Derek Darr sat down with Rock Performer Tennessee Jet to discuss his upcoming concert with Hannah Dasher.
Jet started off by highlighting how growing up in the southern states immerses individuals in the country scene, shaping their musical foundation before they explore other genres to develop a unique and original style.
“I think growing up in Oklahoma, or like Hannah grew up in Georgia, each time we’re growing up in these southern states, there’s just going to be country music around you and folk and Americana music, for lack of a better word. And so that’s typically what you’re raised on, and then as you start playing more music and discovering yourself, then you explore other genres. At least that’s the way it was for me [and] Hannah, and then you just try to do something unique and original.”
Jet shared his journey from wanting to become Waylon Jennings, only to realize it’s best to be famous for something you created.
“When I first started out, I wanted to be Waylon Jennings really bad, and you realize that I you’re just trying to copy what he’s doing, then you’re not doing what he was about. He was about being himself, and so at some point I realized I needed to do what I do and to discover that, and you borrow from a lot of different influences and things. But you’ve got to create something of your own, and so that’s where those other elements came in.”
With limited opportunities for music learning, Jet discovered his own sources of inspiration.
“I always [wrote] songs, and when you’re growing up—I was a baseball player growing up—there’s always Little League sign-ups, and when you’re in high school, you join the teams. But there was never a singer/songwriter sign-up. A lot of times, the people that are into that, really early are people because their families are musicians, and my parents love music, but they didn’t like teaching me how to play music growing up, and so later on around college, I started focusing more on music.”
