Hailing from Lewisville, Texas, Jenna Paulette’s roots as a cowgirl were first established as a young girl helping her family tend to their ranch. It’s where she always felt like her truest self, and where the grit that comes from a hard day’s work was born. Now, emerging on the other side of a ten-year-long toxic relationship, Paulette delivers her debut project with that same grit and vulnerability, facing the heartbreak of her past and diving confidently into her future – ultimately returning to the girl she was prior.
On the heels of being named Apple Music’s Country Riser of the Month for March, Paulette arrives with her debut album, The Girl I Was, today. Listen HERE.
The concept for the album, produced by Will Bundy with impressive writer credits including Rhett Akins, Jessie Jo Dillon and Ashley McBryde, surfaced while Paulette was attending a writers’ retreat. She was driving alone, content with her blue heeler as her passenger, enjoying the sunset in the distance, when an image of her eight-year-old self came to mind. She reminisced on the simplicities of life then – a freckle-faced child helping her grandfather on the ranch – dirty, full of purpose and well-loved. She was determined to get back to her.
“The picture of me that I believe God dropped into my head on the day we wrote ‘The Girl I Was’ in late April last year was taken when I was about eight, helping Granddaddy sell my uncle Hick's cattle,” reflects Paulette. “It’s the first time I ever felt like ‘myself.’ Every time I looked at this picture growing up it was a reminder to me of all the things I love about myself. My freckles in the summer sun. Drinking a hot orange can of Gatorade on a truck-bed or fence. Being covered in dirt while tending cattle. Dust in the air and the feeling of being capable—surrounded by FAMILY with the world at my fingertips. I am proud to say, the ‘Girl I Was’ is now the woman I am.”
With influences from country music’s past interwoven throughout, and a cover of country legend Gene Autry’s “Home on the Range” serving as bookends to the project, Paulette reflects on heartbreak and redemption with a delivery that’s reminiscent of her greatest musical heroes – Autry, The Chicks and Miranda Lambert among them.
Kicking off with “Fiddle and a Violin,” the upbeat tune delivers a tongue-in-cheek introspection at two individuals who appear similar, but upon a closer look the differences that were present all along become apparent. Songs “You Ain’t No Cowboy” and “Bless Her Heart” continue to delve into the heartbreak of a relationship gone awry, with “Pretty Ugly” signaling its end (“Roses on the counter are wilted now / Nail holes where I took the pictures down / Right side nightstand looks a little bit dusty / Heartbreak makes pretty ugly”).
In contrast, glimpses of healing and new romance are present with wistful love song “Anywhere the Wind Blows,” and hopeful tune “Sun Keeps Comin’ Back Up,” ultimately leading to the transformative, self-discovery title track, “The Girl I Was” (“I can’t believe I ever thought she wasn’t good enough / I’m getting back to the girl I was”).
It’s a level of honesty that left The Tennessean musing “gripping clarity, emotion and feeling are more readily apparent in her work than ever before,” with Billboard noting she arrives “confident” and “carefree.”
For more information, visit www.jennapaulette.com and follow Paulette on social media @JennaPaulette.
About Jenna Paulette:
A CMT Next Women of Country in 2022 and Apple Music’s Country Riser of the Month for March, singer-songwriter Jenna Paulette — a cowgirl who came of age amid the gritty realities of ranch life — is part of Nashville’s growing wave of female artists who are rewriting the rules and charting their own paths. Her finely calibrated blend of toughness and sensitivity is on full display in tracks like “Country in the Girl” and “Pretty Ugly.” Her most recent single, "Anywhere the Wind Blows," gives a glimpse into Paulette's songwriting abilities and is a whimsical reflection on her mainstream presentation of western living. Paulette settled in Nashville in 2015, where she struck up a mentorship with Ashley Gorley – a veteran songwriter with 50+ No. 1 tunes under his belt – which ultimately led to her publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music in June 2021. Since collaborating with songwriters Will Bundy, Ashley McBryde, Rhett Akins and Jessie Jo Dillion, as well as opening for Mason Ramsey, Parmalee, John Michael Montgomery, Clay Walker and most recently Aaron Watson, Paulette has landed brand partnerships with Justin Boots, Boot Barn, Oak and Eden Whiskey and Ranch Water. Last year, Paulette continued to spotlight her authentic western lifestyle, performing the national anthem at the Professional Bull Riding World Finals; as well as day working on ranches across Texas, securing opening slots and performing in multiple festivals including CMA Fest. With her debut album, The Girl I Was, available now, Paulette continues building her audience as fans get a deeper look into who she is as an artist.
