Jenna Doe Is Your New Favorite Pop Rockstar
Meet Jenna Doe, a Canadian singer-songwriter whose sound is a master mix of angsty pop, punk and sweet, clever, genuine music. Their career took off on TikTok where Doe began posting music and cultivated a fan base. Their songs aim to create more queer representation within the music industry, a service to their younger self and all queer listeners.
Image courtesy of Eden Graham
Doe has always loved music and performing live. In ninth grade, they started an all-girl rock band and would make the journey into downtown Toronto to play grungy basement bars – just happy to get into the area’s music scene. Even when they were much younger, Doe often accompanied their older sister during performances and sang around the campfire with their family and without fear. “It’s always just been extremely natural for me. So, having gotten to the place where I can play shows and there’s actual fans in the audience that know my lyrics and [are] excited to talk to me, that feels like literal heaven,” says Doe.
At first, Doe’s music wasn’t overtly queer. In fact, they purposefully chose not to address their queerness: “I was scared, like any young kid from the suburbs. I didn’t really know anybody who was queer, and I barely knew that many queer musicians,” says Doe. Worried about how their music would be perceived and if people would respond negatively, Doe shied away from their own identity. “I was mad scared to talk about this, but then I was just like – fuck it. This is my genuine experience and I don’t want to be a musician if I’m not able to be [authentic].” Now, Doe is unapologetic in professions of their queerness.
“This is my genuine experience and I don’t want to be a musician if i’m not able to be [authentic].”
The first song of theirs to blow up was “Pink Slips,” which amassed over a million views on TikTok. Doe took inspiration from Taylor Swift, nicknaming the tune, “The Gay ‘The Way I Loved You,’” even though it wasn’t their initial intention to write it that way. As it turns out, quite a few Swifties were yearning for new music with similar raw lyricism to that of their pop icon, but from a more sapphic perspective.
Ever since they were a kid, Doe has always felt “a little bit different.” Because of their queerness and more masculine gender expression, the artist was used to standing out, and thus naturally gravitated toward “angsty” music. Doe cites Avril Lavigne, Paramore and early-era Demi Lovato as rock influences, and icons like Justin Bieber and Swift on the pop side. Seamlessly, the two genres merged to create the nostalgic, early 2000’s sound they embody.
When it comes to Doe’s songwriting, all their tracks are entirely based in reality. For this reason, creating their most recent release (and new favorite track), “Sorry Brody,” was a no-brainer. “[That song] was 100% a real story and I was like, I cannot not write a song about this because [the story] is so crazy,” Doe says. They arrived in the studio with their producer and began telling the story, word-for-word, finding poetic ways to express their original experience through the song’s recording process. “I’m really proud of how catchy and fun it is and how I was able to tell such a true story without being scared of everybody hearing it.”
Last year, Doe went on a bit of a hiatus, but releasing “Sorry Brody” is the beginning of a new era for them. Doe has plans to continue releasing more music, with a couple singles and an EP preparing to drop in the coming months. They’re adamant on getting the perfect cover art, the perfect music videos and making everything visually appealing for their audience. If you’re looking for new queer pop anthems to both dance and cry to, look no further. Your new favorite pop rockstar is here, and they have more work on the way!
CHECK OUT JENNA DOE’S DISCOGRAPHY ON SPOTIFY HERE: