Every now and then I hear an artist who registers a 9.9 on the Wow! Meter – and Nashville’s Jaryn Jones is the newest to make the club.
(Jaryn is pronounced like “Aaron” with a J, by the way.)
Her music meshes the breathtaking beauty of great composers like Stephen Sondheim and Alan Menken with the pop-Broadway echoes of Sara Bareilles. Plus her voice is hypnotic, filled with qualities that bring to mind songs in movies like Aladdin and Pocahontas.
The elegance and sophistication of Jones’ music provide a much-needed counterbalance to many of today’s catchy-but-discardable pop offerings. Some artists ride trendiness all the way to the top, but the most important T-word is “talent” – and Jaryn Jones has that in abundance.
You were a music business intern in Las Vegas. Did you grow up (and go to college) in the West?
I grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado playing sports and singing in my high school choir. My choir teacher aided in my audition process to colleges. I received a scholarship and attended Utah Valley University studying commercial music and received my bachelors degree in 2020.
I hear some Stephen Sondheim and Sara Bareilles in your music. What other artists and songwriters do you admire?
Sara Bareilles has been an idol for me in my career. Her lyrical intuition and impeccable storytelling has inspired me since I was a teenager. Seeing what she’s accomplished with her own artistry and musical theatre has been so fun to watch. Other artists I look up to are Ben Rector, Brandi Carlile and Jon Bellion. I’m all about writing through a different angle, so I try to study bands and artists that break the normal “what we hear on the radio” type of writing. There are so many more to name that I admire.
“Steinway” and “Dancing With A Fool” feature your great piano work plus lovely strings. Did you arrange the strings? And where did you record those two songs?
I did play a part in arranging the string section in both “Dancing with a Fool” and “Steinway.” In college, I took various composition courses and loved creating something new from a musical sense. My EP was produced by one of my very good friends and business affiliates, Jameson Gerdon, who’s based here in Nashville.
Tell us more about your haunting song “Eucalyptus Me”.
“Eucalyptus Me” is probably my favorite song on the EP. I wrote that piece with Jeremy Walton, the first songwriter I collaborated with on a writing session here in Nashville. Talk about having nerves! But I think we created something very beautiful.
It feels like New York might be in your future because your music has a Sara Bareilles/Maggie Rogers sophistication. Has Nashville been a welcoming place for your music, or do you feel the lure of NYC/Broadway?
New York! It feels so big to me. Nashville has opened its arms ever since moving here three years ago. It has kept them open and I feel I am just now taking advantage of what the city has to offer. I have so much to learn here still, but if there was ever an opportunity to change things and head to New York, I would do it in a heartbeat. For me, it’s music or music. I’ve tried other careers, pursued other interests, but nothing makes me feel more whole than when I’m creating, playing, and being a part of the music industry. I hope I can launch my music to the masses and continue living out my dreams, creating and bringing joy to people’s ears.
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