Some people said I was crazy, traveling to SXSW 2007 all by myself.

But I was ready for a change – ready to take my music
and my career to the next level. And those three days
in Austin, TX turned me down an incredible path that
has led me to where I am today: set to my release my
first full production CD “Shatter Queen”.

Let me go back a bit. Music has been a part of my life
for as long as I can remember. I began piano at the
age of three and started singing around nine. I really
found my voice as a composer in my later teen years
– have your heart broken and you’ll be surprised at the
stuff that pours out of you! While attending
UW-Milwaukee for a music degree, I started playing
with bands which got me out performing my original
material and learning all the ups and downs of the
music business.

In 2005, I decided to go out on my own as a soloist,
and recorded an acoustic album “Standing on a Bridge”.
I am proud of the work on this CD because it was my
first venture, it assisted in getting me bigger gigs
(like opening for The Fray at The Rave in Milwaukee!)
and helped garner some awards (2006 WAMI Female
Vocalist of the Year, 2006 WAMI Song of the
Year Nominee). But I have come a long way since then.

That brings us back to 2007. After meeting some
amazing people at SXSW, I was introduced to
Daniel Mendez who became my producer and the
person who changed my life. I spent 35 days with
him in Seattle, WA where we literally ripped my
songs apart and re-built them: lyrics, chords,
melodies. Not an easy task but I couldn’t be
more proud of these tunes. Each piece on this
CD came from me: my struggles and those around
me, my voice, and my hands at the piano. I have
grown as a musician, a songwriter, and as a person
because of this experience.

A little bit about the disc now. The songs have
a common theme running through them of
failed relationships and unrequited love. That
is where the title of the album comes in –
“Shatter Queen” – I’ll give you that much about
the name, the rest is for you to decide. There are,
however, a few glimpses of hope and inner strength,
and of possibilities to come on the CD. For the
recording, we brought in a slew of amazingly
talented musicians who truly brought these songs to life.

That takes us to 2008. My CD Release party
was March 7th at the Miramar Theatre where
we had every seat filled plus people standing (300+ crowd).
That night I performed all the tracks on “Shatter Queen” with
my new backing band. This is just the start though - I’ve got big plans so stick
around for more excitement to come!

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© 2009 Jayme Dawicki