Wendy Jans

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I grew up in Iowa, singing solos on Sunday mornings and ‘hamming it up’ (as my mother would say) in musical theatre. Eventually, I would spend all my weekends in rock and country bands, gigging across the Midwest. Each band was supposed to “make it big” – and we did make it into national compilation albums, won a few Battle of the Bands, and even got the chance to play the Vans Warped Tour (think alt-rock at a punk fest – not the best match!). But, the name Wendy means “Wanderer” and, true to form, I started pining for opportunities beyond the cornfields….
I moved to Nashville in 2002 and began learning how to write for the country market. I got a publishing deal with an independent music row publisher and got to do some cool things like participate in Nashville Public Radio’s Songwriter Sessions. In 2005, I was named winner of the River Bluff Performing Songwriting Competition and also racked up a couple of accolades as a finalist in the International Song Search and Honorable Mentions in the Billboard World Song Contest and Nashville Song Search. But, restless again, I realized that I wanted and needed to express myself without going thru the Nashville Rulebook – interpreting my own ideas and channeling my deeply-ingrained, yet variable musical influences like; Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Karen Carpenter, Jill Scott, Amy Grant, Elton John and India Arie. I ended up writing my new album, (Today), that, I think, is uniquely me. This was also my opportunity to produce – allowing me to interpret my music and my words with absolute freedom (with the help of my awesome programmer and co-producer, Jason Garner). I absolutely loved the creativity of this process, and the chance to work with some of the most amazing musicians in Nashville. So there you have it. Until I wander again, I’m happy to have arrived at Today….
Today is now available on , as well as several other Nashville and online retail locations. Click here for the full list!
** Check out my NEW music video for "Invincible" **