JENNA LEIGH-RAINE – interview

Interview with artist, producer, multi-instrumentalist of Electronic Rock, Ambient, PunkRock, Pop Jenna Leigh-Raine. Jenna was born in Surrey, England, currently residing in both Los Angeles and London

Introduce your band, and describe your latest release:
I’m solo and I write, play, produce and engineer my work. My new single is taken from my upcoming album which took fifteen months to make. The single I’ve just released is called Horror Side about the dark, hidden horror of human wrong and the missing.

What’s the hardest part about being a band in this day and age?
Too much music is released in this day and age. Before the internet and streaming, when psychical sales created the chart, music was authentic and artists from all genres were truly heard. Now, it’s hard for anyone to get their music heard even when it’s brilliant or different and innovative.

I don’t know the answer. But one thing I decided was not to give a whole album over upon release to be available on streaming platforms, rather just one track as a shop window to the album.

When did you realise that your project had the potential to be much more than just a fun idea?
When I was first signed with WEA aged 21 in Paris. I had other deals, in 2005 and my most recent being in 2019. I’ve always treated each album as a movie almost as though it were to have a future release life, performance, travel and image. Every album was either a new look, sound, image or extension of the one before.

Tell us about your latest release, why should we check it out?
I think the subject matter is important, being about the hidden darkness and atrocity caused by humans, like missing children, obscene events to possible testing and more. I’m a powerful psychic medium and remote viewer and during my career I’ve assisted and offered information to the Los Angeles police department (LAPD) on murder cases and in the UK, located missing living and dead. I hear dead people, as they say, but in reality, they are spirit.

How does a song typically come together for you?
Well I can create the music from a sound that builds, later adding melody to lyric. Sometimes, I get inspiration from a melody with words that I’m randomly singing or humming.

I may pick up one of my electric guitars and play until something interesting happens. There’s no one specific way. I’ve been quite prolific since 2016 but even though I’ve completed the new album BLOODSAND, it’s normal to work on the next album. Though the time from completing to mastering to a new project can be up to three months. So in reality, time passes and new ideas are constantly in my head.

How would you describe your sound to an unfamiliar reader?
Cinematic music / cinematic rock – a mix of both dark and light, electronic and rock. That’s because of my love for visuals and production will have quite a wall of cinematic appearance. Others say its a bit futuristic industrial or alternative metal ambient etc

What do you want listeners to take away from listening to your band?
That I offer new music a new cene. Notice I don’t spell it ‘scene’ which is punk-pop. But this is just an invention from my head and not the street. It’s my sound I suppose I can’t write to genre it always ends up sounding like me.

Where would you really like to tour that you haven’t done so yet, and why?
I’d love to play live outdoors at night. It’s just so atmospheric.

How would you say that the sound of your band has progressed over the years?
It’s sonically better: better production, better themes, something submerged into.

How excited are you for 2024 and what can fans expect from you?
I have another video out this month that will only be available to buy before the vinyl format in early 2024 via Bandcamp. It’s called POSSESSION and possibly my best slower songs ever. Get your tickets and take a seat – the new sound is about to begin.

The new album BLOODSAND is out 2024.

Jenna’s latest single Horror Side is available on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube.