Jenny Gill may be the offspring of the country music icon Vince Gill, but she is coming into her own musically. She has embraced her bloodline but, at the same time, hopes to pave her musical path.
Let’s get to know more about this talented lady right here.
She Released Her Debut Album in 2016
Not only did she release her debut six-song EP, The House Sessions, but she also wrote five out of the EP’s six songs.
Jenny said The House Sessions is meant to establish her own sound and curb any early perception of her work because of her family name.
“People have a preconceived perception of me because of my name, that I am country or that my talent should be at a certain place because of my parents’ accomplishments,” Gill once said in a press release when she announced her new EP. “It’s hard to get people to notice you on your own and not for being a plus-one. So that is what The House Sessions is attempting to do.
“I am done waiting in the wings wondering what could happen,” Gill added. “I’m ready to try and build something all on my own.”
The House Sessions is a very wide-ranging disc. It showed Gill’s wide array of influences. “It isn’t exactly one thing, which may hurt me or may help me,” she admitted. “I just tried to put together a collection of my favorite songs that I had written without making it a Country or a Rock thing.”
For The House Sessions, Gill also recruited high-caliber musicians such as Jack Pearson, Sheryl Crow, Jon Randall, and Willie Weeks for the production process.
Music Has Always Been A Part of Her Life
As the daughter of Vince Gill and Janis Oliver (of Sweethearts of the Rodeo), music has naturally become a part of her life. It’s already a part of her inner fabric.
Lonely Lost Me – Jenny Gill (Official Music Video)
She recalled that her dad wasn’t home that much after “When I Call Your Name” set his star ablaze in 1990, but he credits the country star for providing for the family. “We never wanted for anything,” she said.
Her father was also the one who gave her the first taste of recording. Jenny Gill appeared on “Let There Be Peace On Earth,” the title cut from his Christmas album in 1993. What goes through her mind when listening to that track now – almost three decades later?
“It always brings joy to me when I hear it,” she said. “I remember my nerves – how nervous I was to do that session. I just didn’t want to make some kind of mistake or have someone was going to laugh at me. Everyone was so kind and gentle. I felt like they got the sweetest vocal out of me, I was so proud of it,” Gill added, confessing that she still feels the butterflies before performing. “Those nerves are still there. I still get real nervous when I’m about to sing something.”
She’s A Mother of Two
Jenny Gill, born as Jennifer Jerene Gill, married childhood friend Josh Van Valkenburg in a ceremony at her father and stepmom Amy Grant’s home in 2010. Van Valkenburg is the head of Nashville A&R and is responsible for new songwriter and artist signings, continuing to develop Sony/ATV’s existing roster and managing the A&R creative team.
They have two kids, son Wyatt and daughter Everly June.
She Is Not Expecting Success to Come Easy
Despite having some famous bloodlines, Jenny Gill is not expecting success to come easy for her. But she hopes her music will stand on its’ own. “I realize that nobody is going to come to me. I have to do it myself. Having my son really inspired me to do something,” she said.
“Thank God we have tools where artists can do it by ourselves. I just want my sounds out there, and hopefully, they will get noticed. I don’t claim to be special or better than anyone. I just want to help and support my friends who are doing the same thing that I am. We’re just trying to help each other. That’s what Nashville is all about.”