By Abi Falin
It’s been said before that Jenn Blosil is sunshine in human form. Hearing about her musical journey was just as raw and whimsical as her music: an unconventional symphony of setbacks and unapologetic originality. The story of Jenn’s debut album, GiRL iNDiGO, is a story about breaking free from genre constraints and embracing self-expression and self-love.
Jenn says she’s been singing since she was born, and at age four started classical training on the piano. She had begged her mom to put her in lessons, but once she was finally inside with her strict teacher, watching the kids playing outside, she just hated it. One day, Jenn heard her sister playing the piano and singing, and realized this combination was an option.
At age 15, Jenn’s sister convinced her to perform at Velour’s open mic night. “All of these homies from my high school showed up in support of me, which was so cool,” Jenn says. Velour invited her back. She was an opener for two people and by her third time at the venue she was the headliner.
“My music journey has been long,” Jenn says. “I’m almost 32.” Jenn faced challenges navigating the music industry because she didn’t fit nicely into a box. As a devout Christian who wasn’t making Christian music, record labels didn’t know what to do with her. Her music didn’t seem to be pop enough, or this enough, or that enough. At the time there was no Lorde, no Adele, no Billie Eilish, “these women coming in and breaking genre barriers and image barriers and all that stuff.”
Jenn Blosil had served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New York City, and she felt pulled back to the city. “I sold so many of my belongings and clothes so I could fly out there,” Jenn says. But the producers she worked with weren’t the right fit. Six months into living in New York, Jenn had the feeling she needed to reach out to her friend, Spencer Petersen (now a Grammy-nominated producer). This collab led to the creation of Jenn’s debut album, GiRL iNDiGO.
GiRL iNDiGO is more than just an album; it’s a story of Jenn’s journey. “I feel like the album, to me, was a testament of me believing in my dreams even when no one else was,” Jenn shares, reflecting on the album’s personal significance. “Everything about the album is symbolic to me.”
The title came from indigo being a recently discovered aura color. Jenn says, “Kids that are indigo children are kids that feel like they came from a different planet.” When Jenn heard this definition, she felt her feelings were validated and knew the album had to be named after the new aura color.
Jenn says her album is “a story of basically what it’s been like for me, believing that I’m a spiritual being that now has a body and coming to terms with that.” The album is full of concepts that delve into the integration of spirit and body, a journey of self-discovery and acceptance. Jenn’s beautifully raspy voice and diversity of styles make for a beautiful and engaging album. She’s the queen of a soft vibey beat, background vocals and sounds, and perfectly melded drums, all floating along with raw thoughts and emotional words.
Jenn’s songwriting process is as fluid and diverse as her music. When asked what she draws inspiration from, she says, “Anywhere, just life.” Jenn says that when she was younger, she thought no artist lived like her so she couldn’t be inspired by artists – but now her outlook is the opposite: “Everyone inspires me. Everything inspires me.” She hears things, sees things, smells things, then asks herself why she likes those things. Getting specific with that helps her find inspiration.
But most of all, Jenn is inspired by the mundane things of life and believes everyone else should be, too. She says, “We are in environments that speak to the soul.” She says she puts herself in places that she knows will illuminate her or watches films and reads books that she knows will elevate her experience. “So, number one, I’m being very intentional about the kind of life I’m creating, and number two, I’m realizing that the most ordinary thing is also inspiring.”
It’s been a long creative journey for Jenn, and it’s not over yet. Jenn has more beautiful things on the horizon. She says while she’s constantly looking for the right fit producer-wise, this year is more about gaining momentum and consistently releasing music.
Make sure to follow Jenn Blosil on Instagram. You can listen to her latest release, “BAD FRUiT” below!