Meet Zena Lynn Carpenter of Nashville, TN

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zena Lynn Carpenter

Hi Zena Lynn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I really think that growing up with such talented and creative friends really helped me figure out, both sonically and visually, who I wanted to be and how I wanted to sound. I grew up with friends that would all wear prairie Gunne-Sax dresses, and we would listen to Cat Stevens as we drive along the highway. From picking wild flowers off of the highway to playing local earth day festivals, it really was one of the most cultivating time for me with figuring out what I enjoyed and found beautiful. I have been playing music for quite sometime, but the focal point of why I love songs and creating is because of the community involved with it. I absolutely love meeting and working with creative people and just listening to how they perceive the world. It was because of this that I started playing shows and hosting festivals down in Florida. I would often shoot film for artists as well just to be able to be involved in whatever creative corner I could. I think that this admiration towards artistry as a whole really allowed me to meet so many interesting people in Nashville, and be able to book shows and create music with some of the most talented folks I know.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve been lucky to be able to have been around artists growing up, so when roadblocks would come along I always would have someone who had been through similar issues who I could confide in. When I first moved to Nashville, it was following a time when I was casted into American Idol. I had gotten signed and was able to meet producers and musicians through the label helping me. And I think that because of this I learned that I really do enjoy the business side of music. My father was a business man and I grew up going to many of his conferences and hearing how he would handle issues at work. I am very much hands on in everything I create, and because of this I learned that for, where I’m at in my life, I wanted full creative control of both my music and image. It’s not easy saying no to reality tv shows and label representation, however when I was 22, I declined American Idol reaching back out and left my label to do everything DIY. That choice has allowed me now to play shows up in New York and meet even more creatives in Nashville because it forces you to be involved in your community. I really do value the backbone that owning your own brand and business forces you to have.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I make what I like to call noir western jazz music. I take high influence in artists like Nancy Sinatra and Jim Morrison. I write every song as a folk song on guitar, and then when arrangements begin, a lot of times I’ll turn all the lights off in the studio except for a few candles and really just try to imagine visually what I want the music to look like in a cinematic sense. I am a very visual person, and I love to carry this to both the story telling of the music as well as the performance aspect. I always wish I could of been a rocker like Robert Plant, but when I sing I found I really lean more into the poetry of it all, and will occasionally, in mid song, just begin reciting lines from differing poems. And I found that the people who get it, really do get it and listen to the words rather than the show boat-ness of it all. My favorite kind of shows are those in small dive bars, where I can recite my poetry and play my music with trumpets and guitars behind me, and then be able to chat with everyone after the show about whatever nonsense is on our minds.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I realized the importance of having an identity outside of music. I saw a lot of talented musicians fall out of love with the world and life because of no longer having a stage to play on. This really pushed me to figure out what things, outside of music, I could live a life doing and still be happy. At the time of the lockdown, I was studying history and art at college. I decided to really sink my teeth into it and found that museums and art were a second love for me outside of music. I begin really focusing on French history, which eventually led me to moving to Paris for a while to better understand France’s philosophers and revolutionary history. I’m now pursuing a law degree due to this newfound passion to be able to work with museums when it comes to delegation of their pieces. Honesty, I don’t think if it wasn’t for finding outside passions that I would have been able to learn how much I love learning and history.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zenalynncarpenter.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zenalynncarpenter?igsh=YTZwOTk4NnZsejh6&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/FZWiFUNhUTwyetNi/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@zenalynncarpenter?si=uocH6X3iNUHjbumu
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1XcmOKoRetWsuJYBRGRU7G?si=aOevYarvS3G6-BsdVUat7g