“I have so many fond family memories around the piano or my dad's acoustic guitar,” says Jenn Bostic ahead of her show at the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space on Thu 20 Feb. “So many evenings after dinner we would all sing together. After I lost my dad in a tragic car accident at age ten, music became the one point of connection with him that still remained.” Jenn wrote her most well-known song, ‘Jealous of the Angels’ for her late father. “Songwriting became the therapy that helped me through that experience,” Jenn says. “Watching that first song come to life at age 12 was an incredible experience. That’s when I knew I wanted to pursue music. At the time I thought it would be music education but, after graduating college, I moved to Nashville to write and record my own music.”

When asked what her favourite song to perform was and why, Jenn says: “This is such a difficult question. The obvious answer is ‘Jealous of the Angels’. Getting the opportunity to share my story, honour my dad, and connect with people who are grieving is an incredible gift that I don’t take for granted. The way I’ve seen God move through that song is something so much greater than anything I could begin to take credit for. While it is a really special part of each show, I also love performing songs from my catalogue that challenge vocally and allow me to use different techniques, such as ‘Revival’, ‘Easy to Love’, and ‘Not Yet’.”

Most recently, Jenn performed as one of Katherine Jenkins’ special guests at the Royal Albert Hall. “I still can't believe this massive dream came true. Katherine Jenkins is an incredible person and artist,” says Jenn. “A few years ago, she recorded a stunning version of ‘Jealous of the Angels’. We had a little communication at that time and had never met in person. We were trying to organize a writing session but, with busy schedules, that fell through.” This collaboration came full circle when Jenn received a message from Katherine out of the blue. “She invited me to be a special guest at her Christmas show. She’d read in an article that it was a dream of mine to perform at Royal Albert Hall and, in true Katherine fashion, she decided to help make that dream come true.”

On Wed 11 December 2024, Jenn joined Katherine Jenkins on her Christmas show at the Royal Albert Hall. “Her entire team took such incredible care of me, and it was pure magic to perform with her on that stage. We sang ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ and ‘Jealous of the Angels’ as duets. We got to sing for our dads together. It was a night I’ll never forget.”

Known for her soulful voice with a hint of pop, country and gospel, Jenn’s emotive songwriting and powerful vocals continue to touch hearts around the world. “Each album is different,” says Jenn. “Sometimes the vision for an album is at the forefront of my mind, and other times I find myself in a season of writing, and suddenly, I have too many new favourite songs that I have to book a studio day.”

She’ll return to the UK in February with a new show alongside a brand-new EP, ‘Love You Right’. “This is a fun project that was completed in a very short period of time. The songs were written and recorded during my first year of motherhood, and those sessions were “mom’s day out” with some of my dearest friends!”

Jenn adds: “We didn’t overthink the songs. We enjoyed the process, had a blast creating, and let the songs be what they wanted to be. This project was created with sync in mind. Hopefully we’ll all be hearing these tracks in our favorite movies and television shows someday soon.” That’s not all. Jenn is already working on her next project. “I started the recording process for another project at the end of last year that I’ll be working on throughout the coming months. This project will have sonic similarities to my ‘Revival’ album.”

Don’t miss what promises to be an exciting show on Thu 20 Feb. “I’m thrilled to be performing at Symphony Hall in the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space! I’ll be sharing a variety of songs from many different albums, including the new project. I will also have a few special guests joining me on certain songs. It’s been a long time since I’ve performed in Birmingham, and I’m truly looking forward to it.”

Interview by Lerah Barcenilla, Marketing & Communications Officer