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 focusin ...

, indie folk,

neotraditional country Neotraditional country (also known as new traditional country, hardcore country, or traditional country) is a country music style that emphasizes the instrumental background and a traditional country vocal style, as well as often dressing in the f ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

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 Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, about west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and northeast of ...

. With family in southern

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, 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. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...

pioneer

Bill Monroe William Smith 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 takes its n ...

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

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...

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

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, 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 Sout ...

. Queen then went on to earn a master's degree in

International Relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

from

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. She is a volunteer for

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

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 (September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "amo ...

'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 database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

'' 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 United States census, the city's population was 15,188, a decr ...

, 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". The name is spelled Jón in Iceland and on the Faroe Islands. In the Nordic countries, it is derived from Johannes. Notable people * Jon Aaraas (born 198 ...

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American Rock music, rock and Country music, country singer-songwriter. He has released 30 studio albums and three as a former member of Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams left Whiskeytown and released ...

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 befor ...

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 daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...

'' 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 singer-songwriters