Jennifer Silva (New Musician Interview) 2026
(Published: _)
Edition Sixty-Nine – Week Sixty-Nine; Unit 2:
Written by: Mercedes Barreto
What inspired your last musical release?
“My last album “Runaway” came out in 2024. That entire album was inspired by the process of moving from Brooklyn to the Catskill Mountains of New York, after 20+ years in the city. It all started with the tarot card reading of my life and all the signs from nature telling me that my family and I needed to make this major life change. I know it seems crazy to make a decision like that based on the foresight of a clairvoyant stranger, but thats how powerful the reading was! So…we moved, and I wrote a lot of songs about that beautiful and powerful journey. It was not easy to start over though and there were lots of challenges along the way – and ultimately, we ended up right where we needed to be.
My last two singles “Cruel Mistress” (Fall 2025) and “Poison Garden” (Spring 2026) were both produced and recorded in Beacon, NY. Both of these songs were inspired by the darker, more challenging times I’ve experienced after leaving everything behind and starting over upstate.”
How did you know you wanted to be a musician?
“I have been singing all my life. In Catholic school, the nuns discovered I had a voice, and so they forced me to do all the solos at school performances even though I was definitely not ready for the spotlight. I had terrible stage fright as a kid. But then once I got to public high school, I joined the drama club, built up my confidence and really began to love performing.
After college, I worked at a major corporation in NYC for almost 10 years. I realized then, I couldn’t live my life just working in a cubicle. I needed to be creative. I needed to make music again. So, I began taking guitar lessons and writing original songs. I eventually joined a band and then struck out as a solo artist about 15 years ago.”
Where did you get your roots?
“I was born and raised in Rhode Island, and I am 1st generation Azorean Portuguese. My father, Mario, immigrated to America with his family when he was 8 years old after a volcanic eruption took everything they had. My mother has Brazilian and French Canadian heritage.
My musical roots begin with my dad. Mario plays guitar, so growing up he and I would always sing classic songs together, like House of the Rising Sun by The Animals or Bring it on Home to Me by Sam Cooke. I also always sang in church and at school.
I’ve always loved rock and soul music. Powerhouse female singers like Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner and Ann Wilson inspire me. I also love artists like Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse and Erykah Badu. Tori Amos, Stevie Nicks, and Dolly Parton all have influenced my songwriting and singing as well. There are countless others.
My roots are with strong, badass females – starting with my grandmother Maria (Vova), who survived a natural disaster with her husband and 5 kids and started over in another country where she didn’t speak the language or have much money. She may have been a farmer and peasant, but she was a Queen to me.”
Is there a particular release that you feel most represents your musical identity?
“My musical identity runs the gamut, just like my musical influences. I have many Pop Soul and Alt Americana tunes that express my point of view pretty well, but my 2nd full length album “Purgatory Road” has a saint and sinner vibe that I think encapsulates who I am, where I come from and what I’m ultimately trying to do – which is to express that all humans are flawed, and there is dark and light in all of us. That we can change at any time and do better, if we truly want to. I hope that my music can help audiences and myself, heal from what haunts us.”
Where can we hear more, and why should we?
“I’m currently writing and recording my fifth album now and hoping to release that in Spring 2027 with my new label XVibe Records and producer Errick Lewis. But in the meantime, you can stream all of my music on Spotify or Apple Music or anywhere you like to listen.
If you want to hear some of the stories behind my songs, please check out my podcast Through the Forest with Jennifer Silva: Haunting Tales & Ballads. It’s a storytelling podcast that blends haunting true tales—drawn from my own brushes with the paranormal and my fascination with the dark corners of history—with an intimate, acoustic performance of an original ballad that echoes the haunting story just told. But Through the Forest is a metaphor for life. The path through the forest is long and winding. There may be wolves, but there may also be waterfalls! So don’t forget to enjoy the journey.”
Anything to add here?
“INSTAGRAM: @sheissilva
WEBSITE: www.Sheissilva.com
MUSIC:
PODCAST:
https://open.spotify.com/show/
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