This weekend we had the pleasure of interviewing Miss Jessica Lea Mayfield. With her new album, “Make My Head Sing...”’s recent release and her upcoming concert in Denver it was the perfect time for us to catch up. Jessica’s new album dips into her darker side, with a focus on instrumentals it comes across a little less “well behaved” from her previous records. I was not expecting such a sweet and welcoming voice on the phone, but when Jessica answered I pictured her curled up with her pup sipping a cup of tea looking out over the hills of her small hometown in Ohio. We had the chance to go over tattoos, random drunk kisses, and her artistic inspiration. Be sure to catch her Thursday June, 12th at the Hi Dive on South Broadway!

Q: When was the first time that you realized that you wanted to get into the industry?

A: “Well I’ve basically been doing this my whole life. I grew up playing music with my parents. I think I was 7 or 8 when I realized that i was gonna do this forever.”

Q: Which artists have influenced you the most?

A: “Elliott Smith, I ended up naming my dog after him. I have a tattoo on my wrist, that says Elliott in red.”

Q: “Make My Head Sing...” is a little more sharp and little less cutesy than your last album. It really gets down to the bones of the music and transfers story telling with lyrics to the guitar. What prompted this change in style?

A: “Well I kinda had a lot of down time recently and I used it to figure some things out. I wanted to be sure that this was something that I wanted to get into. I had this lull and I purchased this baritone guitar in Louisville, Kentucky and after that the album just kinda wrote itself. It was just a different way for me to express myself.”

Q: I can see how the guitar influenced your work, but I wouldn’t give it all the credit for your most recent album. Where do you like to write and create?

A: “I guess it really depends, I love being at my house and writing. It’s my own personal space. It’s a really intimate thing for me, to write and make music. I like making a lot of noises and seeing what fits. When I’m out on the road I will write down different lyrics and ideas, then I just can’t wait to get home and experiment.” 

Q: What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to you while performing?

A: “I’ve probably seen it all, people are just weird. I’ve had someone try to grab me and kiss me. People are just so weird!” 

Q: Isn’t your husband the bass guitarist? How does he feel about the drunken admirers?

A: “When this drunk guy grabbed me and tried to kiss me, my husband had to push him away. But since then, I’ve realized that my audience has actually gotten more polite. In between songs people will yell things like, “You’re doing a great job!” and “I love your shoes!”. It's been fun.” 

Q: So where do you see your music taking you in the future?

A: “There’s really no end goal in something like this, I’ve never had a “real” job. I just want to be able to sustain and have enough money for people food and dog food and tour.”

Q: Anything you want to tell Denver before your trip to the Mile High City?

A: “Not really, I love Denver, it’s a really cool town and I’m just excited to be back.”

Well, we are all excited to have you Jessica! Be sure to check out her album, “Make My Head Sing...” it is available now on iTunes and Spotify. 

-McClain