Jenny Queen (born March 18, 1979) is a singer-songwriter and author. Both her songs and her literary writing often deal with memory and how people process memory over time. Her musical style encompasses elements from genres of

roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

, indie folk,

neotraditional country Neotraditional country (also known as new traditional country and hardcore country) is a country music style that emphasizes the instrumental background and a traditional country vocal style. Neo-traditional country artists often dress in the fash ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

and pop. Her lyrical content and voice have been described as a "combination of little girl and windswept and bruised woman."

Early life

Queen was born March 18, 1979, in

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northe ...

. With family in southern

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

, Queen was exposed to

bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Like mainstream country music, it la ...

pioneer

Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...

's music at a young age. With a grandfather who is a

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wo ...

minister, Queen sang in church groups throughout her teens. She attended

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pu ...

, earning a B.A., graduating

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

. Queen then went on to earn a Masters in

International Relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the Scientific method, scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities betwe ...

from

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

. She is a volunteer for Amnesty International and has been involved with educating refugees.

Career

While living in Sydney in 2004, her music career started when she met producer, Tony Buchen, of the Sydney outfit the Baggsmen. Buchen produced "Girls Who Cry Need Cake" on Laughing Outlaw Records. Queen's cover of

Moby Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...

's song ''Porcelain'' was the album's first radio single, described by ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

'' as "flat-out brilliant", followed by second single, ''Drowning Slowly''. In 2007, Queen started work on her second album, "After The Dance." Recorded in

Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

, the album is produced by John Leidersdorf. Musicians on ''After The Dance'' include

Jon Graboff Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams left ...

and

The Cardinals The Cardinals were an American R&B group of the 1950s. Sharing a legacy with the Orioles, The Cardinals are remembered as one of the best R&B ballad acts to come out of Baltimore. Origins The Cardinals’ career began in 1946 (one year before ...

on pedal steel, Eric Silver on mandolin, Marc Swersky on bass, Justin King on electric guitar, Ehren Ebbage on acoustic guitar and Andy Letke of DeSol on rhodes piano and banjo. "After The Dance" was released March 2009 on ABC / Universal Records in Australia and New Zealand and in the rest of the world on Laughing Outlaw Records. ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatewat ...

'' describes "After The Dance" as having a melancholy edge, with a delicacy of tone. In 2013 Jenny Queen began writing and recording on her third album, Small Town Misfits, which was released in May 2014 by ABC Music Australia. As a writer, Jenny has penned ''Under Arms And Underage'' for Refugee Transitions Magazine, a publication operated by STARTTS (Service for Treatment and Rehabilitation Of Torture and Trauma Survivors). She is currently writing a retrospective of the artwork of the Debaser Graphic Arts Studio. Her novel, tentatively titled ''Hummingbird Cake'', follows twin sisters growing up in rural America and the vast differences between their memories over the same life events. She has not yet begun seeking publication for her novel.

Discography

;Solo * ''Girls Who Cry Need Cake'' (2004 Laughing Outlaw Records) * ''After The Dance'' (2009, ABC Music) * ''Small Town Misfits'' (2014, ABC Music) * ''Baby it Was Real and We Were the Best'' (2018, ABC Music) ;Other appearances * ''Ten Cent Souvenir'' – Ehren Ebbage (2008 EE) * ''The C Minus Project'' – Sam Schinazzi (2004 · Laughing Outlaw Records)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Queen, Jenny 1979 births Living people Musicians from Springfield, Ohio Singer-songwriters from Ohio Ohio State University alumni University of Chicago alumni Writers from Springfield, Ohio 21st-century American singers