StSL – “Your Hands”, a song from your 2008 album, “Painted Red”, has been receiving some great radio and television exposure lately. It’s also been an encouragement to me personally as someone who struggles with anxiety. What was your inspiration for that song?
JJ – I wrote "Your Hands" with my husband, Dave, and singer/songwriter Katie Herzig during a time in my life when I was really struggling with anxiety and panic attacks. God has brought me so much healing since then, but fear is definitely one of my biggest adversaries. I'm the queen of "what-if." The song is a reminder to me that no matter what is happening in my life right now (or what could happen in the future), I can trust that God has it all taken care-of. He's not surprised by anything, and I can rest in his love and provision.
StSL – I know you’ve recently completed work on a new album. What can you tell us about that?
JJ – We're so excited about it! With sparse percussion, keys and acoustic guitars, it's the most acoustic album we've recorded so far. We used very old RCA mics to add some texture and character to the sound of the record. It's a very polarized collection of songs. Half of the songs touch on topics like self abuse, and tragedy, but the other half are whimsical and light-hearted. Because the songs reach to the depths of joy and pain, we decided to call the record "Deeper."
We also did something we've never done before and added a cover tune to the line-up. The song is called "The Very Thought of You," by Ray Noble, but I first fell in love with it when I heard it sung by Billie Holiday.
We were planning to release "Deeper" on Thanksgiving Day, but because of all of the unexpected excitement surrounding "Your Hands" (which was on our last record called "Painted Red"), we decided to wait to release it. We were advised by many wise friends in the industry to not have two records competing for attention. For the time being, the release date of "Deeper" is yet to be determined.
StSL – As you mentioned earlier, your songwriting partner and guitarist also happens to be your husband, Dave Heller. How has it been navigating your career together?
JJ – Dave is amazing. He has such a knack for business and administration (which is awesome because I'm definitely not skilled in those areas). He does all the planning so that I can be free to be a mom and to write a song or two on occasion. In recent days, I've actually done a lot less songwriting on my own, and a lot more writing with Dave. He's great at pushing me to keep writing even when I've hit a road block. It drives me crazy in the moment, but if he wasn't there to motivate me, I would rarely finish a song.
It's also really fun to be on stage together. We love to interact with each other and banter back and forth. People often tell Dave that his humor reminds them of the Smothers Brothers... he takes it as a HUGE compliment:)
StSL – You and Dave recently welcomed your daughter, Lucy, into the world. Has that created a whole new area of inspiration for you?
JJ – Definitely! She has stirred a love in me that didn't exist until she came. We just finished a new album this past September and there are several songs that were written just for her. I'm thinking that I need to write a new song about Lucy, though... one about being willing to hold her with an open hand. I get so worried about her!
StSL – Who are some your songwriting influences?
JJ – When I was in college (about 10 years ago) I heard Jennifer Knapp for the first time and was blown-away by the way she combined poetry with melody to express spiritual truth. She was a huge inspiration for me early-on. Currently, I'm a big fan of Patty Griffin. She has a way of painting such vivid pictures with her songs. I also enjoy Feist and Ray LaMontagne.
Visit JJHeller.com for more info and check back right here tomorrow for part two!
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