Courtesy of Big Machine Records
NASHVILLE, TN (March 15, 2019) — Austin, TX was abuzz with all things film and music this week as LAUREN JENKINS arrived at the intersection of both mediums, premiering her short music film on Wednesday (3/13) night at the independent Violent Crown Cinema and performing at the Austin City Limits Live Morning Broadcast (3/14) alongside artists such as Patty Griffin and Steve Earle. The singer/songwriter, who conceptualized and starred in the short music film, which is available today exclusively on Amazon Music’s iOS App, shared the cinematic endeavor just two nights before she released her first full-length studio album NO SAINT (Big Machine Records), available everywhere today. Listen Here: https://LaurenJenkins.lnk.to/NoSaintPR.
NO SAINT found an early champion in New York Times critic Jon Pareles, who said the project “surrounds her most bitter tidings with gleaming guitars and bright harmonies.” The publication named Jenkins one of their “10 Artists You Need To Watch in 2019” alongside newcomers like Bille Eilish and Jade Bird.
American Songwriter also praised her performance with bold comparisons: “Her voice ranges from a grainy Stevie Nicks whisper in the title-track ballad, to a slicker, brassier Sheryl Crow-styled croon.” Noted AllMusic, “This hybrid of bracing pop, intimate cabaret, and dusty Americana on No Saint is invigorating, offering pleasures that are both immediate and lasting, while also announcing the arrival of a major talent.” Jenkins is capping an already remarkable week that has been a long time in the making with her first performance at the Grand Ole Opry tonight (3/15), celebrating with family and friends.
NO SAINT was a labor of love with tracks that Jenkins says are not only from her first chapters of coming to Nashville, but also reflective of her most recent. Jenkins co-wrote every track and co-produced a majority of the album alongside executive producer Scott Borchetta and Grammy Award-winning producer Julian Raymond. Other production credits belong to Trey Bruce, Matt Dragstrem and Ross Copperman.
“If you told me a few years ago that I was going to co-produce, co-write, and have a hand in the all the visuals for the packaging of my debut album that was also coming out on VINYL, I’m not sure I would have believed you,” Jenkins says. “If you told me I was going to get to combine my passions for storytelling through music and filmmaking by creating a three-part music video series that became a musical short film that’s been screened during Sundance and SXSW, I might have fainted.” Next month Jenkins will also screen her short film at the Roswell Film Festival where it has been chosen as an official selection of the festival and will screen in competition.
Jenkins has always maintained that her dream has not only been to make music – but to be a storyteller with her music, film and photography. “To find your future, sometimes you have to start by figuring out your past,” says Jenkins in Running Out of Road, the retrospective film she stars in and co-produced with her friend and the film’s director Cole Smith. For 12 minutes Jenkins strives to untangle the threads of her relationship with a photographer (Jack Noble) against the backdrop of the American West. Shot on location in Miami, New Mexico and Cheyenne, Wyoming, “Running” melds narrative drama with constantly evolving imagery, as the young woman’s memories fuel her fight to free herself and move forward. Underscored by three original songs written and performed by Jenkins, “Running” is an evocative, accomplished piece of musical filmmaking that puts Jenkins on the map as an emerging artist with an uncompromising eye for storytelling across mediums.
Amazon Music will be the first digital partner to broadcast the film. Beginning today (3/15), fans can watch the full film exclusively on Amazon Music’s iOS App. The short film hits YouTube and other digital partners on March 22. Jenkins premiered the trailer in late 2018 at Variety’s “Music For Screens” summit in Los Angeles in front of top music supervisors and teased an extended trailer earlier this week.
Earlier this month Jenkins completed an international tour as a part of the Country To Country (C2C) Festival, making stops in London, Dublin, Glasgow, Amsterdam, and Berlin. She will next be seen performing at festivals such as Tortuga Music Festival and opening on select dates for artists including Willie Nelson and Lady Antebellum. For additional tour dates and more information on Jenkins visit www.laurenjenkins.com.
