Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Byrd.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jenna. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It all started in the living room of an Oxnard one-story house, outside of an already small town. My younger sister and I were singing, obnoxiously, for an Oscar Mayer Weiner competition to win a College Scholarship. My mother tried to record it with her new video camera. We found out later she turned the camera OFF thinking it was the ON recording button. Oh well! That was the first taste of performing and I was hooked!
Next came dance lessons at the McKinnon Dance Studio where I learned to express my emotions. Then came classic Piano lessons with Nicole Burns where I fell in love with music. Then came the Youth Theater for Performing Artists with Production Manager Marta Dewey. The Stage was the place where it all came together: Dancing, music and acting. I immediately fell into a love/hate relationship with performing.
After 15 years of dance, classic piano lessons and musical theater performing I graduated from UC Irvine and I immediately wanted to perform for a living. Since then, my professional entertainment career has had the most diverse and unique opportunities. I have performed all over the country as a musical theater actress, Dancer and Singer. From Dance Captain to ensemble, to leading lady, I have had the privilege of performing at some of the most prestigious Equity Theater Houses in southern California with the most extraordinarily talented people. I take such pride that I kept my own promise to always support myself with Performance jobs ONLY.
My performing career has led me to so many wonderful opportunities including: Meeting Stevie Wonder in person because his son’s class took a field trip to the Museum I worked at as a piano player. He still calls me on my birthday every year since I’ve met him. I got hired over the phone by Debbie Gibson to play keys and sing backup vocals because her friend saw me perform an original song I wrote while performing in Vegas, We traveled all the way to Singapore and Manila. My Sister and I were hired via text to sing backup vocals on the Colbert Show for a UK band called Spiritualized. All due to the original singer being unavailable and knew me from a Disney Show we were both in. These are just a few of the amazing encounters I’ve had because of my performance career. I am so grateful that I continue to pursue a professional career in Los Angeles and around the world!
Currently, I’m performing at Disneyland California Adventure where I do several shows including: Frozen Live at the Hyperion and Disney Jr. Dance Party. I am currently working on my own Album. Also coming up, I will be Music Directing for a show in North Hollywood at the beginning of June 2020!
Has it been a smooth road?
I have to admit, there has never really been an extreme struggle. I would say the only set back I had was when my Aunt passed away due to breast cancer. She was my muse and my unconditional cheerleader when it came to music. After losing her, I focused on acting and avoided giving music the attention it deserved. Now, I’m back on track and I’m writing my own album and composing with a fiery passion!
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
As a professional performer in Los Angeles, you learn quickly that you have to master multiple skill sets in order to make a living. I am primarily a musical theater actress. However, I’m excited that I’m branching out towards a singer-songwriter and TV composer career as well. More often then not, people reach out to me to play piano for them or to composer for their web-series or sing backup vocals for this new artist or compose the music for their podcast! I LOVE that I can get involved in many different types of projects. I feel so many people reach out to me after never seeing them for years at a time because I treat EVERYONE with respect and kindness. You never know who you are in the room with! They could be your connection to the next best thing. I have always been intrigued by the idea that all opportunities are a way to weave and grow your network. Kindness is the cure to all the crazy in this world and I’m never going to stop practicing it no matter where I end up!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The industry is an ever evolving business so I know it’s going to be drastically different over the next decade. With technological advancements I’m hoping I can record quality sound anywhere, maybe at the park with no power outlets, with my own iPhone app and mini microphone that can fold up into one little case. There will be foldable wireless pianos that sound like a grand piano and I can play in nature instead of a stuffy studio. I think Broadway is going to transform and utilize technology and social media in a new way. The future of the industry is going to look a lot more diverse as well! Women and people of color will appear in ALL the creative positions. My husband always reminds me to “do what you love because, why not?” In the next decade I want to be one of many black female composers to win an Emmy for best original score of a TV show.
Contact Info:
- Email: jennagillespie7@gmail.com
- Instagram: @jbyrd_radio
- Facebook: /jenna.gillespie.byrd3
Image Credit:
Joe Funk Photography
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