I first heard Jayna Jennings during the months prior to the October 2023 release of her Southern Gothic Romance album, when she popped up in my social media newsfeeds with songs and videos promoting it. I liked what I heard and, upon its release, thoroughly enjoyed the album—it’s country music with a folk edge, somewhat akin to early (Dixie) Chicks and Patty Griffin. What can be said of her vocal prowess? When she goes high, time stops. And when she goes low, it stops again.
She’s more than just a pretty voice, however. Her songs, which she writes alone, are engaging works of art that speak to and about the human experience. On her website, she explains, “Songwriting for me is how I process my life—it’s how we find out that we aren’t so different from each other. I make music to spread hope—to be a part of self-discovery, and the soundtrack to healing.”
The song “10:43,” about a chance encounter in a train station, is one of many highlights from Southern Gothic Romance, while the Addison Cox-directed video possesses the feel of an old-fashioned Hollywood movie. It’s lush and sweet, and
Fleeting meetings have been the basis of many a song, of course—Nanci Griffith’s “The Flyer” and Patty Griffin’s “Traveling Soldier” spring to mind—and more than a few films, from “Brief Encounter” (1945) to “Before Sunrise” (1995). One reason why the story comes around again and again is quite simple: It’s simultaneously relatable and romantic. We’ve all met folks we felt an instant connection with, I think, and parted ways because…well, life.
I reached out to Ms. Jennings with a few questions about the song and video; I can’t thank her enough for responding.
Where did the idea for “10:43”(the song) come from?
10:43 is actually my lucky number/time. In high school I would look at the clock in class and it was always 10:43 or 1:43! And into my adulthood, I just noticed 10:43 on the clock and usually something good would happen or I would just feel a little more excited about the day. It’s crazy because the first time I was ever played on FM radio was 104.3, my favorite Bible verse is Acts 10:43, and there are so many other ironic things in my life that tie back to that number.
I had recently been through a small break up when I was like 19, and wrote this song to cheer me up and incorporated all my favorite things—black coffee, trains, love stories, and of course 10:43. I figured that the song was too niche to really connect with anyone and just put it on the back burner for a while until I noticed it was a favorite when I would perform it live. And from there, I decided to put it on my new album, Southern Gothic Romance. And then the song won Song of the Year at the Josie Music Awards! The awards show takes place at the Grand Ole Opry house and it was cool to get to stand in the circle on stage to accept the award.
Where was the video shot?
The video shoot was in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum! It’s such a perfect old station with so many cozy vibes and we even got to use a vintage train car to help bring the 1940s aesthetic to life.
How did you hook up with Addison Cox?
Addison is one of my close friends! She had been coming to me for songwriting and vocal classes. She’s a very talented filmmaker and one day we were kinda talking about career frustrations and things we wanted to do and it was crazy how it aligned because my new album was a visual album and I had pretty simple music videos for 11 of the 12 songs, but “10:43” I felt needed to be really special because of the way it had become a favorite for my fans but had a storyline that couldn’t be as simple. I had never done a video of this caliber and had no idea where to start and she was wanting to get more involved in leading creative filmmaking and directing, so we decided to barter our talents with each other in a way, and see what we could come up with to bring these dreams to life.
Your vocals remind me at times of Natalie Maines (of the Dixie Chicks) while the song itself sounds like something Patty Griffin could have written. Which leads to this question: Who are a few of your favorite singers and songwriters?
Thank you for saying that, these are two or my favorite artists, so I’m so excited to hear that!! I have been really influenced by Patty Griffin, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, Carole King, and the Avett Bros.
Do you read? What was the last book(s) you read?
I love to read!!! The last book I read was The Sun Also Rises (I’m a huge Hemingway fan) and reread Wuthering Heights.
The Old Grey Cat 