The authentic sounds of Country Music has been on the crest of a wave in the UK, nourishing a new generation of artists in the genre bringing their own take on the art form. One of the most promising names to emerge on the circuit recently is Yorkshire songwriter Jess Thristan, whose unique style and diligence is beginning to pay dividends.
A talented writer from an early age, Jess wrote her first track “The Shield” at just 15 years old. She would later go on to record it at the famous Angel Studios with a 24-piece orchestra as well as a cover of The Beatles’ classic “From Me To You”, which went on to feature as the soundtrack to a SKY TV Christmas campaign. After releasing her debut album ‘This Is Home’, Jess took a step away from music to take stock and refocus her musical direction. This inevitably led her back to her first musical love and she began writing Country & Americana music heavily influenced by some of her favourites such as Jillian Jacqueline and Maren Morris, while keeping her own roots and style. The past year saw Jess not only writing but testing the new tracks playing around London, Manchester and the Leeds area.
Sharing bills with the likes of Remember Monday, Jade Helliwell and Andy Brown saw Jess gain support from key tastemakers Maverick Magazine and Countryline TV while the writing side saw her working with Tim Prottey-Jones (The Wandering Hearts), Jamie Evans (Wildwood Kin), Jessica Sharman (Ward Thomas) among many others.
For 2019, Jess returns with an authentic, rich collection of songs from her past year of writing, travelling and performing. The first is the emotive “The Old Me”, a relatable slice of country songwriting that details a reflective time in the singer's life. On the new track, she states
The Old Me highlights a time where I was a bit lost on my own journey and I was comparing myself to older versions of myself instead of moving forward and evolving, and that’s the story I wanted to tell with the lyrics of this song. I got the chance to work with some incredible musicians on this track which we recorded in the amazing Rocket Studios.
