33. Jamie Leonhart: Tending To The Delicate Balance

How do we tend to the delicate balance of the ecosystem of roles we play as artists of our lives? What does it mean to be a singer and who gets to claim that title? How can healing practitioners benefit from exploring their physical voice as a medium to convey and translate their passion and life calling?

My guest in conversation is NYC-based singer-songwriter extraordinaire who also happens to be  my voice teacher, Jamie Leonhart. Jamie and I have worked together on a weekly basis on exploring and cultivating my voice. The impact of our work together on my healing journey has been profound, and I'm deeply grateful for the safe space Jamie provided for these explorations.

Our conversation revolved around Jamie's creative process of writing and recording her latest album The Illusion of Blue in the midst of the pandemic and the resulting closure of performance spaces - which propelled many performing artists to question their roles within society. 

Jamie and I also discussed tending to the delicate balance of holding the identity as an artist, a mother, and a teacher, working with creatives who are not professional singers on their voices, and the fear of claiming our right to explore our unique physical voices.

This conversation means so much to me. Listening back, I was moved by the rapport and trust we've slowly built over time. I'm excited for you to get to know Jamie as an artist and her unique perspectives on her work.

Here's Jamie's bio:

Drawing comparisons to the likes of Norah Jones and Feist, the sharp-witted singer-songwriter Jamie Leonhart is an artist who is difficult to categorize, dynamic in emotional range and diverse in genre-crossing ability.

Jamie Leonhart was born in New York City, the granddaughter of a cantor and the youngest of three musically-curious children.  She began studying the violin at age three and singing soon after.

Jamie inhabits a hybrid of popular music that incorporates jazz, indie-pop, and quirky torch song cabaret.  Live, her audience becomes a collective co-conspirator as she intones her confessions, dissatisfactions and desires, supported by arrangements that move from somber to playfully bombastic in a moment. Jamie’s approachable demeanor belies powerhouse vocals and her ability to deliver intricate compositions, which she does with depth and clarity.

As a songwriter, Jamie writes about vulnerability, patience, frustration, shifting perspectives and trust.

Jamie is employed as both a commercial voiceover artist and vocalist and also works as a background and session singer (Steely Dan and St.Vincent among others) Jamie is a 2015 commissioned NEW YORK VOICES artist of The Public Theater/Joe’s Pub, and created ESTUARY: an artist | mother story through this commission. Her second solo record, the illusion of blue, was released in February 2022 .

You can find and connect with Jamie via her website, listen to her albums Illusion of Blue and The Truth About Suffering on Apple Music or Spotify.

If you're ever curious about exploring how vocal explorations and training can unlock your unique expressions, I highly recommend reaching out to Jamie to see if working together will make sense for you.  

Special thanks to Alex Lai for the editing help for this episode.

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This podcast is hosted, produced, and edited by Jonathan Koe. Theme music is also composed by me! Connect with me through my newsletter, my Instagram @jonathankoeofficial, and my music. For podcast-related inquiries, email me at healingthespiritpodcast@gmail.com.