Quick Facts
Biography
Jetty Rae (born January 13, 1987) is an unsigned indie folk American singer/songwriter whose career began in Kona, Hawaii but now lives full-time in a renovated Airstream. Notable appearances include Lilith Fair 2010, CMJ Music Festival, Ann Arbor Summer Festival, and a number of CFA festivals including Agapefest, Big Ticket, and Fandana Festival. Jetty Rae's music has been used by companies such as Microsoft, Petco, and Ben and Jerry's to promote their brands. She is known for "taking lyrics and adding a depth that few artists can.". Jetty Rae's album Drowning in Grain peaked at #130 on the CMJ Top 200 Radio charts.
Personal life
Jetty Rae was born in Springfield, Oregon on January 13, 1987. She was raised by her parents, Tyvin and Kathleen, in the mountain town of Happy Camp, California before moving for a short time to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her parents were missionaries which required them to move often before finally settling down in Charlevoix, Michigan where Jetty Rae attended Charlevoix High School. Jetty's mother started a theater group, called the Ragamuffins, in which Jetty held many roles. Rae was initially introduced to songwriting through her affinity for poetry.
Following her graduation from high school she tried out for Juilliard but was not accepted. Jetty Rae eventually decided to attend the Youth With a Mission (YWAM) discipleship training school in Kona, Hawaii where she partook in 3 mission trips over two years to China, Fiji, and Australia. After graduating in 2008, Jetty Rae returned to Michigan where she met her husband, Jason Stewart (to whom she now refers as her "husband-ger"). The two were married at the Iberostar Paraiso del Mar on the Riviera Maya outside Cancun, Mexico on December 21, 2008. If not for music, Jetty has stated her interest for both cooking and makeup, citing them as art forms themselves.
Jetty Rae has a pug named Otisa son named Beck and a daughter named Rowin. She also had a daughter, Ella, about which she keeps a blog entitled "The Singing Hitchhiker".
In May 2016 Jetty Rae and her family moved into a renovated Airstream and began living a minimal lifestyle.
Jetty Rae namesake
Jetty Rae adopted the name of her paternal grandmother Jetty Rae Thom, who was a full-blooded Karuk Native American. Jetty Rae Thom was known for her nomadic lifestyle, her propensity to want to be outdoors, and for battling mental illnesses, including schizophrenia. Jetty Rae (musician) took her grandmother's namesake out of admiration and respect.
Musical career
Jetty Rae, who considers herself a blue color musician, attributes the start of her musical career to the death of her grandfather, which prompted her to write her first original song "Sunshine". Her first show was at Durty Jake's bar in Kona, Hawaii. While there she joined the rap and hip-hop group Soul Chronicle, and toured the Hawaiian Islands, as well as mainland China. Her connection with Soul Chronicle lead to her recording with another hip-hop group, The S.O.G. Crew.
In 2009, Jetty Rae was chosen to play at the grand opening of JetBlue's JFK Airport terminal as the grand prize winner of a competition from OurStage.
Sarah McLachlan and Terry McBride chose Jetty Rae as their featured local talent for Lilith Fair 2010 in Clarkston, Michigan at the DTE Energy Music Theater. Jetty Rae won this opportunity through OurStage. Rae has been described as "a musician that has matured within every release, while still being true to herself."
Since becoming affiliated with NACA in 2011 Jetty Rae has been chosen as a showcasing artist four times: Northern Plains 2011, Mid-West 2012, Mid-America 2012, and Northern Plains 2013.
Jetty Rae is signed to SESAC (IPI #00607322083) and publishes her music under Jetty Rae LLC (IPI #00677859763).
Influences
In an AnnArbor.com news article, Jetty Rae's musical influences are cited as including Lauryn Hill, Brandi Carlile, and Eva Cassidy. One reviewer compared her voice to Norah Jones and Amy Winehouse while others refer to her as a female Jack Johnson. Still others have noted her Jennifer Knapp influences and similarities. In addition to those noted above, Rae cites her influences as Mariah Carey, Damien Rice and Whitney Houston.
Discography
Jetty Rae has released a number of albums and singles in her career:
Blackberries (2008)
Jetty Rae's first album was recorded at Runyan Studios in Bellaire, Michigan and was released on April 16, 2008.
All tracks written by Brittni Stewart.
