perfect Pitch
It's been 4 years since I first met Jen Pitch through her MySpace page. Although she was born in Indonesia to a Scottish father and Indonesian mother, her creative inclinations fomented as an art student in Australia.The very day I wrote her to encourage her obvious talent with my overwhelming appreciation was the day she decided to send a big F.U. to the dead end jobs and part time humiliation that all artists have to tolerate.Her voice immediately captivated me with a girl next door quality that mirrors her own self journey. She generously shares this Sonic Siddartha with her listeners. Jen writes songs that everyone can relate to and unabashedly explores her own fears and self doubts through her art. She says what she wants and her music stands for itself. She "believes in love but would rather write about feelings of self worth and other matters of the heart that aren't explored enough these days".
She's not your average singer-songwriter, whining a litany of complaints about life's injustices. On the contrary, Jen is bringing her listeners along on her transition from her own personal darkness into the light. A self proclaimed pessimist, Jen is slowly learning that the glass is much more full than she once realized. I have watched her evolution mature from the adolescent angst of "So Here" and "Pain" to the brightly optimistic relationship portrayed in "Only One", and it is a ride that has been well worth taking.
Although her songs are guitar driven Jen grew up playing classical music. She says she still enjoys "huge fanfare type songs with strings". This juxtaposition of sublime musicality with the raw grounded emotion that pounding drums and wailing guitars provide fascinates her and her listeners as well. Lyrics are extremely important to Jen as she tends to write things when she's angry or upset (hence, the glass-half-emptydom). Many artists and creative types find it much more accessible to create out of the negative emotions they experience, but Jen tries to deal with both sides of the spectrum. Her goal is to give people goose bumps, and her demographic is so wide that my mother likes her music for it's soothing and uplifting qualities as much as I like it for it for the soaring, soul-wrenching secret world it reveals.
Not only is Jen talented, but she's also humble. A strong desire to continue to her musical evolution, leads her to collaborate with as many different musicians as she can. One of her biggest influences is Thom Yorke,who is universally acclaimed for his ever changing, experimental songwriting and performance style. She cites other favorites like John Mayer, Sufjan Stevens, Jason Mraz, Damien Rice and Dionne Farris among others.
It's been four years since I first met Miss Pitch, and since then she's complied 11 songs and is mixing her first album. I am totally prepared to be stunned and if this article sounds more like a sales "pitch" then a review- full disclosure: I've been "stalking" this music for a long time and I can't wait to get my sweaty little palms on it and slowly peel away the shrink wrap! Is that so wrong............how's that for a "Pitch"?
So Here - Jen Pitch
View Artist Profile On SoundSugar: soundsugar.net/jenpitch