There are those voices that bend under the weight of experience, and then there are those that use experience to create something meaningful from this kind of hard-won understanding. And Denton, Texas singer-songwriter and pianist Jessie Frye certainly uses her wildly expressive voice and honestly direct lyrics to create a safe haven in which her own experiences can thrive. Mixing traditional pop accessibility with a more densely populated rock landscape, Frye never hesitates to surprise and excite her fans at every turn. Wielding synth-pop rhythms and populist ballad tendencies, she effortlessly confounds any expectations laid at her feet and always gives fans what they least expect and what they didn’t know they actually needed.
She recorded and released her debut EP, The Delve, in 2008 but played only a handful of solo shows around its release. The next year, she applied for, and was invited to perform at, SXSW. As a result, Frye took a chance on gathering together a group of musicians to bring her music to life on the stage. Frye and her backing band became SXSW regulars performing for many years, developing an ever-growing and rabidly loyal fanbase. In 2010, she was hand-picked from a list of local artists by Pat Benetar to open her show at the House of Blues. And it was during this same year that she was nominated for Best Female Vocalist in the Dallas Observer Music Awards. 2011 brought the release of her critically-lauded sophomore EP, Fireworks Child, and with it, a Kickstarter-funded video for single, “Like A Light.”
Garnering the attention and support of The New York Times with her performance at SXSW in 2012, she used this national spotlight to tour throughout Texas that year and the Midwest the following year. Frye once again found success through her fans when her debut LP, Obsidian, was crowd sourced through Kickstarter. Following the release of this record, The Wall Street Journal ran a review of album cut, “Dear,” saying, “A sturdy beat from drummer Chad Ford anchors the song, and guitarist Jordan Martin adds a sweeping, overdriven riff that Frye adorns with piano lines and vocals that build from an understated murmur to booming recriminations.”
She has opened for bands such as Chvrches, Julianna Barwick, Beck, The Avett Brothers and Joan As Police Woman—though that is only a short list of artists with whom she’s shared a stage. Her energetic live shows and penchant for musical inclusivity also earned her the top spot in a fan-voted contest to see who would open 2014’s Edgefest 24 in Frisco, TX . But Frye isn’t simply rehashing the past onstage; she is currently in the process of writing and recording new material, which will find her mining the same heartfelt and emotionally absorbing territory that fans have come to expect from the ferocious singer.” -Joshua Pickard
