Jaclyn Lovey: Placerville's Prized Voice
Jaclyn Lovey—the 17-year-old sweetheart who competed on the most recent season of NBC’s hit show The Voice, has hometown roots right here in Placerville. Inspired heavily by oldies such as Otis Redding and Janis Joplin, Lovey is also influenced by modern artists like Cage The Elephant, Summer Salt, and Loyle Carner. Performing in front of her first official crowd at a local open mic night, the artist has been singing at popular venues ever since, including H.Art Lounge, Placerville Public House, and The Wine Smith. “My motto is ‘the only way you can fail in the music industry is to stop making music,’” shares Lovey. “No amount of fame or money defines success in music…for making music is the entire point.” Catch Lovey performing at the El Dorado County Fair this month, which is running from June 14–17, and on June 23 at Jodar Winery.
HLB: WHEN DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU WERE DESTINED TO BE A SINGER-SONGWRITER?
JL: I realized I wanted to make music a career when I was about 11 and started playing guitar and writing songs. It was addictive to me, and I would play wherever people would let me. When I was 14, I was fortunate to make an EP in Australia and sell it at my shows. Having been given the chance to be on The Voice and share my music to even more people makes me so grateful.
HLB: WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO EXPRESS THROUGH YOUR SONGWRITING?
JL: I've written hundreds of songs—some great and some awful—but the point of writing, for me, is to get something that's stuck in my head onto paper and into a song…whether it's a story I heard, a person in my mind, or a place. Anything that moves me will eventually get in my head enough so I have to write about it; hopefully it's contagious enough so that what I write gets stuck in the heads of others, too.
HLB: HOW HAS GROWING UP IN THE AREA INFLUENCED YOUR MUSIC?
JL: My childhood in Placerville was beautiful. From taking music lessons downtown to buying apples at Apple Hill, growing up in such a nice community has kept me grounded and content. Everyone in Placerville has always been supportive of my music and music in general. Local open mics encourage anyone and everyone to get up and [perform]!
HLB: HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR ARTISTIC PASSION WITH THE DAY-TO-DAY LIFE OF BEING A TEENAGER?
JL: I tend to keep my music life and my personal life rather separate. This isn’t necessarily intentional—I just don't go around telling people I play music, so when they find out—either from The Voice or my YouTube channel—they're pretty surprised!
jaclynlovey.com; youtube.com/jaclynlovey
By Heather L. Becker
Photo by Dante Fontana