Jene 'Jene's Reign' album

Jene does not merely want to be a successful singer... she wants to be a "phenomenon." That's a lofty goal for a young woman at the threshold of her recording career, but it's an attainable one. Quite simply, Jene is not another dime-a-dozen belter waiting for thirty seconds of the limelight. She's a force of nature --- an artist with sharp enough skills to turn a simple song into a smash, and with enough heart and soul to turn millions of listeners into loyal fans.

For evidence, all one needs is to investigate Jene's sterling Motown debut Jene's Reign, it's an album on which she performs with a high degree of soul that belies her youth. She holds her own --- and then some ---collaborating with a battery of heavy-hitting producers and tune-smiths that include Full Force, Teddy Bishop, Chris Henderson, Allen "Allstar" Gordon, Duron of 112 and among others. Through each song, Jene exudes immeasurable poise and confidence... sometimes despite herself.

"During the recording process, I have to confess that I'd have flashes of fear," the artist reveals. "It all happened very quickly, and there would be moments in the day when I'd feel overwhelmed. But then I'd be in the studio with headphones on and the music would kick in. I would start to sing, and all of the fear would wash away. Singing has always gotten me through life... the good times and the difficult. It's one of the most important things in my life."

Music has been a part of Jene's life since she was a child. She follows in the footsteps of pop music's greatest singers by having first discovered her voice in church, where she was a member of a choir in her hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. "I never took formal lessons in voice," she shares. "I just always sang from my heart. I've been blessed in that it comes naturally to me."

She started to consider pursuing music beyond her church choir shortly after her family moved to Orlando, Florida. "I was watching TV one day and seeing Mariah Carey sing 'Hero,'" Jene recalls, "and it was like the clouds broke, and I could see clearly. I knew what I wanted --- and needed --- to do with my life. I'd found my calling, my focus."

Jene was so determined to break into the professional music world that she opted to remain in Orlando to pursue her dream after her family moved back to Shreveport. "It was a hard decision to make, but my family supported me," she says. "They were excited for me. They knew I had the drive to make something special happen. I know they wanted me to come home with them, but they believed enough in me and in my dream to let me take a chance."

While in Florida Jene hooked up with Ryan Glover, the Co-CEO of Noontime Recordings-- hitmaking team behind Usher ('You Got It Bad'), Toni Braxton ('Just Be A Man About It'), among others With that, Jene set out to infiltrate the music scene. Her first audition was with Motown's Shante Paige, Vice President of A&R, and then Kedar Massenburg, Motown's President & CEO. After that she didn't have to go anywhere else, she was home.

"It was surreal," she recalls with a smile. "From that point on, I was on a roller-coaster that still hasn't stopped. To be honest, I don't feel like any of it has sunken into my brain as being completely real just yet. It's going to take a while."

And it not like every step of Jene's journey has been smooth. "This business can be lonely," she admits. "I've had to sacrifice being with my family in order to do this, and that's harder than I can truly say. I've cried many times. But I happily signed on the dotted line. I'm committed to making this happen in a BIG way."

Jene certainly has the tools necessary to reach the top of the music world. Her self-titled disc runs the gamut from the pop-inflected funk of "Get Info Something" and to the sultry R&B of "Phenomenal Woman" to the inspirational gospel balladry of "Believe In Love."

"The intention of this album is to reach as many people as possible," she says. "I want to attract fans of Celine Dion and P.Diddy. I want them all to find something to embrace on this record."

"Get Into Something" is Jen's "party anthem," she notes with a grin. "It's the kind of jam that you slam right before you hit it with your friends on Friday night. It's hot."

On the thematic flip-side, "Phenomenal Woman," which features a tasty rap interlude by Loon, represents the more serious side of Jene. "Kedar brought it to me. It was like he could see right inside me when he played this song for me. This song is how I want to be seen as woman."

But it's during "Believe in Love" that Jene shows all that she's made of. Her voice soars to remarkable heights -- both technically and emotionally. "I hold that song dear to my heart," she notes. "I got real intimate and personal with the song. It's so very spiritual, and it's my family's favorite song on the album. I can --- and will --- sing that song in church."

In maintaining her commitment to family and spirituality, Jene is making a commitment to holding true to herself as she begins to take flight as a recording artist.

"Tomorrow is a mystery of sorts," she concludes. "The sky's the limit. And I'm ready to go where I'm destined to be. But I'm intent on not changing as a human being. I will not take any of my good fortune or blessings for granted."

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Tracklisting

Jene - Jene's Reign