Jessee Lee shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Jessee, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
As a full-time singer-songwriter, my days are different every day, so I have learned that a morning routine is vital in order to have a sense of normalcy. I typically wake up, make my bed, and then go brush my teeth and splash my face with water. I have a 5-step face prep routine I do and that helps me get my day going. I then go in the kitchen and make a cold brew coffee with cinnamon or vanilla creamer and then sit on the front porch to give myself a little time to wake up before the day starts. I think having a moment to breathe and set intentions for the day is really important. I go through periods of writing “morning pages,” which is a practice in which you write your stream of consciousness for three pages in a journal. It’s a great practice to do as a writer because it flushes all the ideas, thoughts, and junk out of your brain so you have a clean slate to be creative that day. I enjoy a slow start to the day because most days are full of so much noise.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Jessee Lee and I am a full-time singer-songwriter. I have played guitar, written songs, and sang since I was a little girl, but music became my full-time job in 2018. I am originally from Nashville, Tennessee, but I moved to Texas with my family in 2015. My music career started in the Hill Country of Texas with just a guitar and a pocket full of songs. I would go bar to bar and ask if I could play for the managers, and I attended every open mic I could to meet other artists and find bars or venues that would hire me. After a year and a half of the honky tonk grind, I decided to move back to Nashville to try for a publishing deal. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic shut the world down shortly after I moved to Nashville, so after a stint as a downtown bartender and part-time songwriter, I moved back to Texas in order to keep my music career rolling. I released an EP called “Dive Bar Superstar,” and it helped grow my music platform around Texas, so I put a band together and hit the road. In the last 7 years, I have played all over the country and opened for major artists at legendary venues. My song “Where He Ain’t” hit the top 20s on Texas Regional Radio and I won “Songwriter of the Year” at the 2023 TIRC awards. Texas has been so good to me and given me a place to grow as a performer and as a songwriter. Though my independent career hasn’t stopped, I moved back to Nashville in October of 2025 in order to build fans in a different part of the country and to try my hand at a publishing deal. There’s still a lot more left to be written in my story, but each year it gets sweeter and sweeter.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
There have been a million people who have championed me and given me confidence in times I didn’t have it. The first ones to do it were my parents. My Dad was a hit songwriter in Nashville for 25 years, so he taught me how to write songs at a young age. I remember being 10 years old, bringing him half-finished songs, and he would build me up like I was Guy Clark. My Mom was the same way. She would be cleaning the house and ask me to get my guitar out to sing to her instead of listening to the radio. When I decided to become a full-time musician, I found myself moving back into their spare bedroom. I felt so overwhelmed with fear of the unknown, and I would often think it was going to be impossible. My Mom would drive me around to venues so I could meet booking managers and she would give me pep talks on the way there. My Dad came to all of my gigs for the first couple of years and set all of my equipment up so I could focus on being “the artist”. In times when I thought I wasn’t good enough, my parents would build me up so high, and it gave me belief in myself. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them believing in me before I believed in myself.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I think suffering is one of the most important parts of life. I often think of the artists who blow up on social media and never have to go through the road dog struggle – I used to be envious of that, but as I get older, I realize I wouldn’t be the artist I am without the hard times. I remember when I moved to Texas, one of the first shows I went to see was “Two Tons of Steel” at Gruene Hall. I wanted to play that stage so badly, but it felt so out of reach. It took me 6 years of playing in Texas before I was able to play the main stage at Gruene Hall, but when I stepped on that stage, it meant so much to me because I knew I had finally reached a milestone that had felt so out of reach before. When you know you worked hard enough to earn something, it’s a different kind of pride than when it comes easily. Playing $50 gigs, sleeping in nasty 1-star motels, and living off of gas station tacos really make you value the moments of beautiful venues, 5-star resorts, and chef-prepared dishes.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, I have never been good at being anything other than me. I try to be as real as possible on and off the stage, even if it can be awkward or too raw.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
If I only had 10 years left, I would throw my phone in the trash and get back in the real world. I believe phones are going to be the downfall of our society, but unfortunately, the music business is so linked to social media and technology these days, so it’s hard to totally protest it. If I only had 10 years, I would spend all of my time outside in nature, traveling, writing songs, and making memories with my loved ones.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jesseelee.com
- Instagram: @jesseeleeofficial
- Facebook: Jessee Lee Music
- Youtube: Jessee Lee // https://youtube.com/channel/UCQtv88X3zlewFAKWpUyZbxg?si=pjB9iGtqZOdVG8E1
Image Credits
Lomonico Photography, Natalie Lynn Images, Lee Wade Photo