| Track listing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
| 1. | "Won't Be Here" | Alexis Dawdy (Violin), Olivia Child (Violin), Brian Cornett (Guitar) | 3:18 |
| 2. | "Danielley's Song" | Alexis Dawdy (Violin), Olivia Child (Violin), Brian Cornett (Guitar) | 3:50 |
| 3. | "Restless Sea" | Alexis Dawdy (Violin), Olivia Child (Violin), Dave Runyan (Bass), Brian Cornett (Guitar) | 2:34 |
| 4. | "Gualamina" | Bing Frarr (Bass), Brian Cornett (Guitar) | 1:20 |
| 5. | "Mad At You" | Dave Runyan (Bass), Brian Cornett (Guitar) | 2:56 |
| 6. | "Beggar" | Eric Jaqua (Bass), Brian Cornett (Guitar) | 3:55 |
| 7. | "Sunshine" | Alexis Dawdy (Violin), Brian Cornett (Guitar) | 4:22 |
| 8. | "Waiting" | Brian Cornett (Guitar) | 3:50 |
| 9. | "Holes" | Jesse Carrasco (Vocals), Brian Cornett (Guitar) | 3:55 |
| 10. | "Wings" | Alexis Dawdy (Violin), Olivia Child (Violin), Bing Frarr (Bass), Brian Cornett (Guitar) | 4:06 |
| 11. | "Blessed Child" | Eric Jaqua (Bass), Dave Schwartz (Drums), Dave Runyan (Guitar), Jesse Carrasco (Vocals), Brian Cornett (Vocals & Guitar) | 5:38 |
| Total length: | 39:24 | ||
Nobody (2009)
Jetty Rae's second album is an EP and was recorded and produced in Nashville, Tennessee; it was released on August 20, 2010.
All tracks written by Brittni Stewart.
| Track listing | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Bad Apples" | 3:04 |
| 2. | "Forget Me Not" | 5:39 |
| 3. | "I Love You" | 4:30 |
| 4. | "Little Girl" | 4:27 |
| 5. | "Blink of an Eye" | 3:39 |
| Total length: | 21:19 | |
La La Lu and the Lazy Moon (2011)
Jetty's first co-produced albumwas released on July 1, 2011. The album is considered a lullaby album.
All lyrics written by Brittni Stewart except "Puff the Magic Dragon" which was written by Peter, Paul and Mary; all music composed by Joseph Barker and Brittni Stewart.
| Track listing | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Lazy Moon" | 3:45 |
| 2. | "Airplane" | 5:04 |
| 3. | "Rainy day" | 3:38 |
| 4. | "1,000 Buttons" | 5:41 |
| 5. | "Puff the Magic Dragon" | 3:39 |
| 6. | "Imagine" | 5:29 |
| 7. | "Michigan" | 4:52 |
| 8. | "By and By" | 4:04 |
| Total length: | 37:52 | |
Drowning in Grain (2012)
Jetty Rae's fourth album was recorded at Solid Sound Recording Company in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The album was released on August 1, 2012 and has been described as "nuanced and often downright idiosyncratic." It peaked at #130 on the CMJ Top 200 Radio charts. The track "Nice Ones" was featured by American Songwriter.
All tracks written by Brittni Stewart.
| Track listing | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Nice Ones" | 3:45 |
| 2. | "In Love" | 4:42 |
| 3. | "Frayed Ends" | 4:10 |
| 4. | "Alien" | 4:16 |
| 5. | "Favorite Song" | 3:26 |
| 6. | "Yarn" | 4:27 |
| 7. | "Freedom" | 3:41 |
| 8. | "Chocolate Sunrise" | 5:04 |
| 9. | "Movies" | 5:18 |
| 10. | "Promise" | 4:11 |
| Total length: | 43:00 | |
Climbing Clouds (2013)
The title track from Jetty Rae's August 2013 album "Climbing Clouds" and an associated music videowas released on August 6 bearing the same name. "Fallin", another single from the album, was released on August 27also with a music video. The last single from the album, "Kerosene", was released on October 11in memory of her daughter; a music video for the single was also released. The music videos for this album were produced after a successful crowdfunding campaign of $11,850.
All tracks written by Brittni Stewart.
| Track listing | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Off The Grid" | 4:08 |
| 2. | "Climbing Clouds" | 3:04 |
| 3. | "Fallin'" | 3:44 |
| 4. | "Too Big" | 3:12 |
| 5. | "Kerosene" | 4:39 |
| 6. | "Fallin' (Ballad)" | 3:15 |
| Total length: | 22:02 | |
More Than December (2014)
This is a Christmas-themed album released on November 26, 2014. Tracks include two original songs ("More Than December" and "Christmas Kiss") as well as four covers of classic Christmas songs ("O, Holy Night", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "Little Drummer Boy" and "Auld Lang Syne"). The album was produced on an extremely tight timeline and was produced by Eric Sproull with featured vocal performances by Chris DuPont and Katie Lee. The title track has been described as "energetic".
All music composed by Brittni Stewart.
| Track listing | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Little Drummer Boy" | 2:52 |
| 2. | "O, Holy Night" | 5:16 |
| 3. | "Christmas Kiss" | 2:25 |
| 4. | "More Than December" | 2:26 |
| 5. | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | 7:08 |
| Total length: | 20:27 | |
Forever & Always (2015)
A single, released on March 16, 2015. Rae cites this track as being notable in that it's the result of a single, uninterrupted vocal recording. The song itself has a running time of 3:18, was produced by Eric Sproull, and was recorded at Bottle Rocket Studios in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Pen Pals: Gold (2015)
A collaboration with another artist, Heath McNease, released on September 17, 2015. The album spent 5 days as the most downloaded on NoiseTrade. The theme of the album is a romance that begins and ends with summer.
