Jessica Smucker

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Jessica Smucker writes what could be considered “dark pop” songs: catchy melodies in minor keys, lyrics that masterfully infuse sad stories with flecks of humor and hope.

Jessica Smucker never meant to become a serious songwriter. For much of her life, she sang for fun and dabbled on the piano, but her real passions were poetry and nonfiction writing. She published numerous poems and essays in magazines and journals during her twenties, but as time went by she increasingly found herself turning to the piano for relaxation. Moving her fingers over the keys seemed to draw out words from a different place within her – a deeper, yet more effortless place.

Once she had written a body of songs, it took her a few years to find the will and the courage to put them out into the world. Now, seven years into her music career, she still thinks of herself as a writer first – and a reluctant performer. But audiences experience her voice as a sincere and captivating embrace – the perfect sonic match to her emotionally eloquent lyrics.

Jessica has performed all over the Eastern U.S. and has won several national songwriting contests including the Connecticut Folk Festival Song Competition (2013) and SolarFest ‘s Singer/Songwriter Showcase Competition (2010). She has opened for notable acts like Cheryl Wheeler and The Kennedys, shared festival stages with Patty Larkin, Catie Curtis, Dar Williams, Antje Duvekot and others, and co-billed with up-and-comers like Heather Maloney and The Stray Birds. Her second full-length album, Tumbling After, is due out in early 2014.