This album has been a long time in the making. Baylin gained her initial performing experience during her early childhood, singing for customers at the Fire Sight Inn, the New Jersey restaurant/jazz bar that her parents owned. "That's why I wanted Firesight to be the title of the record," Baylin explains in a press release. "It's where I come from, and it's who I am."
As a child, Baylin felt an instant connection with the raw and straight up delivery of such classic jazz and pop divas as Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, whose influence would later inform her own singing. After graduating high school, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a singer. She started booking gigs and ended up at places like The Hotel Café and The Mint where she she developed a local buzz and an enthusiast following.
She moved to Nashville to start recording her debut album together with an all-star line up of producers and musicians, including Grammy-winning songwriter Jesse Harris (Norah Jones) and producer Roger Moutenot (Yo La Tengo, Rogue Wave). The result of their collaboration is a an accomplished debut that not only highlights a refreshing new alt-country sound but also emphasizes Baylin's distinct and noteworthy vocals.
Download Jessie Baylin "Was I On Your Mind"