All lyrics written by Heath McNease; all music composed by Heath McNease and Brittni Stewart.
| Track listing | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Camp" | 1:42 |
| 2. | "Open Door" | 4:15 |
| 3. | "Away" | 2:47 |
| 4. | "Gold" | 6:03 |
| 5. | "Mary & Martha" | 3:48 |
| 6. | "July" | 4:14 |
| Total length: | 23:00 | |
Queen of the Universe (2016)
The first single from the 2017 album "Can't Curse the Free", released on December 9, 2016. The track has a running time of 3:35. Rae herself cites the inspiration for this song stemming from a friend's "family drama" from which she created a larger-than-life character to be the subject of this song.
The song has been described as having "sweetly-delivered tongue-in-cheek rock-centric sassitude", "elements of singer-songwriter sensibilities, indie rock endeavours and pop flavour" but also grittier with descriptions like "grinds through the speakers in husky rattles" and "oozing feminine power and dominance". The work is a departure from Rae's prior works with reviewers remarking that the song has a Janis Joplin vibe and "impressive vocal abilities with soulful rock melodies" while others have compared it to Cat Power pointing to the "sultry and pop-aesthetic" vocals and a "powerful and melodic voice that's just right for some bluesy folk rock". The release received some positive notoriety including being featured on TuneCore's featured artist blog.
The track was produced by Grammy award winning producer Mitch Dane and recorded at Sputnik Sound with many of the members from the band Jars of Clayin just 3 takes.
Can't Curse the Free (2017)
The 2nd single and title track from the 2017 album "Can't Curse the Free", released on January 13, 2017 to coincide with Jetty Rae's 30th birthday. The track has a running time of 3:28 and Rae cites the inspiration for the song as coming from her younger brother who asked her to write a song about someone who is cursed.
The work received positive reception, being featured by Tunecore and by iTunes.
The track was produced by Grammy award winning producer Mitch Dane and recorded at Sputnik Sound with many of the members from the band Jars of Clay.
Awards & Recognition
- Winner, CMJ Music Showcase
- Winner, Musician Category, "Best Of Northern Michigan" Contest
- Winner, "Mi Favorite Things" TV Contest
- Winner, MoFilm Battle of the Bands
- Winner, Lilith Fair Talent Search
- Grand Prize, Live at T5 Music Competition
- Winner, MTV "Needle in a Haystack" Music Series
- 1st place, OurStage.com Folk Competition (January 2010, September 2009, May 2009)
- Grand Prize, OurStage.com Music Competition
- Michigan Women Who Rock
- "CMJ 2013 Artists". cultivora. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- Gerow, Lynn (March 17, 2014). "Best of Northern Michigan". Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- Dean, Evan (November 8, 2013). "MiFavoriteThings -- "Jetty Rae Music"". 9 and 10 News. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- "MoFilm". Twitter.com. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- Graff, Gary (June 22, 2010). "Lilith Fair announces local performer, charity for DTE date". Oakland Press. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- "JetBlue Airways and Superfly Marketing Group Announce Five Winners of National OurStage.com Music Competition". August 14, 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- Splain, Mike (April 9, 2010). "Needle in the Haystack Follow Up: Jetty Rae". OurStage.com. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- ^ "About Jetty Rae". OurStage.com. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- Kates, Kristi (October 31, 2015). "Michigan Women Who Rock". Northern Express. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
Film & Commercial Placements
- Original jingle for Truvia "Twinkle, Twinkle" (15s), Spring 2012.
- Original jingle for Truvia "Twinkle, Twinkle" (30s), Spring 2012.
- Original jingle for Truvia "Jiggle Bells" (15s), Winter 2011.
- Original jingle for Truvia "Hush", Spring 2011.
- "Climbing Clouds" for Microsoft - Office 365, September 2014.
- "Imagine" for Nabi - Tablet, March 2014
- "Favorite Songs" for Petco - Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, August 2013
- "Favorite Songs" for Petco - PuPQuiz!, February 2014
- "Favorite Songs" for Petco - PuPQuiz!, February 2014
- "Airplane" for Ben and Jerry's, January 2015
- Original Composition 'It Just Means More" for Southeastern Conference, September 2016
- "Climbing Clouds" for Saxo Bank, September 2016
- Original Composition 'It Just Means More" v2 for Southeastern Conference, December 2016.
- "Truvia TV Commercial For Twinkle, Twinkle". iSpot.tv. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- "Truvia TV Commercial For Truvia". iSpot.tv. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- "Truvia Commercial (2011 - 2012)". Popisms.com. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- "Truvia Commercial (2012)". Popisms.com. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- "The details, features & highlights you need to know". Audiosocket. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- Rae, Jetty. "Jetty Rae on Twitter". Twitter.com. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- "PetCo on Twitter". Twitter.com. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- "PupQuiz!". YouTube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- "PupQuiz!". YouTube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- "Values Lead Sourcing: Our Values | Ben & Jerry's". YouTube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- "SEC TV Spot, 'It Just Means More'". iSpot.tv. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- "Let's change the way we invest". YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- "SEC on Twitter". Twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
