Jess Holland has released her second album, ‘Whole Lot to Say ‘ and the winner of the 2011 Voice of Urban Country award had a lot to say about the album and her music when Rock Club 40 caught up with her recently. “I started writing for the album in the back half of 2012 so it was a bit of a process,” she tells me. “I didn’t actually start recording until August of last year so there was a bit of a time of writing before I actually stepped into the studio. I didn’t want to rush things and it turned out really, really well. I ended up recording here in Newcastle with a really talented muso and producer by the name of Robbie Long. I first met Rob Long at the 2013 Toyota Star Maker Competition when I was involved in that. We just clicked straight away and it worked very well. He didn’t just produce the album, he also played a lot of the instruments on there as well.”
The singer released her debut album, Introducing Jess Holland, in 2011. “I was lucky enough to win the award of Voice of Urban Country in Caboolture,” she explains “And so I was able to record and made the debut album. Whole Lot to Say was released at the end of March and it’s going really well. There’s been such a great response to all of the songs on the album so I’m thrilled.”
Jess considers her genre to be country rock but she agrees that her latest album also has a splash of blues as well. However she is quite adamant that she doesn’t like to be pigeon holed. “I like to show my diversity. I have such an eclectic taste in music and I’ve had such a huge influence base from such a young age that I don’t like to stick with one genre with the music that I like to produce but personally I think my music is country rock with a dash of blues in there.”
Growing up in a musical family meant that Jess always had music around the house. “We always had instruments and music going all the time,” she recalls. “And my grandfather and great grandfather were musical as well so I always had a musical influence from my family. I started playing in bands when I was about eleven or twelve and decided to take it a bit more seriously since about the start of 2011. I have been a full time musician for about the last eighteen months to two years and I’m taking steps to ensure a long career. Being a musician, with the process of writing and recording, performing and touring… it is a full time job and I love it.”
Jess has been fortunate enough to tour the country with such popular artists as Diesel and Adam Brand. “I’ve been pretty lucky,” she admits. “I’ve had a lot of opportunities and had a lot of fun along the way and a lot of touring which I think is the key because people love to meet the person behind all the stories and all the songs. I think it’s really a crucial point to be on the road and go out there and meet people that are listening to your music and meet new fans. It’s just a great way to connect. Get yourself out there and get your music out there as well.”
Jess will be touring for the rest of the year and she is very excited about spending time on the road and there is more in the pipeline. “I’ll be in Queensland and Victoria and later in the year, I’ll be in W.A. So there are plenty of k’s to chalk up which is always exciting. I enjoy it. I’ve got a bit of the gypsy in me I think.”
by Sharyn Hamey
Copyright © 2014 Sharyn Hamey. All Rights Reserved
Jess Holland’s new album ‘Whole Lot To Say’ is available digitally through WJO.
For more information and full tour details, please visit www.jesshollan
