Jessica Meuse

We picked Jessica Meuse to be our ReverbNation Featured Artist Contest winner because we love her raw sound, her lyrics and the single Blue-Eyed Lies. So, I just had to know the scoop behind the song. Is it about someone Jessica dated? Jessica admitted, “It’s a true story. Even when bad things happen, sometimes you can get good out of it. I try to do that through my music. I tried to make something wasn’t necessarily great into something productive.”

Jessica Meuse recently released her first independent single Done. The song is awesome and I love the YouTube video clip. I just had to learn more about Done and where I could download my own copy. Jessica informed me: “Done is available literally everywhere. It’s on Google Play; it’s on Amazon; it’s on iTunes. The song is about something I’ve been going through the last couple of years, even before American Idol. It’s about another relationship that didn’t really work out and I was just done with it, so I wrote Done. I think I got the point across.”

With a big smile, Jessica added, “I’m really, really proud of it. The song was created with the help of my small, small production team of four people in Los Angeles. It’s raw; it’s real; it’s me. I’m much happier with it than anything I could have otherwise put out. We chugged it out and I’m so proud of it.”

What does Jessica Meuse look for when she collaborates to produce her music? “I look for our ability to work together and to be in synch. The energy should flow and build and feel good. There should be no destructive or negative energy. It should be easy to work with somebody. You should have ideas in common, so you can build on each other and make something together that’s a bigger and better product in the end.”

We’ve watched Jessica Meuse rise to stardom. She was a contestant on The Voice and a finalist on American Idol. Everyone wants to know Jessica’s music back story: “I have always been a music nerd. I have always played an instrument. I learned violin first. I was classically trained. I was in a symphony orchestra for several years, and I worked my way from the back to the front. I still play every now and again, but I like to play a little too fast. I’ve always been a singer. Even as a tiny kid, I’d belt out Home on the Range, and I’d be very loud. I was a very loud kid, and now I’m just a very loud adult.”

It’s always been about the music for Jessica Meuse: “I taught myself guitar. I can play ukulele. I taught myself piano. I love it. It’s a calling. Some people are just meant to play music, and I know that I’m meant to play.”

Music influences for Jessica Meuse come from all over: “I was born in the ‘90’s, so I’m a 90’s country girl. I really like George Strait and Sarah Evans. I was born and raised on the Dixie Chicks. I bought every CD they put out as it came out. I also listen to a lot of old school rock-and-roll and Southern rock: Lynyrd Skynyrd, CCR and Fleetwood Mac. People compare me to Stevie Nicks. I like The Black Crowes, and I even like grunge bands like Nirvana. I get a little bit of inspiration from everywhere.”

Competing in reality shows and producing her own music has to be stressful for Jessica Meuse. What does she do for fun? “It can be stressful sometimes, but I’m addicted to it. I don’t know what I’d do if I had a normal job or a normal life. After something as huge as American Idol, going on tour and being away for a year of my life, I can’t just go back to being normal. I think it’s fun to do what I do. When I have a day off, I like to exercise. I work out. I draw. I like to try and paint things. I practice. I write music and weird short stories just to get things out of my head. I like to create things.”

What advice does Jessica Meuse have for other young artists trying to make a name for themselves in the music business? “My biggest advice for anyone trying to do anything is always be yourself and be confident. The only time you fail is when you quit trying. If you set your mind to something, no matter how impossible it may seem, you can do anything. I’m living proof. I lived in the middle of nowhere in an amazing little town of 500 people, where everyone knows everybody. I went from there to a national television show. People in the UK know my name. It’s surreal. This just proves you really can do anything if you work hard and keep doing it and keep going.”

Jessica Meuse is recording new music, but what else is in the near horizon? Jessica is seeking management and working hard to expand her songwriting: “I’m sitting down with other people, collaborating and writing and building new ideas. I’m staying open-minded and I’m evolving and growing as a musician. I’m using the momentum from the show and the fan base I gained from the show. I’m planning to travel and see the world and keep knocking things off my bucket list.”

Is Jessica Meuse touring this summer? “I’m playing a lot of festivals. I am playing back home this weekend in Alabama. I do all my bookings myself. I have so many gigs coming up that I live my life one week at a time. I’m going to be at CMA Fest, hanging out and showing my face and trying to meet as many people as I can. I have a Stageit from my hotel room on June 11, so get a ticket to that. It’s just for fun. I’m going to have a bunch of friends with me and maybe an extra American Idol might show up. I’m not sure yet. Yeah, I’ve got a lot going on, and I’m trying to stay as busy as I can.”

I had a fabulous time getting to know Jessica, and I wish her all the best. She lived in Oregon for a while, so I hope that I get to meet her in real life one day.

Amused Now ReverbNation Contest Winners

Jessica Meuse
@JessMeuse
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Cynthia Kahn, Founder of Amused Now
@Amused_Now
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