Check Out Liana Jaden’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Liana Jaden

Hi Liana, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have been songwriting for as long as I can remember. As a little girl, I would sing about everything. There has never been a time where music hasn’t been a huge part of my life. I took lessons for several instruments as a kid and participated in musical theater and choirs. I often mashed songs together and performed for open mics in my small hometown, Lompoc. I wrote music and performed covers for my YouTube channel and often spent time practicing and writing in my room as a teenager.

I would write about everything: love, heartbreak, family, mental health, and even about what it would be like to experience life as my pet dog, Abby. As a teen, my mom and Abby would listen to me play and encouraged my musical journey. I was never told that I had to pursue music, but I always knew that this is what my heart wanted.

I attended Santa Barbara City College for 3 years and graduated in 2020. Here, I studied Liberal arts and humanities with an emphasis in music. I worked a lot with choirs and my classical vocal teacher. Then, I transferred to California State University, Northridge to study vocal arts performance. I studied classical vocal technique and participated in several operas, choirs, and solo performances. I worked as a peer coach and as the co-lead of the CSUN Opera marketing and social media team. After graduation, I realized that I never dove into my creativity as a writer. I love classical music, but my heart has always belonged to songwriting. I had been so scared to actually dive into this and instead dove into a completely different craft that just didn’t hold the same space in my heart.

I began teaching music: voice, piano, guitar, ukulele, and toddler classes shortly after graduation and met a student (now friend), Jessica, who owns a home recording studio. She really encouraged me to record my music and created a welcoming and safe space to do so. So, I did. Through Jessica I met a wonderful producer and now friend, Aiden. I worked with Jessica as a recording engineer and Aiden as my producer, mixer, and co-writer. I also worked with my partner, Aeron, who recorded live drums for my songs. With them, my music came to life. I am so grateful for the experiences that they provided and the music that bloomed from these sessions.

After working full-time as a music teacher and school manager I decided, why not go back to grad school So, I started my graduate studies in Music Industry Administration at CSUN. I am currently half way through the program and have made so many amazing friends. I learned how to protect my music along with many other valuable skills in the program.

After receiving the mastered sound recordings from Aiden, I shot my first music video with Caitlin Kelly. Together, we worked on bringing my first single “Overthinking” to life in visual arts. With a small group, we were able to shoot my entire music video in 2 days and Caitlin edited the video afterwards. The concept is myself entering a “dream” world that is actually my own mind. Here I am beaten and mocked by people who don’t exist and ridicule myself from an audience member’s perspective. The whole concept is overthinking and mental health awareness.

I suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, OCD, and depression. I really incorporate these experiences into my music. I love raw artists who aren’t afraid to allow their listeners to feel their authentic emotions and basically open their diaries to them.

Anyways, my first single dropped early this year along with my music video and now 2 more singles. I plan to drop my EP within the next few months.

After releasing my music I knew I needed to enter the live music scene. So, I gathered an amazing band. I currently play with Aeron on drums, Dustin on bass, and Summer on keys/lead guitar/backing vocals. We are currently playing across Ventura County and in the valley.

As of now, I am a gigging musician, independent artist, event organizer, writer, and music teacher.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This journey has definitely not been smooth. I think a lot of my struggles came from within. I wasn’t raised with an abundance of money and although my family has always provided for me, I have always known that I would need to put in the work for what I want from life. In college I commuted an hour to school every day for the first 3 years and worked consistently. Sometimes I was part time, others I was full time while juggling school. Usually while friends would practice their instruments or complete homework during the day, I was working and would have to catch up at the end of the day. While this was not always easy, I acknowledge that I still am privileged to come from such a supportive home and I could not be more grateful for that.

I didn’t know that I had OCD until I was 20 years old. Most of my life I just thought there was something wrong with me that no one knew about or could know about. Most people see OCD as being tidy and clean, but its definitely far worse. It can be debilitating. I’ve always lacked confidence in several aspects, but my struggles with OCD, anxiety, depression, and overall a lack of confidence hindered my musical journey for a long time. I was mostly scared of embarrassing myself and assumed that people would hate my music which would feel like a knife to the heart. However, music is also a tool that I’ve used to put how I feel into words. I truly emote through my music and wouldn’t it be a shame to hide it away forever? Wouldn’t it be a shame to hide something that could allow others to feel heard just like I do when I listen to my favorite artists?

So, now I perform and promote my music. I’m an independent artist so everything in promotion, booking, publishing, marketing, etc. comes from me and I’m so proud of myself. I used to hate looking at myself and now I have to send venues posters with my face plastered everywhere almost every day.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m an independent artist and songwriter. I’m a skilled vocalist and band leader as well. I specialize a lot in writing and vocal performance. Most of my songs are about mental health, love, anger, etc. Pretty much whatever I would write in a diary goes into my music. I love to write about my experiences and the experiences of others. I would say that my music has heart-tugging lyricism and just allows my audience to unapologetically feel their emotions. Its such a special space to create as an artist and I’m so happy to do so. My favorite part is creating community and making a difference in people’s days with my music. I would say my lyricism and ability to connect with deep emotions sets me apart from others.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Believe in yourself. How cheesy, I know, but seriously just do it. If its not you, then someone else will take that spot! There are always a million reasons to not do something, but if your heart is telling you to pursue this career, why not try?

To be human is to embarrass ourselves. Every one does, so why not do it unapologetically?

One more thing, the time is going to pass anyway. Pass the time pursuing and doing what you love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lianajaden.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itslianajaden/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LianaJaden/featured
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4aSnMRiMMySCbuJ6aFXwqT

Image Credits
first 2 image credits: T Mariscal