Interview: Jillian Jacqueline Builds a Personal Realm on 'MotherDaughterSisterWife' - Atwood Magazine

      Singer/songwriter Jillian Jacqueline returns to her authentic self with the breathtaking album ‘MotherDaughterSisterWife,’ a cathartic release that marks the realization of her long-held artistic vision and the creation of the record she has always aspired to produce.

      Listen: ‘MotherDaughterSisterWife’ – Jillian Jacqueline

      “This is the album I’ve always dreamed of making, but never thought I could achieve,” Jillian Jacqueline shared with me one September afternoon.

      This powerful and emotionally charged declaration has been a long time in the making for the artist. Jacqueline has been involved in music since the age of 9, when Kenny Rogers signed her to his label after hearing her at an audition for his Broadway production, Christmas From The Heart. She has experienced many musical phases, including forming the band Little Women Band with her three sisters, moving to Nashville to pursue a songwriting career, launching her solo career with Big Loud, and ultimately becoming an independent artist with her debut album, Honestly, in 2022.

      On October 17, Jacqueline released her highly awaited sophomore album, MotherDaughterSisterWife (via Virgin Music Group). “This record feels like the essence of my heart, mind, and soul expressed through music,” she told me during our September discussion. For those acquainted with Jacqueline’s body of work, her new album embodies her true self. The songwriting, arrangements, vocal production, and overall sound are an intricate reflection of Jacqueline as a person.

      Produced by Ian Walsh, Andy Skib, and her husband Bryan Brown, MotherDaughterSisterWife offers an immersive experience. On one side, listeners may feel like Alice lost in her own Wonderland, yet on the other, the album confronts dark themes such as depression, self-worth, motherhood, creativity, femininity in today’s world, heartbreak, and abusive relationships.

      You throw around your feelings

      And I dodge them like grenades

      You make the atmosphere so heavy

      And expect me not to break

      And I know it’s not your fault

      I know it’s not your fault

      So you can be the bull

      But I won’t be your china shop

      – “China Shop,” Jillian Jacqueline

      Jillian Jacqueline © Virgin Music Group

      The tracks “China Shop” and “More” delve into the darker aspects of romantic relationships. With each song, the narrator evolves, gaining self-love and strength, ultimately freeing herself from the need to walk on eggshells around another's emotional turmoil, as depicted in “China Shop,” or from suffering through an unloving and emotionally abusive relationship in “More,” where the character realizes she deserves better. An emotion we all face at some point.

      Or maybe there's a good explanation

      For why you watched me cry in the shower

      And how you always knew to turn over in bed

      Right when I was about to move closer

      People say hey, why did you stay

      If it was so bad, you really didn’t have to

      But I didn’t know I could want more

      I didn’t know I could have more

      – “More,” Jillian Jacqueline

      Jacqueline mentioned on this album about “almost reverting back to childhood optimism,” which is distinctly evident in “Cult Classic,” a tribute to the romances seen in classic Hollywood films. She includes a snippet from the film ‘Penny Serenade’ featuring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. The song evokes a cozy and warm feeling, akin to enjoying an old film on a cool autumn night. The sense of wonder and enchantment is palpable through the soothing instrumentation and Jacqueline's smooth vocals.

      Sometimes it can feel like

      I wanna hit the rewind

      Forgetting how to romance

      Supermarket slow dance

      You and I are a cult classic

      Kinda die hard cinematic

      Keep you coming back through the static

      Guilty pleasure in the attic

      – “Cult Classic,” Jillian Jacqueline

      The lyricism in MotherDaughterSisterWife is both precise and dreamlike, evoking a deep emotional response when you close your eyes. “Stroke Of Genius” features Jacqueline pursuing a muse that proves to be unpredictable and challenging. The urgency of the strings paired with her vocals creates an environment where one can lose themselves within the song.

      Running down the halls of my mind

      Scissors in my hand trying to find

      Something left to say that is worthy of my tongue

      Solitary fight with a canvas

      Solo flight attempting to land it

      Married to a muse I can’t stand but

      She’s all I ever want

      The title track “MotherDaughterSisterWife” serves as the heart of the album, anchoring the other songs. Without it, there would be no “Fantasy Girl,” “More,” or “Eyelashes.” “MotherDaughterSisterWife” represents where it all started. In Jacqueline's own words, “I find it incredibly unsettling to examine what

Other articles