We are delighted to welcome Bree Jaxson to Divine Magazine. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, singer-songwriter Bree Jaxson uses the hip-hop, pop and rock influences of her youth to shape her unique country sound. After graduating from a local performing arts high school, she joined the Air Force in 2010. The Afghanistan combat war veteran now holds the rank of Deputy Commander for Cyberspace Operations at the TXANG. Throughout her professional career, Bree has traveled the world, seeing different cultures and meeting different people.
What first got you into music?
I knew from a very early age that music was something I was passionate about. I would perform in my living room or have complete concerts in the shower, but it wasn’t until I was an early teenager that I found the true reason why music was my calling. I believe in my heart that music helps heal you and at that time in my life I needed it the most. I was struggling to find my purpose; I was spiraling out of control and I turned to music to help ground me. Music allowed me to escape the realities that were surrounding me and allowed me to express my emotions in a constructive and artistic way. It was the one thing in my life at the time that I felt I had control over and in those moments, I knew that music was a part of me, and was my path forward.
Are you finding the isolation of the pandemic conducive to your writing or is it hindering the experiences you can write about?
I will say that I have been able to be more creative in my writing since the pandemic started. Not being able to go and experience different cultures, events, or even people has made me turn on my imagination in a way that I hadn’t used before. Instead of using new experiences, I have taken old ones and re-wrote the narratives. I have also been allotted more time to connect with different songwriters that I previously didn’t have the time to. I took a songwriter’s workshop with Lindsay Ell and Adam Roa which allowed me to become more proficient and more knowledgeable in songwriting which only allowed my skill to grow and advance. Overall, this pandemic has allowed me time to slow down and focus on creating new music which has really improved my writing.
What does your music say about you?
I think anyone listening to my music can hear the authenticity in it. The songs that are painful you can hear it in my voice and the songs that bring happiness instantly make you want to get up and dance. I am not afraid to be vulnerable and allow others into my world. Music has helped me in so many ways and if I can help just one person going through something by playing my song it is worth it. On the other hand, my music can bring a sense of freedom and confidence in yourself to have fun and live life to the fullest and that is how I try to live my life every day.
What are your plans for any future releases?
I am working on my upcoming E.P “This is Me” which I hope to release in early summer. This record will encompass all aspects of my life and who I am. My latest single “Make Me Hate You” will be featured, as well as four other songs that range from sadness to happiness, to inspirational and everything you can feel in-between.
https://soundcloud.com/breejaxson/make-me-hate-you
Make Me Hate You” is now available on all digital download and streaming platforms https://soulspazm.ffm.to/makemehateyou
What do you enjoy most about being an artist?
The thing I enjoy the most about being an artist is being able to use my voice to spread my messages. Whether that be a message of love or a message of hope or even sometimes a message of sadness, I want people to know that they aren’t alone. I feel one thing that really connects people who wouldn’t normally be connected is music, so being able to bring people together solely based on something I can create is magical to me. I also love getting the chance to meet new people and to learn different stories and then to put those stories and experiences in a song is an indescribable feeling.
What would be the ideal food to have cooked for you on a date night?
Anything Crab related! I am a Baltimore girl through and through and we love our Blue Crabs.
If you had to describe yourself as a flavor, what would it be?
I would say, Black Cherry. Black Cherry has a hinge of sweetness with a seductive kick of sour and in the end, leave you feeling intoxicated.
What was the last TV series you watched on TV?
Reign. I am a sucker for British Accents and the history of Queens and Kings.
Do you shout out the answers at the TV whilst watching quiz shows?
I honestly didn’t even know there was another way to watch shows like that.
If you were talking to a younger version of you, what advice would you give yourself?
Man, so much! I think the most important thing I would tell myself is to listen to your own heart and don’t fear the unconventional. I was told a lot while I was growing up that music wasn’t a real career and that I needed to follow the societal norm. Because that was always in my head, I was scared to tell people my true passion and too scared to follow my dreams when I was younger. I can’t say I would take back all the life experiences I went through getting to this point, but I wish I would have just followed my heart and started this rewarding journey a long time ago.
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