We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Adan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, how do you think about risk?
With no risk there is no reward. I have learned in my life that taking risks is where success lives. I dropped out of college and moved across the country from San Francisco to Nashville to follow my dreams of songwriting. I took a huge risk, but it payed off. Within one year of being in Nashville, I had met a co-writer (Cory Batten) and we wrote a song that would become a number one hit song with Blake Shelton. That song, “She Wouldn’t Be Gone” then went gold and then platinum. If I played it safe and finished college, that song might not have happened. I very rarely walk a normal path in life and often choose the road less taken. Risks are what life is all about. We risk falling in love and having our heart broken, we risk changing careers, we risk buying a house, starting a family…. people take chances on so many things every day and even with defeat, we still risk it all. Being in the music industry, playing it safe rarely works out. Taking a chance and throwing caution to the wind is where the magic happens – it’s where the beauty lives.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a songwriter. I was born and raised in San Francisco, California and in 2007 made the cross country move to Nashville, TN to pursue my dream of songwriting. What sets me apart from others is that I am hyper focused on listening to what the song wants. The song will feel right when its moving in the right direction and being able to ignore ego and follow the song is key. I got to be a platinum winning songwriter through hard work, dedication to my craft, my strong networking skills and the support of my family. it was not easy. The music industry is a cut throat business and in order to survive, you need to develop a thick skin and have a pure understanding that music is subjective. I had to learn very quickly that not everyone is going to like my songs and not everyone is going to like me. I had to learn to actively remove “taking it personal” and make sure I am left with an open mind. I learned that the politics in the music industry is not fair and being an independent women was not going be in my favor. But I joined forces with amazing people who are loud cheerleaders like my manager, Doug Green with New Rivals Entertainment, expanded my publishing to work with Teri Carpenter from Reel Muzik Werks and surrounded myself with tenacious leaders who never stop fighting for a dream. Being a women in this industry, especially in Nashville, can be challenging, but I am so glad that I have a strong support system to help my voice be heard. When Blake Shelton decided to give my song a chance, I was blown away by how quickly everything moved. From him saying yes, to recording it, to releasing it moved quickly and I had to as well to make sure all my T’s were crossed and all my I’s were dotted and I am beyond grateful to the team that helped guide me in the right direction. My biggest ask is that I want to world to hear what I feel. I want to be able to put words to feelings where most people dont know how to say what they want to say. I want my music to speak to people and move them to change or grow or believe in something greater than ourselves. There is a quote that says art imitating life imitating art imitating life and thats what I attempt to achieve when writing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite food spots in Nashville are 5 Points Pizza, Rosepepper Mexican Cantina, Bella Napoli, and Eastern Peak. and not to leave out tourist spots like Princes Hot chicken, Pancake Pantry and Loveless Cafe My favorite music venues are Bluebird Cafe (even though its hard to get in), Listening Room Cafe, Plaza Mariachi, and the Ryman
My favorite cocktail spot is Patterson House and SoHo House when invited, Tiger Bar, and Pinewood Social.
I like visiting the Nashville Zoo, seeing a live sports game with Titans, Sounds Baseball, Predators or college game at Vanderbilt.
I love trying new restaurants or bars especially since Nashville is ever growing!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to The West Coast Songwriters organization who has been crucial in my success as they are the ones who laid the foundation for me in this industry. I learned all about the industry from them and I am so grateful for their lessons and support. I am now a member of the board and assist in growing the organization and it is an honor for that to come full circle

Website: www.jenniferadan.com

Instagram: @jenniferadan13

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-adan-936b96b/

Twitter: @jenniferadan13

Facebook: facebook.com/jenniferadan13

Image Credits
Red dress – NMPA

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