Jane A Bakken Q&A

Your name:  

Jane A. Bakken. A stands for 'Adele' a name I used to hate ...that is until 'Adele' started singing!

Where are you from?

Born in Duluth, Minnesota....midwestern United States. However, travelled at ripe age of three months to Seattle WA area, northwest US and have lived in this area ever since. Currently live with my family in country, about 45 minutes east of Seattle.

Name of band: 

Solo vocalist on my fourth album.

Who else is in your band?

Teamed up with Grammy-award winning music producer/musician Eric Tingstad.
Individual musicians on albums hired on project basis...some of the finest in this area.

How would you describe yourself and your music?

An eclectic singer with a wide range vocally as well as with languages, cultures and musical genres. Sing music in 10 languages (not fluent in any except English...practicing all). Always passionate about people from many cultures languages, backgrounds. This album includes covers in six different languages, including English, and crosses over several musical genres. It's a lil sweet, a lil sensual, a lil sassy with covers of jazz, Broadway (2), pop, big band, and even a few classical numbers.
The glue that holds this album tight is the familiarity of every song: All English songs are well-loved globally and the songs in each language are well-loved favorites in that specific language/culture. 

Who are your main influences musically?

Great question...especially as it relates to this album!

I was wondering the other day, where did this fascination with different cultures and their music originate? I think one of the main influences is that I was raised in a church community that brought  in musicians from around the world including every musical genre. My folks would also invite people from many cultures into our home for dinner, gatherings, etc. When I was five, they brought in two sailors from a South Korean ship moored in the port in Seattle for a Sunday dinner. With one of the sailors, that began a lifelong friendship that continues to this day.
I recall hiding my transistor radio under my pillow listening to the Beatles...of course, loved them!!
My piano classical training started at age 6, and brought many musical genres into my life. Started playing for church choirs, groups, singers at age 12.
My own music training started at age six. Mrs. Wills, my first grade teacher, evidently saw/heard a love for music in me and sent me home with a cardboard keyboard and a primer's music book...a bright red one! Well, my folks were not able to buy a piano, so I recall pounding on that cardboard keyboard on dining room table for more than a year, and then the next day, I would play it on Mrs. Wills' piano in classroom. That was my music roots. And ever since I remember, I wanted to sing.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Music has always been about connection for me - connecting to body, mind and spirit within myself and with others in relationship. This album of covers crosses over language, culture and musical genres. It is my humble response to all those songs, cultures and artists calling to the music rumbling inside me, a handful of whom I honor in this album.
My goals are the same now as they were when I first started performing. And that is simple: Work at finetuning my craft daily, and show up in service to the music, authentically, whole-heartedly. My hope is that all my music in all it's love and passion brings great joy to the hearts of all listeners, and that it carry in every note that Love has the power to connect us.  This album, more than any other, embodies all the many colours of my soul!
It's been six years since my last album. You know, they say that singing, well for that fact, all art, is a 'reporting of the soul'. And I, like many artisans, need those times where I focus more on the inner journey, times of reflection so that what I bring up to the surface in the singing is 'something worthy of reporting'.
Life and preparation for this album took me places inside and musically that were new, and you can hear that in the energy of each song.
I want to move out again in global concert tours with this new album ...when the time is right.
I want to do solo concerts for the next 50 plus years that embody the feelings of this album - a concert that weaves together various languages, cultures, musical genres with excellence.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

I would say the creation of this new album. I had been working for the past three years with various coaches, honing my skills in different musical genres, selecting music, etc. I had began about 12 years ago more intensive training in bel canto singing (beautiful singing...classical/operatic), and that foundation has brought a new depth and breadth to all the music....even the jazz, pop, Broadway, etc. I had the
opportunity to work for several sessions with Rosalind Plowright OBE, a well-loved opera singer in the UK, who was working with the Seattle Opera for a time last year. I have already been getting great feedback on songs from other countries, and of course, the US...so, of course, that fills up my heart! Feedback that the singing takes people to new place of connection inside themselves, that it makes them feel more loved...that they can feel a special energy pouring through the singing...that's the kind of feedback that makes it all worth while for me!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

I've already forgotten it.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Well, that is where I'm a bit of an odd fish....not able to do that. Hence this album:  LOVE AND PASSION COLOURS OF MY SOUL. Throughout my piano/singing career, I have had times where I've focused specifically just on one genre - jazz/pop & R&B/country/world music/classical/alternative/spiritual, etc.  However, the whole of my life and musical journey has brought me to this place. All the different kinds of music/languages/cultures have been what has enabled me to connect with all the colours of my soul into one varied tapestry and they all make up me and my music today. I think it is that journey of deeper connection within myself through these songs that is holding a place of special energy for the listeners.

Where can we listen to it? 

New Album just released, so we are just ramping up for marketing last week and this.
Several radio stations, including streaming internet stations globally, have said they will be playing.
www.janebakken.com   main website
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/janebakken4
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/janebakken2 
Twitter @CarmenRose12 - Click on Tweets and Replies for many tweets of song previews and YouTube clips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE26UGzL7bE   
This is a preview of Track 1 on new album: Broadway cover from Jekyll & Hyde
I normally do not include this for airplay, however, globally, it is getting more interest along with I Send You Love (one of my originals from Christmas album) probably due to holiday season.

Where can we find out more about your music? 

Both new album and Holiday album available for purchase and downloads through all CD Baby download partners: CD BABY, Amazon, iTunes, Shazam, etc.