Jen Foster

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Jen Foster
Jen Foster performing at the Writer's Block in Knoxville, TN, in 2009.
Jen Foster performing at the Writer's Block in Knoxville, TN, in 2009.
Background information
OriginHouston, Texas, US
GenresPop
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2001–present
LabelsFosterchild Records
Websitejenfoster.com

Jennifer Kate Foster is an American singer-songwriter, musician, performer, record producer, and owner of her own record label Fosterchild Records. Her music incorporates elements of

studio albums, 3 EPs and has contributed to various film, television and multi-media soundtracks
and exceeded sales of 50,000 units as an independent artist.

Foster has garnered a number of awards for her songwriting skills and has written with a number Nashville, Tennessee Music Row hit songwriter's including Pam Tillis ("Mi Vida Loca", "Spilled Perfume"), Jeffrey Steele ("What Hurts The Most", "My Wish"), Natalie Hemby ("Only Prettier", "White Liar"), Liz Rose ("Teardrops on My Guitar"), Mike Reid ("I Can't Make You Love Me"), Kristen Hall of Sugarland ("Baby Girl", "Stay"), Greg Barnhill ("Walkaway Joe"), Keith Follesé ("Smile", "Lookin' for a Good Time", "I Love You"), Rob Giles (The Rescues), and Emily West ("I Hate You, I Love You", "Blue Sky").

Early life

Jen Foster grew up in a

Houston, Texas. Her father is a successful Texas businessman and her mother was a housewife and an antiques dealer who died from endometrial cancer in 2008. Foster began playing the guitar at the age of eight, wrote her first song at sixteen, and won a number of talent contests at Duchesne Academy, the Catholic girls high school she attended.[1]
Foster says "I was a fan of thought-provoking lyrics." Her early influences included
The Troubadour. After working a few odd jobs including a receptionist for the luggage company Ricardo of Beverly Hills, she decided that she wanted to move back South. Foster also wanted to live in a strong community of songwriters so she moved to Nashville, Tennessee.[1]

Career

In 2003, Foster recorded her first official CD release, "Everybody's Girl." With the help of an investor and a small team of industry professionals they put together the first incarnation of her independent record label called

fan base.[2]

In 2006, "The Underdogs" her 2nd official release came out, and was even more well-received than the first project. On "The Underdogs", Foster worked with Jeff Trott, who is best known for his extensive work with

Dixie Chicks, Wreckers).[3]

At the same time the CD was being recorded Foster's mother began her battle with cancer and over those next few years Foster was called to spend a lot of time with her mother and family. It was at this time that Foster wrote the song inspired by her mother "The Least I Can Do." In 2009, Foster was invited by

Senate
, in an effort to remind them the value of a song.

Foster released the single "I Didn't Just Kiss Her", a tongue-in-cheek response to Katy Perry's hit I Kissed a Girl. Despite the controversial subject Jen has said the reaction to her single has been "surprisingly, overwhelmingly positive" although a few people have emailed her expressing their offense.[4]

2009 was also the year that Foster's song "Venice Beach" was chosen to be the theme song for the popular web series "VENICE" which is a spin-off from the

Emmy
for Best Daytime Short Format.

Foster is constantly writing, co-writing, and recording new songs. Creating demo's of country songs in Nashville to pitch to major country artists, travels to LA regularly to write and record new songs for pop pitches as well as for film/TV pitches. Foster has had songs on hold in Nashville with Faith Hill, Wynonna Judd, Rascal Flatts, Rodney Atkins, and Lee Brice. In 2012 Foster released a new artist project, "You Stayed" which is a compilation of a lot of the recordings she did in Los Angeles with co-producer, Rich Jacques and dedicated to her fans for their dedication and continue supported. She co-wrote the title track with songwriter/producer and Nashville Star judge, Jeffrey Steele.

2012 also saw Foster assemble a new Fosterchild Records team, start speaking at conferences about how she has marketed her music and built my fan base independently. Foster was the keynote speaker, along with

Knoxville, TN, spoke to a crowd of 350 people for Tin Pan South at the Millennium Hotel in Nashville and at Belmont University
's "Best Job Ever" event in September 2012.

Foster has hosted three songwriter events since 2009 called "The Writer's Share", to benefit the

AIDS Research. This event has typically been held at the Bluebird Cafe, and has featured Richard Marx, Keb' Mo, and many other well-loved hit songwriters, such as Mike Reid ("I Can't Make You Love Me", Bonnie Raitt) and Chuck Cannon ("I Love The Way You Love Me", John Michael Montgomery
). Her mother, Mary Alice, was the inspiration behind this event.

Film and television

Jen Foster's music has appeared in:

  • Venice: The Series (Emmy Award-winning web series) – "Venice Beach" by Jen Foster
  • Elena Undone (feature film) – "Broken" – by Jen Foster and "She" by Jen Foster
  • MTV's The Hills (Season 5).[5] – Closer To Nowhere – by Jen Foster
  • ABC's All My Children. (TV series) – "I Just Wanna Be Happy" by Jen Foster & Kathy Scott
  • American Pie Presents: Beta House.(feature film) – "All This Time" Jen Foster
  • HBO Happenstance (short film) – "The One Who Go Away" Jen Foster & Glenn Rosenstein
  • Girl Play.[6] (feature film) – "She" by jen Foster

Awards

  • 2001 Great American Songwriting Contest, Pop category, Winner for "She".[7]
  • 2006 OUT Music Awards, Song of the Year for "The Underdogs".[8]
  • 2005 2nd Annual International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA), Overall Grand Prize for "Taking Bob Dylan".[9]
  • 2007 International Songwriting Competition, Adult Album Alternative category, First place for "Closer To Nowhere".[10]
  • John Lennon Songwriting Contest
  • Independent Singer/Songwriter Awards
  • LOGO Channel – Best of 2008
  • Stand Out Awards
  • USA Songwriting Contest
  • Nashville Song & Lyric Contest
  • 2012 RightOutTV Best Pop Rock Adult Contemporary Award "You Stayed"

Discography

Studio albums

  • 2003: Everybody's Girl
  • 2006: The Underdogs
  • 2009: Thirty-Nine

EPs

  • 2005: Songs from The Underdogs
  • 2008: Songs from Thirty-Nine
  • 2012: You Stayed
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jen Foster.

References

  1. ^ a b "Bio". Official Website. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  2. ^ Detlor,Pamela. "Jen Foster". lovegirls.com. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  3. ^ Bendix, Trish (April 21, 2009). "Jen Foster on Women and Song". afterellen.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  4. ^ Michelson, Noah. "She Didn't Just Kiss Her". out.com. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  5. ^ "I'm Done With You". tv.com. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  6. Internet Movie Database
    . Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  7. ^ "Hall of Fame". The Great American Song Contest. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  8. ^ "Outmusic Awards Data". queermusicheritage.com. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  9. ^ "Winners". IAMA. Archived from the original on November 28, 2006. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
  10. ^ "Winners". ISC. Archived from the original on March 10, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jen_Foster&oldid=1177733753"