ICYMI: #WomanCrushWednesday IG Live featuring Jillian Shea Spaeder

BY LAURA HARPER/WWR Staff Writer

From putting out her own original music to starring in the role of Jane in the new Disney movie Godmothered, no one has perfected the art of doing it all quite as much as the multitalented Jillian Shea Spaeder.

Spaeder has been exposed to music her entire life; in fact, her parents met one another while being in a band together. They brought her up on stage with them from the time she was very young and allowed her to grow accustomed to being in front of an audience. During that time, her parents also signed her up for piano lessons.

At the time, Spaeder said she did not really enjoy playing the piano and quit taking lessons whenever she found the opportunity. It was then that she discovered her love for playing acoustic guitar, followed by electric guitar, and eventually her own voice.

Spaeder moved from her hometown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Los Angeles, California to pursue her acting career when she was just 12 years old. However, it was also in Los Angeles that she began to make strides in her music career.

In Los Angeles, Spaeder was able to form connections with a variety of producers, with each one able to cater to the unique sounds of her various songs.

“I love them all in different ways,” Spaeder said of her producers.

While many musicians have felt the pressures of creative strain as a result of COVID-19, Spaeder says she feels that the pandemic has been something of a benefit to her music career.

“I have more time to spend on my music,” Spaeder said.

Upcoming, Spaeder says she would like to release a full-length album as well as an EP featuring a few songs recorded live. She also said that in the future she would like to have the opportunity to write music for someone else.

“I really like creating and I like the idea of having that secret and seeing someone else perform something that I worked on,” Spaeder said.

As for challenges she has faced in her career thus far, Spaeder said that she has noticed some behavior in others that may be due to her being a young woman in the music industry.

“It’s always an underlying tone,” Spaeder said. “I don’t know if it’s from me being a woman or me being 18.”

While those with dual acting and music careers often struggle to find a balance in both, Spaeder says that has not been an issue for her, mostly because she does not face any pressure from a label pushing her to put out new music.

“I put out music when I find the time,” Spaeder said.

For now, Spaeder is focusing on finishing her final year of high school and deciding whether to work or attend college once she graduates. She has already auditioned and been accepted to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

For more on Jillian Shea Spaeder, you can check out the entire interview on Instagram @OfficialWomenWhoRock.