Conversations with Jesse Allen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse Allen. 

Hi Jesse, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in North Central Iowa, in a tiny town of about 200 people. My Dad was a drummer/lead vocalist who toured throughout all 50 states through much of the 70s, 80s, and early 90s. It’s safe to say I got the music bug from him. My parents also had a bar/restaurant that I frequently sang karaoke in from an early age so that’s technically where I got my start performing. That progressed to playing guitar/singing in a few different cover bands before I started out on my own as an artist/songwriter. 

The funny thing was, I took a detour out of college into radio as a farm broadcaster and country morning DJ/program director. near my hometown, That is how I ended up making a lot of early connections in Nashville. I would spend many weeknights and weekends playing and touring the Midwest while also being on the radio. Sometimes I would even play a show on a weeknight, sleep for an hour in my truck on the side of the interstate somewhere and be back at the radio station to sign on at 5 am the next day. It was definitely a lot of sleepless nights chasing after things for quite a few years. 

Moving to Nashville had always been on my mind but something always kept me from moving. I would make frequent trips to town to write and eventually record with my producer Joe Costa after we met at my radio station. When my Dad died in 2017, I was ready to move then but ended up staying home to take care of my mom. 

Fast forward to 2020 and I was burnt out as a radio DJ and was going through a lot of personal issues. My artist career was doing well in the Midwest and I had built a solid network of friends and industry folks in Nashville. I finally up and quit my radio job, packed everything I owned in my truck, and moved to town. Thankfully I had some great friends who let me sleep on their couch while I found a job and a place to live. 

I spent much of the fall of 2020 working at Daddy’s Dogs, DoorDashing, and Amazon Flex all while trying to write and network with others in town. Then at the end of 2020, I started an agriculture-based podcast that led to a job with a nationally syndicated radio network doing farm broadcasting again. All of which I do from the comfort of my home studio or anywhere I have an Internet connection. It works nicely with any co-writes I have set up or touring I have going on. In 2021, I spent a lot of time touring the country and that was very rewarding. 

All in all, you could say I have had a lot of things happen and change over the last few years. But I am happy to finally call Nashville my permanent home. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely has not been a smooth road. I mentioned my radio job back in Iowa and playing on top of it. There were plenty of nights I slept in my truck on the side of the road just to get a few hours’ sleep before going back to work. Some nights I didn’t sleep at all. Plus, I’ve always had to work my butt off to achieve goals and have everything I need. There’s no big investor behind any of what I am doing. It’s literally me and every last penny I work for that goes into my music career. There have been some weeks where I didn’t know if I would be able to pay my rent, let along pay for my next single. 

Moving to Nashville has brought about some of its own challenges as well. Even though I had a solid base here, I still feel like I am paying dues all over again as I try to get into the scene here. I paid a lot of hard dues touring and growing my craft but it feels like I’ve started all over again in some ways. 

There are plenty of things I’m surely missing but I can say without a doubt it has been a struggle to get to where I am at. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
First and foremost, I’m an artist/songwriter/aspiring producer. Over the last year, I’ve really started to find my sound as an artist. I released two singles at the end of 2021 that did really well. “Breaking Up These Days” went over 100,000 streams in less than a month and got some Spotify Editorial features. “Never Gets Old” was the follow-up and it was very solid as well. Really, my sound is somewhere between country/rock, Texas country, and even a little bit of 90s country. I absolutely love where my music is at and I have big plans for more releases in 2022 and beyond. 

On top of that, I strive to bring my A-game to the writing room every time. As I write with more people in town and build that network, I want to bring something different to my co-writes and I think I do. Whether it’s a hook, a melody, a track to build off of; I’m trying to make myself a triple threat in the room and always bring value to a session. 

I think what sets me apart from others is that I never give up. I’ve had people tell me my whole life that I was crazy to try and be an artist/songwriter or that I wasn’t good enough. I always have that chip on my shoulder and it shows in a good way. 

On top of that; my experience in country radio and the fact that I still work in radio overall gives me some unique perspectives on the business, what works at country radio, etc. I’m fortunate to have seen both sides of the business and I think that helps me to be very unique. 

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Haha, I always say I’m an introvert everywhere except when I am on stage performing. I was always very quiet and reserved until you through a mic in my face. I’m still that way to an extent. 

Actually, I was my high school valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA and was an all-state football player. I had thoughts of playing football in college but injuries derailed that just a bit. Growing up I was a cross between a nerdy, book worm, a band geek, and a jock. I kinda just floated everywhere growing up.

Contact Info:

• Email: booking@jacountry.com
• Website: www.jacountry.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesseallenmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jesseallencountry
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jesseallenmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLXLuo6GtvqAvLaF3A_tRQ
• Other: www.markettalkag.com

Image Credits
Matthew Sandstrom