ICYMI: #WomanCrushWednesday IG Live featuring Kelley Jeanne

BY LAURA HARPER/WWR Staff Writer

It can take a lot of courage to quit your day job and follow your dreams given the uncertain nature of the music industry, and one woman who exemplifies that bravery is Women Who Rock Ambassador Kelley Jeanne.

Jeanne traveled a lot while growing up due to her father serving in the Navy, but the one place she really considers home is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she attended Pitt University and earned a degree in chemistry.

While Jeanne says her mother fostered her love of singing while she was growing up, she also had a passion for math and science. Throughout college, her focus on school caused music to take a backseat. During that time, she conducted a lot of scientific research involving breast cancer treatment and stem cell research through Magee-Womens Research Institute. Her work with the institute eventually led to her wanting to become a WWR ambassador to raise funds and awareness for lifesaving women’s health research.

“The work they do at Magee is amazing,” Jeanne said. “I want to do whatever I can to help.”

Although she loved working in research, Jeanne began to realize that something was missing from her life, and music is what filled that gap. She joined a choir in Pittsburgh, but soon realized that she had a deeper desire to perform and write her own music. Eventually, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue music full time after finding a producer who worked with the vision she had for her music.

“My songs are my babies,” Jeanne said.

Now, Jeanne focuses on creating her own music while also advocating for women in the music industry, specifically within the prominently male-dominated country genre. She says she is happy to have found a strong group of women supporting each other in Nashville.

“It is really hard to be a woman in the industry,” Jeanne said. “There are questions asked to women that would never be asked to a man.”

Currently, Jeanne is working on writing new music in between the multiple live performances she has lined up, with dates in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Florida within the next few weeks.

When it comes to writing music, Jeanne likes to focus on her own experiences and creating music that other people can relate to. For example, her song “This Crazy” was inspired by a rather crazy night out at a bar infused with a deeper meaning.

“Where you are right now is okay,” Jeanne said. “Being crazy sometimes is okay.”

When writing music, Jeanne says one of the most important things is to be authentic in a way that allows the audience to connect with you on a deeper level, even if that involves opening up about personal experiences.

“When you’re telling the truth and singing songs from your heart, that’s so, so important,” Jeanne said.

For more on Kelley Jeanne, you can check out the entire interview on the @OfficialWomenWhoRock IGTV channel on Instagram.