Meet Jenny LaJoye

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny LaJoye.

Jenny, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in a family of professional musicians. My mom was the high school choir director, and my dad was the high school band director in our small town in Southwest Michigan. My five siblings are all involved in music in some way – be it teaching, songwriting, musical theater, vocal performance, or dancing (looking at you, little sis – you make music with your body! It’s wild!). So, I always say that being a musician, though never a requirement, is definitely a powerful side effect of being a LaJoye. ANYWAY. My parents started me on the violin at age five, and it was my very first love. I took private lessons until I was 20, at which time I dropped my music education major and got a religion major instead (don’t ask. or do… but buy me a beer first). I guess I was sort of attracted to the poetic and integrated nature of the theological study. The songwriter in me was there the whole time – a sort of sacred mix of musicianship, deep introspection, community engagement, and poetry – and I’m very happy to say that I’ve found and embraced that identity fully. FINALLY.

What were some of the toughest moments you’ve faced along your journey?
One of the toughest moments for me in my songwriting career was moving away from Michigan and having to reestablish myself across the country. The community I had in Southwest Michigan was deep and wide and warm and fuzzy and familiar. In Denver, I learned that the community is a two-way street. The biggest and toughest part is just showing up consistently, and if you don’t do that, it makes it a lot harder for a community to show up for you. I had a couple of key humans in my life drag me out of the house for open mics and shows before I really understood how necessary that was. As it turns out, the music and arts community in Denver – though much bigger than my hometown – is so so ready to wrap people up in its arms and be a fierce resource of love and support. But showing up is the hard part. And it can be exhausting, and I sometimes get it wrong. But it’s SO worth it. Another tough element of making a career out of music for me has been learning to openly embrace multiple different communities and identities within myself without shame or tip-toeing. I’m a full-time musician and a full-time theology student, a queer person who doesn’t fit neatly into sexuality or gender boxes AND a person who is fluent in Christianese and finds theologies fascinating and is always doing some kind of church work. I’m a both/and person, but I often let myself present as either/or for sake of ease. That continues to be tough.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I tell people that I’m a folk/pop singer-songwriter and vocal loop artist who makes music to find a connection in a time of disconnection, and to feel something in a world gone numb. I think that sums it up! I’m a big believer that art, in any form, is meant to make us feel something. It’s meant to keep us human in a world in which apathy is a far easier option. So I try to remind myself and my communities that what we do is important on a socially active level. Feeling something is a form of protest.

I also curate a little live music listening room in Lakewood, CO called The Chimney Place. It’s been up and running since the end of November 2018, and I’m so very proud of all the different kinds of people and talents and stories that have come through that space – performers and audience and volunteers alike – and made it feel real holy. I’ve performed there before, but I’m also learning from and enjoying the process of simply providing a space for others to come to be brave and feel heard.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Oh my. As I said, I love the music and arts community. I love the individuals I’ve met within it – they inspire me and support me and encourage me, and I would not be able to call myself a full-time musician today without their friendship and mentorship. Admittedly, I’m daily bummed by the crowdedness of this city. Gosh, I want everyone to be welcome here, but it is certainly apparent to me how the more people there are, the more each person can feel a bit like a stranger. (That’s my outsider complex talking, and I’m definitely in part to blame for the population growth! But still… bummer, am I right?)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.patreon.com/jennylajoye
• Email: jennylajoyemusic@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennylajoye/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennylajoyemusic

Image Credit:
Live Close Up: Hannah Skewes, Tunnel: Maeve Leslie, Curb: Hannah LaJoye, Live Outside: Oscar Diaz, Brick Wall: Maeve Leslie

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.