jacqueline becker

    She's got a music degree from Yale, a newly released album, and a successful European tour under her belt, but singer songwriter

Jacqueline Becker

 is just getting started...

1. It seems you've been singing almost all your life - how did this love affair with music begin?

I grew up in a very musical family. My mom sang in a local neighborhood Rock N’ Roll band where I spent a good majority of my childhood watching her rehearsals, and even performing with the band when I got the chance. From there, I joined local children’s show choirs where I really developed my passion for all genres of music. In high school I changed things up a bit and began studying classical voice and started performing opera in various master classes and opera programs around town.

2. You have a pretty impressive pedigree. What has been more valuable - an Ivy league training or just putting yourself out there and performing?

Well thank you! I definitely value the training and musical education I was blessed to have, but nothing quite teaches you like just getting out there and performing. I rely on my training quite a bit to keep my voice in good shape, but no training can quite prepare you on how to exactly navigate the music industry. It’s all about just performing as much as you can and getting your name out there one show at a time.

3. Like Jewel, you started getting recognition playing the coffee shop circuit - what other artists have you been compared to? 

My sound has been described as a fusion between Norah Jones, Duffy, and Sara Bareilles. It has some jazz and singer/songwriter elements but also has the soul of artists like Duffy, Alicia Keys and Paolo Nutini.

4. What's the music scene like in Southern California these days? Any great new musicians you've seen or collaborated with recently?

The SoCal scene never ceases to impress me. Any night of the week you can go out to any of the local venues, i.e. Hotel Café, the Mint, Molly Malones etc and hear amazing singers and musicians at their finest. I recently saw Honey Honey perform at a showcase and was blown away by their musicianship. As for me, I’ve been collaborating with some amazing songwriters and musicians lately and am very excited about the new material I’m working on. Stay tuned for new music!

5. You toured in London and Italy this summer. Are there any differences between American and European audiences/fans? 

Ummm YES! It is two entirely different experiences performing in the US Vs Europe. The Italians especially were an extremely excited and appreciative audience-Not to say Americans are not:).The main difference is that American singer/songwriters and musicians in general are somewhat of a rarity in Italy. It’s not like LA, New York, Nashville, or even London where at every local restaurant, bar, music venue you can find amazing musicians entertaining you. It Italy, all of our performances were sold out and each enthused audience was more memorable than the next. I definitely want to go back and tour again soon! 
 

6. Congratulations on your debut album which was released this fall. What did you learn from the experience of making an album and did it (the process) fulfill your expectations? 

Thank you! It definitely was a rewarding experience to produce and release an album independently. I was involved in every step of the process and really learned a lot about how much work really goes into creating each track. My co-writer and producer, Connor Marks, led our team of talented musicians throughout each phase of the production process. There was no better feeling than receiving my finished album in the mail this past summer! It was quite a proud moment to know that all my hard work had paid off. 

7. If you absolutely had to choose, do you prefer being in the studio or out on the road? Singing or songwriting? 

Definitely on the road singing! Though I love the process of songwriting and recording in the studio, nothing compares to singing a new song to an audience for the first time. I love getting that first reaction to a song I worked really hard on.

8. You recently worked with Elle magazine on their original animation series "Dirty Little Secret"... tell us more about that.  

I fell into the voiceover industry this past year when a friend of mine set up a meeting for me at her agency. I auditioned on the spot and was asked to start coming in for auditions almost immediately. I was lucky and landed my first voiceover gig shortly thereafter and was cast as Riley Kendrick, the main character, on the Elle Magazine web series, Dirty Little Secret. The producers of the series than found out I was a singer and asked to hear my music. They liked what they heard and ended up using one of my songs, “Glass Was Sand,” on Episode 8 of the series. They also ended up doing a mini feature on my music in the December issue of Elle magazine.

9. You've had a busy summer and fall  -  what's next on the agenda?

Right now I’m just performing like crazy promoting the new album and also working on a ton of new songs. We just got back from a very successful mini tour in San Francisco and are looking forward to perhaps going back East to perform after the near year sometime.

10. With age comes wisdom... what's one piece of advice you would go back and give your angst ridden (maybe that's just us) artistic teenage-self if you had the chance? 

Without a doubt I would have listened to my parents and never gave up my piano lessons as a teenager. I played piano and studied voice for years in my childhood, but as voice became more of a priority and passion, I gave up on piano. As an adult I have revisited piano, as I now understand how important it is to be able to accompany yourself and compose on your own. I would have also taken many more music theory classes in college while they were available to me. It’s always much more difficult to pick this stuff up as an adult, but I’m definitely putting in the effort to keep improving my musicianship!

thanks jacqueline. we look forward to seeing more great things from you and wish you continued success.