BIOGRAPHY
Biography
Jeneen's music is driven by her haunting vocal style mixed with alternative rock and blues akin to artists such as Patty Griffin, KT Tunstall and Feist.
She grew up in Buffalo, New York, and was strongly influenced by her Sicilian grandfather who sang every Sunday after dinner. "My grandfather would put on a full opera," Jeneen says, "he played all the characters himself." She sang in rock bands in high school and got invloved in local theatre. After leaving Buffalo, Jeneen studied classical music and opera and began expirimenting with other styles of music. With her BA in hand, she decided to move New York, where she became involved with the local music scene and started writing.
In 2002 she released her first CD "Just Me". The album is a mix of gentle melodies and sarcastic wit, with songs that are both purge and console. Her award winning album "My Creation" was released in 2007 with the title song setting the theme for the next few years. It was voted “Desert Island Disc”, “Album of the Year” and the title track voted as the number one song for the New Year.
For the last couple of years a nice buzz has been steadily brewing over the emerging music scene in Long Island City, Queens. Jeneen Terrana is one of its most popular performers, appearing at hip new and upcoming venues such as The LIC Bar, Lucky Mojo's & The Creek. In early 2009, Jeneen had an idea that bit her like a musical bug: why not offer the world a little sample of this new musical landscape? She approached fellow singer/songwriter Silbin Sandovar with the idea of a two-week tour in the UK & Ireland. As the two pooled their collective talents and resources, the tour grew into a month long endeavor with additional stops in The Netherlands and Belgium.
Armed with nothing more than two acoustic guitars and their voices, Jeneen & Silbin took their little piece of the American musical pie and served it to European audiences for the first time. The tour was a huge success with appearances on BBC Radio with Simon Evans, Brendan Hickey's "On The Verge" in Dublin and Barry Everitt's "House of Mercy" in London.
After taking a break from the studio for three years, Jeneen has a fresh collection of songs with a new sense of maturity and wisdom. Acoustic guitars, mandolin, trumpets and piano back her earthy, soulful vocals. Producer Mike West successfully captured Jeneen’s spirit and voice on the album. From the fun pop tune “Benny’s in my head” to the haunting “God, I need comfort”, the songs are a mix of love, loss, courage, and heartache.
Her album was funded by RocketHub.com, a crowdfunding site that allowed her fans to “fuel” her project. The campaign was a combination of her music and another passion, baking. “My kitchen was in operation for three months straight! I was making cheesecakes, cupcakes, chocolates, you name it.” At the end of three months, she successfully raised $4,400 towards the new album. After the flour in the kitchen has settled, “See the Light” is finally complete and full of the energy of it’s more than one hundred fifty fuelers. Bon Appitit!
Press
Read the Entire Article From Wildy's World
Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc - 5 stars out of 5
January 30, 2009 by Wildy Haskell
"Jeneen Terrana is a special talent, and My Creation is one of the most breathtaking introductions to an artist I've ever experienced. It makes me sorry I missed her debut in 2002. Buffalo, NY should be proud, and New York City music fans should make every effort to see and hear the musical gem playing among them while they can. If there's justice in the world of music, New York City won't be big enough to hold Terrana in the long run. Between her voice and songwriting talent, and the impresario backing band The Howl Brothers, there's nothing this musical outfit can't accomplish. My Creation is, without a doubt, a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc. It's a classic album that deserves to be heard far and wide. What are you waiting for?"
Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)
Read the entire article by Clive Swersky - Alive With Clive
For Obama’s Inauguration, Let’s All Sing “My Creation!”
January 14, 2009 by cliveswersky
“The lyrics to Jeneen Terrana’s song, My Creation, emphasize that we all have within us the power to choose what we want to create for our lives without being shackled by decisions of the past, and themes of love and peace, as well as being courageous and fully self expressed, reverberate throughout the song,” says Clive, “so I can’t think of a more appropriate song for us to sing on the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration, especially in these challenging economic times.”
