking him to come on board. Together they came up with an album like nothing they had ever done previously. 

“It was so much fun to make a record that had no rules or had to meet current trends,” Brian said. “We were just creating music for art’s sake and to do it during the Covid lockdown via zoom was a bonus and then Jayne’ and her publisher Will Osland (Checked Label Services / Kobalt Music Publishing) came up with some wonderful songs that just fitted perfectly.” 

With Covid limiting international travel, Denham laid down all her vocals at The Robertson Brothers’ Blue Mountains studio before emailing them to Nashville where all the band tracks were recorded. 

Industry critics are comparing WANTED to a country rock opera.  As you listen to Denham’s latest offering there is every chance you will be transported to another point in time. From start to finish the album takes you on a musical journey like no other. It’s like going back to the movie theatre watching an old-fashioned wild west flick, and as you listen each extra sound effect and instrument, it will make you feel like you are actually there. 

Denham says it was after writing the title track WANTED with a country rock and western theme in mind in March last year with Troy Kemp and Matt Scullion, the concept of doing an entire record in this direction came about.  Denham has four #1 Australian Country singles to her credit including 2018’s Golden Guitar nominated ‘Hung Up on You’ that reached one million streams in less than six months, and four albums with the standout being the hugely successful Shake This Town. 

The two singles lifted from the album thus far ‘Better Make It a Double’ and ‘Better Settle Up’ have both charted in The Music Network’s Country Hot 50 airplay charts, with ‘Better Settle Up’ peaking at #14.

Denham says she is so excited about this record and is “hoping that as people listen to it, they won’t just hear the sounds rolling from track to track but will visualise the story behind each song. I hope you love it as much as I do.”

You can catch Jayne performing at one of her upcoming shows below:

Friday 10th September – Muswellbrook RSL Club – Muswellbrook, NSW 
Saturday 11th September – The Royal – West Tamworth Leagues Club – Tamworth, NSW 
Friday 17th September – Mezz Bar – Wallsend Diggers Club – Newcastle, NSW 
Saturday 18th September – Springwood Country Club – Springwood, NSW 
Saturday 16th October – Country by The River Festival – Murray Bridge, SA
 Friday 12th – Sunday 14th October – Groundwater Country Music Festival – Broadbeach, QLD
 Thursday 18th November – Hallam Hotel – Hallam, VIC
Friday 19th November – Gateway Hotel – Geelong, VIC
Saturday 20th October – Tumbarumba Hotel – Tumbarumba, NSW
Saturday 15th January 2022 – Moonshiners – Tamworth, NSW

*Previously announced August show dates to be rescheduled due to COVID lockdown restrictions

.

AMNPLIFY – DB