Not Myself Anymore
About Album
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Release Date: 2011 |
Industry Label: BEC Recordings |
Official Site: http://jessaanderson.com |
Album Details
Drawing from an influential pool of strong female songwriters such as Sara Groves, Nichole Nordeman and Ginny Owens, 20-something Michigan native Jessa Anderson's music reflects a constant wrestling with the unknown and the darkest parts of humanity right alongside the gritty, everyday things that make up the human life. “I always gravitated toward women who were writing their own music and just that honesty. That’s what I like to listen to, and hopefully that’s what I’m communicating when I’m writing songs, too,” she shares.
“We have a real life, and part of that is our relationship with God and praising Him, but other than that you’re taking your kids to school or you’re going to work or whatever you have to do that day. So to focus only on that one little sliver in your songwriting feels like cheating people out of what really happens,” shares Anderson, who believes talking about real-life issues makes her music accessible to Christians and non-Christians alike. “If all I say is ‘I love God,’ then [non-believers are] wondering, ‘OK, what if I don’t?’ I think everyone can relate on some level whether you have the same religious beliefs or not. Hopefully, I can connect with people and then share what God’s done in my life.”
The thread of divine intervention throughout her journey is something Anderson doesn’t take for granted. She met her fellow singer/songwriter husband, Jordan, while touring with Cedarville University. Shortly after she transferred to Belmont University and they married, the couple decided to pursue music full-time. With no back-up plan, they struck out on their own recording albums independently and booking their own shows. Jordan plays guitar for his wife, and he and their young daughter continue to travel with Jessa full-time.
Although she never had any specific goals in regards to a label deal or radio play, she says the whole process of pursuing her dream of music has forced her to trust God like never before and has shaped her into a new person, inspiring the name of the record. Though the title track is actually about a broken relationship, Jessa says the title holds a double meaning. “I think when you go through the transition of deciding to pursue your dreams, you change so much in that process. I’ve felt God really change me and define who I am a little bit more over the last few years.”
Though her days are now filled with the schedule of a busy label artist, she always goes back to her “life anthem” on her new record to sufficiently introduce herself to fans. “One of my favorite songs to do live is ‘Everybody Has Those Days,’ because I’m seriously having one of “those” days all the time! I’m so clumsy! I have these near-misses all the time,” laughs the transparent songwriter. “Let’s be honest: everybody has bad days.” She is quick to add that being a Christian doesn’t mean life is always perfect, but that “God is good at the end of the day.”
There’s a lengthy list of things to like about this candid, clumsy, insecure, ordinary girl who is discovering that every awkward misstep, every anxiety and every bad day is a chance to learn something new about herself and, in turn, share it with others.
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Schedule
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10:00 AM
Contestants compete for $50,000 by singing karaoke-style songs from different genres, decades and...
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10:30 AM
Contestants compete for $50,000 by singing karaoke-style songs from different genres, decades and...
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11:00 AM
Contestants compete for $50,000 by singing karaoke-style songs from different genres, decades and...
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11:30 AM
Contestants compete for $50,000 by singing karaoke-style songs from different genres, decades and...
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12:00 PM
John-Boy turns detective to piece together the truth behind a hit-and-run charge brought against...
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