THE FAITH OF JENNIFER ALVARADO
Jennifer Alvarado is a singer/songwriter from Vale, North Carolina.
Her first EP project titled ''Playing with Fire'' was released in April 2021. She is currently working on a country pop album titled “Songbird” that will be released in Summer 2022. “Songbird” is a two part collection of songs that shows Jennifer’s growth as a writer and is sonically much different than her earlier projects. Her second single from the “Songbird” project, titled ‘’Rock This Way," will be released in June 2022. Her music has a country sensibility with a pop current running through it. Her voice is smooth and passionate with a sweetness and power that merge seamlessly into satisfaction for the listener. Her sound is a mixture of country, pop and blues that reflect an eclectic blend of influences.
She has been recognized locally for her songwriting and was named ''One to Watch'' by Nashville Songwriters Association in Spring 2021. Her songs “IDWYB” and “Filthy Water” were Top 10 Finalists for “Best Pop Song” and “Best Modern Country Song” for the Spring and Summer 2021 World Songwriting Awards. She was just recently named the “2021 Country Artist of the Year” by Indie Star Radio. Her song “Curious” was a Finalist for "Best Pop Song" for the Winter 2022 World Songwriting Awards and won "Best Pop Song" for the Indie Songwriting Awards in Winter 2022. She is currently nominated for five International Singer Songwriter Association Awards, including “Female Vocalist of the Year”, a Josie Award for Female Music Video of the Year for “Filthy Water”, and a Carolina Music Award for Country Female Vocalist of the Year.
Without any further wait here is some insight on the beginning's of Jennifer Alvarado and more... A lot of my time has been spent focused on Worship Music. I started out leading worship when I was around 15. My first album, Hello Life, released in 2015, was actually Contemporary Christian. I went into full-time ministry in 2016 as a Worship Leader and later became a Creative Director/Worship Minister. I currently serve as a Minister of Music for a local church and am a choir director. What has given you thick skin throughout your career? I have had a lot of criticism directed at me during the years. I was in a very competitive, some would say toxic, environment for a period of time where comparison was used often to try and “better" you. However, the comparison trap can cause you to completely lose your joy and direction in what you are doing. I can look at that situation now and be thankful that it helped me develop a thicker skin and honestly, helped me to rediscover my “why” and made me even more determined to see this through. People are always going to have an opinion…good or bad. Music is subjective. So for me, I had to get to a place where I cared more about my reasons for creating versus the numerous voices of criticism. I have a lot of natural vibrato to my voice and the constant criticism I received honestly made me nervous to even sing, which made the vibrato even worse. I had to learn to tune out those voices and realize my voice is unique to me and doesn’t need to sound like x, y, or z. How do you level with yourself when something doesn't feel right in your music making? I’ve had this happen several times with songs in the studio. I usually go back to when it felt right and start over from there. There have been times where a song takes a hard left from where I started and it works….but then there are other times I need to go back and start again. I am very much a perfectionist, so in the beginning it was difficult for me to admit to myself, “hey this needs work.” Now, I care more about the final product and if it represents my message well and I’ve left my pride at the door. I listen to my producer…I also listen to my husband…and sometimes let a small group of trusted people hear what I’m working on. I know I can trust their opinions and feedback. There is a lot of celebration surrounding your music, how are you celebrating all the success? I am just grateful. After a period of a few hard years, I was ready to shelf my music and I considered giving up. I made a deal with God and myself to send one of my songs to an online station, Indie Star Radio, and if they accepted it and liked it, then I would consider moving forward. The response has been incredible and again, I am just very thankful. I never want to take any of it for granted because I know there are millions of people out there with the same dreams and even greater talent just hoping for an opportunity. What is the next big challenge for yourself in this industry? I really want to be part of a national tour. I realize tour life is hard, but I can remember being eleven or twelve years old and living out of a suitcase just for fun so I would be ready for the day I started touring. I’ve wanted to sing and be part of the music scene since I was four years old. I cannot even fathom my life without the presence of music, so I want to be able to do this for as long as I am still breathing and able bodied. Your journey is special, how would you define it in your own words? Grit and humility. Music has never been an easy road for me. It started out simple enough, but when I was around eleven, things changed. I started being bullied for music and my appearance. My grandmother, who inspired my love for Country music, passed away and I became even more aware of the criticism circling around me. This caused me to develop performance anxiety that I still deal with today. I would go to sing and nothing would come out for a number of years. However, I always kept that determination that music was worth whatever criticism or pain I endured. Because your music is part of you, it is very easy to take things personally. I did for a number of years and then I realized, there are songs and certain art that I dislike, so who am I to think everyone is going to love and appreciate what I do? You have to keep a humble spirit with this and realize you are not better or worse than anyone. We are all just trying to do the best we can. Trying day in and day out to make sure your music is magic, how do you keep the magic within yourself to keep creating? My faith is the most important thing to me. It sustains me when times are tough and I start having those thoughts about giving up or wouldn’t it just be easier to go back to being a Paralegal. I also remember that eleven year old kid that believed anything was possible when it came to music. I want to make her proud. I want to be a voice for others that may feel alone or misunderstood and just want a friend that can relate to them and hopefully show them in the process that their dreams are also possible. You are spectacular, truly. Give the fans everything they need to make sure they don't miss out on any of your music! Part One of my album “Songbird” will be out July 24th. You can pre-save it now:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/jenniferalvarado/songbird-part-one Direct Me Page - https://direct.me/jenniferalvarado Official Website - www.jenniferalvarado.com Spotify Artist Profile - https://open.spotify.com/artist/0bM0RX6zTNn5MuKdpb92xU?si=d7Xr7cSlTkqcXXivm_9sIw&dl_branch=1 Instagram - @jenniferalvaradomusic Tiktok - @jenniferalvaradomusic Facebook Music Page - www.facebook.com/jemmusic12 Youtube - youtube.com/jemmusic12 Reverbnation - https://www.reverbnation.com/jenniferalvarado Twitter - @guitardiva12 Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/jem1984