Meet Jackie Lipson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Lipson.

Jackie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started writing music as a freshman in high school, though I’d been singing in musicals since age nine. I had always loved watching and performing in musical theater but there was a creative part of me that wanted to make the music myself. My parents got me my first guitar and signed me up for lessons and I started writing songs with my friends. I was a very emotional kid, so I had a lot to write about.

Growing up in Connecticut, my mom would buy me tickets to see a broadway show every year for my birthday and I fell in love with the energy and charm of the city. When it came time to apply for colleges, the musical theater bug was still in me and I knew I wanted to live in NYC. I began looking into musical theater college programs around the Tri-state area but because my grades weren’t the best and I missed some audition windows, my choices were limited. I eventually got accepted to a school downtown, right by the Brooklyn Bridge and was thrilled to finally make all my dreams come true. That was until I finally had the chance to audition for their Musical Theater program, and was told I wouldn’t be accepted because there was a girl of my “type” already in each grade level. This was devastating for me at the time but I was determined to keep working at my passion. I joined the Acting program and continued writing music and playing open mics and coffee houses around the city.

A few years out of school, I was living back home in CT, working at a Trader Joe’s to pay my rent and singing in a local cover band on weekends. One day, in the break room I was eating my lunch when I received a phone call. It was a producer from NBC The Voice telling me she’d seen one of my YouTube videos and wanted me to come to NYC for a private audition. I hung up the phone and ran laps around the store, telling all my coworkers. I packed my bags and hopped on a train to the city. After a successful audition, I was invited to Los Angeles to continue the audition process. It was months of flying from coast to coast and rounds of auditioners being cut and sent home. I was stunned to be approaching Blind Auditions. It came time for my audition and I poured my heart, soul and nerves onto the stage. When the chairs didn’t turn for me, I felt another wave of disappointment. I left LA with a slightly bruised spirit but amazing memories and a new chosen family.

Shortly after my audition aired on TV, I was chatting with some friends I’d met on the show. We all agreed that we had so much more to do in our careers, and our small towns wouldn’t allow us to do that. In no time at all, we packed our bags, met in LA and began searching for a place to live. None of us knew what we were doing but we knew it had to be here.

I’ve been living in LA for over three years now. Moving here was a challenge I never could have prepared myself for. While it took me a long time to adjust to how drastically different this coast is to where I’d grown up and a life I’d always known, I was determined to fulfill my purpose for uprooting my life and moving to CA. My music career was slow moving at first and took a backseat to paying rent and getting my s**t together mentally. I needed time to learn who I really was and how I could communicate that to the world in an authentic way. I’m happy to say I feel more clear and invested than I’ve ever felt. My songwriting feels like me. I’m working with musicians who understand my artistic vision and have a stellar one of their own. This NYC dreamer is finally ready to take on LA and it feels pretty awesome.

Has it been a smooth road?
I’ve lived at many intersections in my life. I’ve struggled with my mental health since I was very young. My mom always called me a “worry wart”. On top of that, I had the pressure of facing the world as an overweight child in a family where Weight Watchers was just something everyone did. At 13 years old, I weighed nearly 300 lbs. Now throw in coming out of the closet at 14 and you have yourself a very uncomfortable adolescent smoothie.

I was picked on in school for wearing rainbows and being a member of the Gay Straight Alliance. Meanwhile I struggled to date and find community not knowing quite how to explain myself to others. As a fat kid, I was ostracized even by my own friends. As a femme-presenting bisexual at the time, it wasn’t obvious that I was queer and I lacked the self-confidence to approach new people. I never really quite fit in, which is every kids goal.

It took many years of therapy and self-work to face these demons head on. I wish I could say I poured my heart into songwriting and made my misery into magic, but honestly I spent many years depressed and under-motivated. I felt unworthy of success and I doubted my talent many times.

Dealing with depression and anxiety in a career that forces you to be vulnerable is a really difficult task and if you’re not careful, it can really mess you up. I’ve since come to understand that vulnerability is the necessary key that creates success (thanks Brene Brown!) It’s taken me a lot of time and a lot of failed attempts but I feel like I’m re-discovering myself through music. I’m finally allowing myself to expose the sensitivity I always thought of as a negative quality. I’m learning every day to love my body for all the amazing things it can do, and forgive it for its limitations. I feel ready to be seen without trying to hide or contort into someone I’m not because I know myself better than I ever have before.

Without these challenges, I wouldn’t be the artist or human I am today. I’m unbelievably grateful for this and excited to show that to the world.

What else should our readers know?
I am a pop-soul singer and songwriter. You’ll recognize me by my powerful vocal range and emotional songwriting. I love animals and I’ve been vegan for seven years. I’m a devoted cat mom and if I see your dog on the street, I will ask to pet it.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Los Angeles is the place to be as a pop artist and writer. It can be tough to adjust to as a newcomer but when you’re ready to tackle it, the opportunities are endless. I’ve met so many amazing artists out here who I couldn’t have met anywhere else. If you’re looking for a songwriting showcase, there’s one almost every night. If you want to see some of your favorite signed songwriters perform billboard hits at a low-key venue, you can buy cheap tickets and do that. It’s amazing how accessible everything is if you just search for it.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
Stephanie Saias

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