Tell us a bit about yourself and your career path! What sparked your interest in music?  

I am a composer, orchestrator, and songwriter. My mother would put headphones on her belly and play some of her favorite music so I think I probably developed my love in the womb. Both of my parents are musical, my mother loves music and can direct a choir and my father can sing and play the bass guitar. I started singing in church at a young age and started playing piano at age 9. I remember getting in trouble in second grade in music class because I wouldn’t stop touching the piano keys. I played and sang all throughout my childhood, and wrote my first song in tenth grade, at least the first song I can remember. It was your usual high school crush song. Since high school, I’ve been writing nonstop. 

When I went to college, I changed my major nine times – Dance, International Studies, Spanish, English – but none of those really kept me happy. I ended up studying piano, and realized I had this passion for composition, specifically film music. I ended up studying film music my senior year of college, and then went to grad school for film music. I’ve always loved movies, especially romance and period pieces. One of my professors in grad school introduced me to the world of musicals, which you would think is structured the same as film music, but the two are completely different. I mean, score setup, vernacular, norms. They provide the same result – music for the story –  but are gone about very differently. As a person who loves to learn, I became fascinated with being able to switch between the two worlds. 

So, from a young girl singing at my parents’ church to now, I think one thing has remained true: music has always been my happy place. It was never not going to be one of my main focuses or goals. I just didn’t know it would be the number one focus.

You’ve written such a variety of scores like your catchy jazzy score for Sonny’s Blues, or your lush, synth-based score for Midnight Lights and Babygurl. What are your favorite styles of music to write and why?  

As a composer, I love classical, pop, soul, and musicals. As a church girl, I often find myself incorporating some form of “church” within my music. As a songwriter, I love inspirational and gospel music. I love uplifting people. For musicals though, I will probably incorporate some nod to my favorite genres within the orchestration, simply because it’s something I love to do. I try to work it so that it’s consistent with the storyline and surrounding music.  

You’re not only a composer, you’re also a talented singer-songwriter! You released “Introducing Jesénia Jackson” as your first album. What was your process like for that album? Any plans for a new album on the horizon?

Thank you! It was definitely a learning and growing process. I learned so much, including how I want to sound as an artist. I recorded that project in 2021. I was 25 years old, and I was so grateful to have the support of my friends and family. And yes, I definitely have some new music I’ve been working on that I think will really set the stage for who I am as a singer-songwriter and producer. The fall and winter will definitely be an exciting time. 

Congratulations on working on your first original musical! Can you tell us anything about that, your inspiration, or the story you’re telling? What’s this project been like for you?  

Thank you! Oh man, this project is personal. It’s one of those projects that you write  and then have to take a minute and come back to. Experiences that I’m gathering from my personal life and from others. It’s one of those projects that cause you to pay closer attention to the things we consider small that are actually quite important. And it’s nothing like being in NYC while writing this because every day is literally a new experience or point of view on a particular subject. The characters in this piece are personal to me because I feel like each one of them is an experience I may have had at some point in my life, or they are an experience I’ve witnessed. 

So, I’m excited about the culmination of it all, and excited to see it finally come to life. 

You’ve also done a lot of other great music work in different roles. Can you tell us more about your work as a music director and orchestrator? Do you find that work influencing you as an artist and composer? 

Yes, I love music directing. It’s exciting to help a person embody the traits of a  character through song. It brings out the extroverted side of me that I do enjoy tucking  away. It’s exciting to get the band together and shape the music and to work with the director to help make everything come to life. 

As an orchestrator, I feel the same way. Finding the right instruments that will best fit the style, sound, and story of the musical: again, one of those challenges that I love. As a person who gets bored very easily, finding new ways to make a piece come to life is extremely enjoyable and I always try to do what makes me the happiest. 

For composition, I learn something new about instruments every day. I get to explore instruments and come up with new sounds, or discover new extended techniques. For singing, I’m producing. I’m doing the same thing I would do as an orchestrator but in a different genre and style and with my original music. My ears are more tuned to transitions or what instruments work best, which octaves to use, sounds to layer, how to structure songs. Everything goes hand in hand. 

Music composition, songwriting, and orchestration are exciting because it’s always a new challenge every day and I live for that. Music directing and orchestration definitely influence me as an artist and composer.

In what ways has the AWFC or the AWFC community shaped your journey? What does the AWFC as a community mean to you?

The AWFC has helped connect me with other composers in the NYC community and beyond. I’m always checking the newsletter for the latest, and the directory is a good place to frequent when looking to connect. Being a part of the AWFC means having support when you don’t always feel it: having a space to gather with women who may be experiencing the same highs and lows, and being in a space that reminds you that you are indeed a strong, powerful, and creative woman. I’m grateful to have been part of the AWFC for a few years now, and looking forward to staying a part. 

If you’re not a member, what are you waiting for?

Check out Jesénia’s Directory page here!