After surviving a grueling battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Jaclyn made a promise that once she was released from the hospital, the world will see her in a whole different and musical light.
Her new EP 'Jaclyn' being the result of this, Jaclyn powered through this project with her powerful and soaring vocals, as well as live instrumentation that perfectly backs up the project's bold and empowering theme. Bringing something vastly different with all five tracks on the project, we truly love the dynamic instrumentals that seep into your soul.
Starting the EP with the intro track "Alive," the instrumentals have us feeling that way from the first beat. With this bluesy and grunge approach to modern-day pop through soulful electric guitars, groovy drum patterns, and Jaclyn's fiery vocals fulfilling her musical promise.
Jaclyn's vocals are incredibly unique, showing off her broad range while adding her authentic flare with each lyric. Jaclyn sings about her stare-off with death, and how she came out stronger than ever while continuing to live her life; however, she desires. A chilling song that belts out an anthem of strength, we're hooked after the EP's first track.
Moving on to the second track "Sold My Soul," the song opens on a more peaceful note with Jaclyn's calming vocals, faint percussion elements, and the subtle strum of an electric guitar. Building in energy quickly, the song drops into this throbbing alt-rock instrumental that haunts our minds with the help of Jaclyn's melodic background vocals. Jaclyn sings lyrics of the notable bartender who she's sold her soul to, and who fed her the beverages that led her to a lively night. A gritty song that reminds you of the picturesque evenings out, Jaclyn does an impeccable job of serving these precise and dense atmospheres.
Slowing it down with the third track "PTSD," the intro consists of Jaclyn's sultry vocals and haunting instrumentals that shift into these heavy minor melodies and get our feet-stomping with the song's sweltering weight. This might be our favorite track on the EP, as we see Jaclyn perform in many different approaches and styles that are incredibly dynamic and unique. She sings a powerful song towards someone who has "PTSD" after losing Jaclyn and reminiscing the times they've spent together. We can't help but get down with Jaclyn on this track, as she sings with blistering confidence that intrigues us to get to know her better.
We spoke too soon when noting that "PTSD" was our favorite track off the EP, as "Lonely Boy" takes the stage and wows us through this three-minute masterpiece. Opening on a softer note with Jaclyn's airy and calm vocals overtop soothing electric guitar melodies, she sings a story of knowing this man inside and out, almost exposing him for who he really is. Around the one minute mark, the song drops into this exhilarating grunge-rock sound through whaling guitars and striking drum patterns. Jaclyn clearly had her heartbroken by this "Lonely Boy," as she sings a highly relatable tune of recognizing how you're being treated and what you truly deserve from a relationship.
Reaching the outro track "Energy," Jaclyn ties in more of an uplifting alt-rock sound through this song. She sings a modern-day tale of how the youth today is so distracted by screens, that we've lost the human touch of deep and connective conversations. That being said, Jaclyn also shares the bright side of the millennials and gen z's; she sings about how we're here to change, revolutionize, and bring justice to our system. The instrumentals are so refreshing, and truly bring a sense of togetherness and the motivation to stand up for what you believe in. Genuinely a stunning EP from top to bottom, Jaclyn has done a sublime job of fulfilling her musical promise and has exceeded our expectations through each song off her self-titled EP 'Jaclyn.'
Discover 'Jaclyn' here.
We're blown away by your dynamic EP, 'Jaclyn.' Noting that Jaclyn has seen many ups and downs in life, what message did you want your audience to take away from the EP?
Hey! Thank you so much. It has been a wild ride and continues to be a wild ride. The overall message of the EP is Love. Even though there aren't any "love" songs on the EP. At the core of all of us is love. We all want to be loved and accepted and will give ourselves to people or things in order to find it. I want people to feel strong and empowered when they listen to this ep. Whatever hell you are facing it gets better; your first love should be yourself. We've heard you're a survivor of Hodgkin's Lymphoma, which was the fuel that fired your EP "Jaclyn." How did you go about fulfilling your promise of creating music that speaks your own story?
I was battling for two years; there was a moment I was laying in the hospital bed and I had to keep remembering to breathe. As if my body forgot how to do it on its own. That was the moment I thought I was going to die. I felt a sense of regret at the pit of my stomach and all the things I didn't do. Music was at the forefront. As much as I sang and did open mics. I never really pushed myself to go any further. I made a promise to myself that night that if I get out of here alive; I will put everything I have into making music. As soon as the doc said I was okay to transition back to normal life I knew this was my chance to make the music I always dreamed about. Most producers I worked with in the past always connected my sound with synth-pop. That never felt right. I always thought of myself as a songwriter first. My lyrics are what differentiates me, my story, and my experience. I needed this to all come through with not only the lyrics but the music. The artists I look up to are all dead. I romanticize the old real sound. When I met Mike Mazzotta (producer/co-writer) it just clicked. He only heard my voice memos and automatically knew the direction I wanted to go. Without changing me but guiding me. What fueled me was that fear of regret. Fear that I don't have time. Mike and I not only talked about music but spirituality; mind, body, and soul. This record comes from the pit of who I am. And I got a lot more to give. Speaking on the instrumentals within your EP 'Jaclyn,' Jaclyn ties in these vastly different approaches through grunge, alt-rock, and pop. What pulled you to create songs with natural and live instrumentation?
It was important for me to have real live instruments on this EP. I wanted the songs to sound human. Having real people play I believe gave the songs more life. When we wrote the song “Energy” the idea for the chorus came to me in the shower. This was when the LGBTQ community was under attack with the shooting at the Orlando nightclub. It was a big deal for a week and then people kind of forgot about it. I saw social media pages go back to normal, and people moved on to the next thing. I wanted to write a song about unity. A song to show we are all each other, just different versions..."you kill one of us, you kill us all". As Mike and I continued to write we knew this song was bigger than us. We had the crazy idea of having kids on the record, we just had to find some kids. A couple of days later Mike got a phone call that a camp wanting to come and explore a studio for a trip. It was so bizarre..it was fate. We were like “yeah you can come but can you sing these lyrics”. It was an amazing experience and hit the core when I heard the kids sing the lyrics. This song is for them, for a better future. During your time in the hospital fighting for your life, you must have had some realizations and wake-up calls regarding your music career. Did you make any changes to your brand, sound, and what you stand for?
I was not the same girl I was after dancing with death. I couldn’t let what happened to me be for nothing. I always used songwriting as a way to communicate what I was too scared to say. But after experiencing what I did, I knew there was something bigger I needed to say. I wasn't writing for myself anymore; I was writing for people. I took a good look at my surroundings and saw what was wrong, I saw what actually mattered and it wasn't boys, booze, or money but it was compassion, connection, and humanity. I just let myself be who I always felt inside. I didn't try to filter the way I dressed or care what people thought. I just did me; and in that process, I found my brand. I'm the girl who goes to stop and shop in a leather jumpsuit and has no regrets.
What can fans anticipate to hear next from you, Jaclyn?
I’ve been anticipating getting back into the studio, I have so many songs that need to get out into the world. So many messages I’d like to share. This EP is just the beginning. Even though I’m no longer battling cancer; now I’m battling the more common struggle which is life. Trying to navigate my way in this new world. Since 2020 was kind of a bust for the live shows, I am hoping in 2021 there are live shows in my future. I would love to do festivals and vibe with large crowds. After releasing the video for my single “Alive” and seeing how well it is being received; I am definitely looking forward to creating more music videos for my songs. Being an artist you constantly doubt yourself, and as strongly as we feel inside that this is the right thing we have outside sources telling us it’s not. But that feeling of regret I felt in the hospital, I never want to feel again. So I’m going to go for it until my days run out.