Up & Coming New Nashville- Jesse Terry (With Exclusive Interview)

Jesse Terry was born and raised in Connecticut, to parents who were musicians, songwriters and singers. It was his parents that infused Jesse’s childhood with music and art, and exposed him to the likes of Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen and the Beatles. At a young age, Jesse showed talent as a visual artist and studied with two well-known painters, both of who encouraged him to enter art school. But when his mother gave Jesse her old guitar when he was 19, he decided to put art aside and concentrate solely on music. Both the guitar and songwriting came naturally to Jesse and he was eventually accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he wound up earning several substantial scholarships and a bachelor’s degree in songwriting/performance. He also fronted an original rock band in Boston and performed at countless venues throughout the Northeast. While a senior at Berklee, Jesse won both first and second prize in the prestigious CMT/NSAI song contest. The contest was his introduction to the Nashville scene, where he signed his first publishing deal with Masville Music in August of 2004, a brand new company founded by hit songwriter Mark Alan Springer. Jesse went on to write for the company for the next four and a half years and has lived in Nashville for almost five years.

Jesse has recently began to work with W Management out of NYC (Sheryl Crow, Steve Jordan, Schuyler Fisk).. His debut record "The Runner" has been licensed to ten major television shows including MTV's "The Hills" and "The City".



That Nashville Sound- What brought you to music in the first place?

Jesse Terry- Music was all around me from the very beginning.. My parents were both full-time musicians as I was growing up. I think I always believed that being an artist was the normal thing to aspire to in life. Honestly though, I really tried to avoid being a musician. I focused on fine art until I was about eighteen. But when I finally started playing guitar and writing songs there was no turning back for me. It healed me and gave my life a true purpose. I was pretty lost before I found that outlet.

TNS- Describe your music- what's the mission behind the music?

JT- I have had so many great musical influences that have shaped me.. I love that your music can evolve and change with you. I don't like to put too many barriers on where it can go stylistically. The most important thing to me is that I'm making music that is honest, soulful and emotional. I think that truth is paramount in songwriting. That's probably why I've always been drawn to the great singer/songwriters; classic artists like Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young. Their songs are so transparent and personal, it's effortless to connect to them. The greatest compliment to me is when my music touches someone at that gut level.

TNS- What might people be surprised to find out about you?

JT- I used to be really shy and have wicked stage fright! I had to work really hard to feel at home on stage. Now, after many years, it feels totally natural. I love living in a great music city, but I feel the happiest and most at ease out in the wilderness. I recorded most of my first record in a big log cabin out in the woods. It was a really cool place to live. My dream scenario would be to tour and travel for a good part of the year and then retreat back to a log cabin in Montana or Colorado on my breaks. It would be just me, my sweetheart, my guitars and my dog. That sounds like a perfect life to me.

TNS- What kind of music are you listening to? What's in your iPod?

JT- Well, that's always the hardest question because I listen to so much music. I go through phases where I listen to an artist non-stop. Lately I've been listening to the Stones like crazy. This year I've been really into the Band, Emmylou Harris, Grace Potter, Jonny Lang and Ray LaMontagne. And then of course there are those bands that are always in constant rotation, like the Beatles.

TNS- If you had a crystal ball and looked forward five years, what do you see for yourself?

JT- Well, I try to keep my mind open to all kinds of different scenarios. The future is pretty uncharted and that is exciting. I definitely think that within five years I'll have several more albums recorded. I think that I will be touring constantly. I'd like to spend a lot of time exploring and touring over in Europe. I hear the audiences are wonderful over there. I want to have all kinds of adventures to write about. I think I'll make my next full band record in California and learn to surf while I'm there. I have plans to make a solo acoustic record in Nashville as well.