Read the entire article by Mackin Enterprises
Jeneen Terrana, music's next big thing…
NEW YORK (Top40 Charts/ Bitesized Records) - Introducing a rock chanteuse who picks up her guitar and sings her heart out, a woman whose songs and hypnotic vocals, packed with a solid delivery, work their way into your brain, and seduce your creative senses.
This chanteuse is Jeneen Terrana, utilizing a delicious mix of rock, blues and rockabilly, her hypnotic vocals , her rock soft
style elicits mass appeal due to it's wondrous diversity.
Sweet and melodic, with a biting agressive element, Jeneen brings a freshness to the music scene, her new cd, MY
CREATION is a joy to behold, totally defining the genre of adult contemporary. Her tales of love and lost, captivate you, her haunting vocals, both gorgeous and evocative, lead the listener into a new dimension of auditory enjoyment..
Read the entire article about “Queens of Queens” from Queens Chronicle
Girls gone wild (for the love of music) at L.I.C. Bar
by Tiffany Razzano, qboro Contributor
However, you might not realize that if you looked in your own backyard you’d find a bevvy of talented female songwriters, which is why L.I.C. Bar teamed up with GoGirlsMusic.com, an online community that promotes independent women musicians, to present The Queens of Queens on Dec. 1. In an effort to cultivate the burgeoning local scene, this free show, which even offered the audience a free catered dinner, brought together nearly a dozen female songwriters and musicians based in western Queens — mostly from Astoria and Long Island City — in celebration and recognition of their musical talents. And while all were singer-songwriters, the musicians represented a wide spectrum of genres, from blues and jazz, to Americana and folk. So there was a little something for everyone.
The evening was hosted by Astoria-based acoustic indie rocker Jeneen Terrana, originally from Buffalo. Listening to her mix of alternative rock and blues, it’s easy to appreciate her wind range of influences from musicians such as Nick Cave and PJ Harvey to Dusty Springfield, Patty Griffin and Harris.
Joe Ruvel, Lookey Dookey Magazine
“Disclaimer: I am a sentimental bastard. When a woman picks up a guitar and sings her heart out, its hard for me not to enjoy it.
With that disclaimer out of the way, I introduce you to Jeneen Terrana. After only a few listens to her album, Just Me, I am on her side. Her tales of love and lost are overlaid on simple songs, that slowly start to work there way into your brain. Sometimes its catchy lyrics and a tight song that draw you in, like on the opening song “Good Folks”. Other times on the album, her haunting voice lulls you while you sit with her replaying a moment in her life.
Jeneen is not all sadness either. One of the high points on the album is the song “Fuck you”. This country tinged anthem of sorts is at times funny, stirring, and down right fun. Jeneen says it all with the words, “So fuck you / Fuck your planning/ Fuck the way you treated me / If I wake up and I’ve made a mistake / I’ll just have to say fuck me.” You also have to give her credit for having the word fuck repeated about 10 times in one song.
By the time you think you understand the album pretty well, Jeneen surprises you with a gorgeous rendition of “O Sole Mio”.
It not only acts as a definitive ending to the album but a window into another side of Jeneen’s life.
If you are a sentimental bastard like me, then you will enjoy this album.”
Anna Maria Stjärnell, Ectophiles Guide to Good Music
“Jeneen Terrana's music is gorgeous and evocative. It's a fine debut by any standards. Jeneen Terrana combines sharp lyrics with memorable tunes. The langourous “Someone Else Has been Loving you” really gets to me. Its heartbreak is almost touchable. The irresistible singalong “Fuck You” gets me to merrily sing the chorus over and over. It's not unlike Ani Difranco's “Untouchable face” in that respect. “Superman” is quirky and cute. “Losing You” has a strong sense of desperation to it. “Something's dying, I need healing” sings Terrana as if her life depended on it. The version of “O Sole Mio” that closes the album really shows Terrana's voice at its best. It's a great way to end this lovely album.”
Read more...