Music
EXCLUSIVE: Jenna Raine Talks TikTok, Songwriting, Supporters & More
Jenna Raine opens up about her journey from TikTok star to signed artist, revealing how viral success changed her college plans forever.
But when COVID-19 happened, Jenna suddenly found herself with a lot of free time and naturally, like most of us, she spent a lot of that time on TikTok, where users connected with her hilarious videos.
However, it would only take Jenna 37 minutes to write “See You Later (Ten Years),” which was song number 46 of the challenge. “I did a couple TikToks to it myself and they started getting a lot of interaction online,” she says. “And then other people started posting. Every single day there were thousands of videos being posted.”
The success of “See You Later” marked a personal milestone for Jenna. ”I’ve always been a little self-conscious about showing my songwriting to people and releasing music,” she says. “The fact that people with resonated with that song definitely boosted my confidence.” With over 60 million streams to date, it marked a career milestone, too, as she landed a long-coveted record deal with Warner. “I had a completely different plan to go to college and be in a dorm room and take classes and get a degree,” she says. “The fact that this is my job now because of my supporters is absolutely insane.”
Throughout our chat, Jenna expresses her gratitude for those supporters. “They’ve changed my life completely,” she says. “When I tell you they made my dreams come true, they had a complete effect on what was going to happen in my future.” They’ll also have an effect on her upcoming music. “I’m basing the songs that I’m going to release this summer off of what reacts on TikTok,” she smiles. “So if people are following me and commenting and telling me what songs they like, they’ll literally have a say on what song comes out next!”
And Jenna has advice for any other aspiring songwriters out there. “You just have to believe in yourself before anybody else believes in you,” she says. “Trust in your talent and trust in your creativity. It’s really hard when you kind of feel embarrassed to put yourself out there, but I promise it won’t be embarrassing as soon as you find just a tiny bit of success. Chase the dream that you know is going to make you happy.”
Listen to Jenna’s latest single, “Not Again” below!
