Jennifer Marks: Radical Redhead

Hey, love to sing and don't have a recording contract? No worries. It's possible to succeed anyway. Red-haired, freckle-faced Pop/rocker Jennifer Marks has recorded and released three albums on her own starting with "Pizza" in 1998. She's been praised for her "edgy" lyrics and unique arrangements and her sound has been dubbed similar to Fiona Apple and other femme singer/songwriters with attitude. Jennifer gave up her indie status and signed with off-center Bardic Records, a label with a rep for working with artists' visions for their careers rather than trying to re-shape them.

Marks' songs range from the tuff relationship rock ballad "Avalanche" to the sad, introspective, teary love anthem "Fragile". Her new self-titled album will hit streets on May 4th and her songs are getting pick ups in film soundtracks and a lot of radio play. We caught up with the spunky singer on a radio station promo tour and got the dish on her tough, up and down ride to fame, her tomboyish childhood and college music experiences.

TeenMusic: How would you describe your sound?

Jennifer: Pop/Rock with a little edge. I grew up listening to pop music. I grew up listening to rock music and I guess I have a little bit of Long Island and New York in there. I got a little edge.

TeenMusic: Hasn't a lot of your music been on movie or TV soundtracks?

Jennifer: It has been on tv. It played on "As the World Turns" a couple of times and then I've had numerous films use my music. Some of them I've been asked to write for specific scenes.

TeenMusic: You were a tomboy/ sports kid when you were little. Do you think that's okay for girls up until a certain age?

Jennifer: I think it's okay for girls if that's what they want to do. I think it was cool for me because I got to know a lot about boys. I still have a really wonderful rapport with them.

TeenMusic: What was the first singing event you tried out for in school?

Jennifer: I don't remember the exact solo because I just sort of fell into it. I think it was some sort of arty, choral song that I don't really remember but I was definitely speaking in chorus while the solo track was going on and, as a punishment, my teacher said "well now you have to try out" and so I did and then she punished me further, or so she thought, she gave me the solo.

TeenMusic: So you were in a lot of high school choirs growing up?

Jennifer: I was. Probably when I was sixteen is when I really started getting into it. I learned a lot of the Italian art songs and really had some classical training which was good in the respect that I learned the proper technique and was able to take it and use it in my everyday world. Even though I don't use a lot of what I learned, there is still the basics.

TeenMusic: You have a lot of schooling in your craft as opposed to some other singers who have none. Do you think that's a good way to go?

Jennifer: I think some of it's good and some of it's not good. I actually didn't have a lot of schooling I just had just enough to kind of give me the basics and also to give me enough to go out and find things on my own. I think sometime when you're over-schooled, if you're into pop music it's not going to work. If you're going into opera or you're going to go into something very classical or musical theatre, I think it's really important to be schooled.

TeenMusic: As a songwriter, did it help you out?

Jennifer: I didn't take any song writing classes. I did take theory. I didn't take a class that talks about how to write a song but I did learn from some of the best people. When I first went to New York I wrote with some amazing people. I wrote with Peter Sizzo who has written for Celine Dion. Toby Lightman is his latest signing and Tina Schafer who has also written for Celine Dion and many others. That was more my schooling; writing with people who were incredible.

TeenMusic: What is your writing process? Does the music come first or do the lyrics?

Jennifer: It's really random for me. I wish I had a specific process. You and I will be having a conversation and then one line just kind of strikes me and then I will go and write a whole song about it. It's really random and it happens all kinds of ways. I'll be sitting down playing the guitar and I will spark a lyric line that will then spark the rest of the song.

TeenMusic: Right out of college you were signed by a music publisher but they just wanted to buy your music and not have you sing it.

Jennifer: Yeah. I hadn't been pursuing the artist thing. When I got to NYU I had been focusing on the writing and learning how to write so when I got out of college and had the publishing deal I was just kind of pursuing that and that only. They were asking me "who sings your demos?" and I would say 'well I'm singin' and they said 'why don't you do something for yourself?' and I thought "hmm..why don't I do something for myself?" That's kind of where that came from.

TeenMusic: You almost had a pop label sign you for your song "Pizza" and then that kind of failed. What happened with that?

Jennifer: I didn't know at the time what was happening but I guess they were having problems at the label but the president was incredibly interested in signing me. I actually thought it was my brother calling and I was like " Shut up Brian" not realizing it was the real (record company) person. That was really disappointing because it started a kind of whirlwind thing for me. It was disappointing that it didn't happen but, at the same time, I wasn't really ready. I had never played with a band and I wasn't expecting it. I really wasn't trying to get a deal with them at the time. I was just putting a little demo together. In a way it's worth it to do a lot of the stuff on my own and in doing a lot of stuff on my own, I learned about the business and I learned about what it takes to get a record out.

TeenMusic: Did you start your own label "Redcurl" for a little while?

Jennifer: Uh huh and I did fairly well. I did a pretty good job of getting the music out there and selling CD's. I was selling just enough to get by and keep making them. I was very, very lucky but I also realized in doing that that there's so many opportunities but there was no way I could have afforded it. I was asked to do certain things but I couldn't afford to do them.

TeenMusic: When you went on tour is that when you learned how to play the guitar?

Jennifer: Yeah I played with a band and I didn't really play any instruments. I played piano just enough to get myself on and then it came down to 'well I have to get out there and I have to go on tour' so I picked up a guitar and learned how to play.

TeenMusic: Was it college radio that helped you get established?

Jennifer: I think it was with "My Name's Not Red". That was when it started to get established. It did fairly well at college radio and then I had won a bunch of song writing competitions and that led to a bunch of press which was really great and helpful in starting to catapult things to the next level.

TeenMusic: What's the weirdest object you've ever written down a lyric on?

Jennifer: I usually call it into my answering machine.

TeenMusic: What's the most touching fan encounter you've had so far?

Jennifer: There was a girl in San Francisco who wanted to come out and see the show but she missed it because her mom had gotten lost and she was very upset and she emailed me that evening and said 'I'm so upset. I can't believe I missed the show'. Her mother emailed me a couple hours later that night and said that she was just hysterical and I said that I wasn't playing any more shows in San Francisco but that I was going to be there for another day and why didn't she come to my hotel room with a couple of friends and I'd put on a show for her. It made my day and it made her day and it was awesome.

TeenMusic: That's really sweet of you. Do you have any comments on the industry moving away from the manufactured pop sounds to more of a singer/songwriter trend?

Jennifer: I think there's a place for everything. I think what Britney does is amazing. I think she's so entertaining and there's a lot to be said for the times that we need that. I think now we need the introspection, the empowerment kind of getting down to the nitty gritty. Everything is cyclical and I'm excited that it's coming back around to this (singer/songwriters). I enjoy it all.

TeenMusic: You're hooked up but what would be your ideal date activity?

Jennifer: I haven't been on one of those for a while. I've been married for a while. But, I love going to a nice restaurant and having a nice glass of wine, a nice dinner, and then going out to the movies or going out to a club afterwards. I'm not fancy.

TeenMusic: How long have you been married? Is he in the business?

Jennifer: A couple of years now. And, no, he's in advertising.

TeenMusic: What's the best advice anybody has ever given you?

Jennifer: There was a girl in high school. One day we were hanging out and she told me that somebody had told her never to regret anything and I said " How can you not regret anything?' and she said "If you make an educated decision, you don't have to regret it. It's just something went wrong. Something didn't go the way that you wanted it to but you can't regret that decision." I really try to live my life with no regrets.

TeenMusic: What do you do to kick back when you're on tour?

Jennifer: I guess these days a movie or I go shopping. When I was in Chicago I went to the museum. If I have time I will check out the sights.

TeenMusic: What is in your CD player or Ipod right now?

Jennifer: Right now I'm so obsessed with Outkast. There's a guy named Chuck Prophet that I've been listening to a lot. I listen to a lot of independent music. There's a woman named Jenny Bruce that I've written with that I listen to and Edie Carey. I try to listen to a lot of people that, in the real world, we might not hear about.

TeenMusic: Who are you dying to do a duet with?

Jennifer: I would say either Bonnie Wright, Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello, or Rob Thomas from Matchbox Twenty.

TeenMusic: Are you interested in acting in the future?

Jennifer: I'm just not good at it. I'd be interested in it but I don't think I'm very good at it though. I'd sing in a movie but I don't think anybody's going to want me to act.

TeenMusic: Besides singing what do you think you do pretty well and what do you think you do pretty badly?

Jennifer: I play golf pretty well and I act fairly badly.

TeenMusic: What do you think you'd be doing if the singing hadn't worked out?

Jennifer: I think I might have been a vet or a psychologist.

TeenMusic: What are you up to now?

Jennifer: Right now I'm on a Radio Promo tour and I'm going an meeting as many people as I can meet and I am getting to say hi to a bunch of people who are supporting the record. Then I have a bunch of shows because the CD comes out May 4th.

TeenMusic: What would you like to say to your fans?

Jennifer: Just that I really appreciate the support, more than anybody can know. It's awesome to know that somebody besides my mother likes what I'm doing!

Check out Jennifer Marks online at www.JenniferMarks.com

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.