Biography Index

Early Years | Personal Life | Musical Career | A Brand New Start

Early Years

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Jennifer Davids was born in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1973 as the eldest of two daughters of a German and a Filipina. It was a kindergarten teacher of Jennifer who noticed that the child had an extraordinary sense for music. „I remember - I was about eight years old - when I came home one evening: there stood a hulking, wooden something in the hall, covered up with an orange crocheted blanket, my mother and grandmother standing right beside it, waiting for me to uncover it! My own piano!

So I began to take piano lessons. But I was always quite lazy when it came to practicing. In music school, the teacher wanted me to play classical piano works of Bach, Chopin and Beethoven, to name a few, but I was beyond all that. I loved improvising, playing for myself, all kinds of pop songs, by ear, rather than by notation. I already knew then that I would never become a concert pianist."

A friend of the family, who was in possession of one of the first CD-players in the early 80s, played a few songs from Whitney Houston, Patti Labelle and Anita Baker on one summer afternoon when the girl was about twelve years old. „The moment I heard Whitney's voice, I was captivated. I have never heard anything comparitively awesome and breath-taking before. I became a huge fan of black and soul music and Whitney's „The Greatest Love Of All" was the first song I sang in public, just two or three years later, along with the piano, during a choir rehearsal at school".

The fact that Jennifer and her sister were surrounded by american neighbours and the instance of deriving from a family, whose ancestors came from Spain and India, had a great impact on her development as well. She was embedded in a multi-cultural life, learned to speak and write English at an early age which was of great benefit to her skills as a lyricist. More importantly though, it contributed to develop an open, cosmopolitan mind where prejudice and bigotry are foreign words. „In school I was frequently asked why my German is so good. At that time there were only a few immigrant kids in our class and everyone that did not look „german" automatically attracted attention. Whenever I visited my mom's home country, the Philippines, or spent time with her compatriots, I was a maverick, too. Not in a negative way, but you see? I'm a half-breed which means that I'm always torn apart - I guess that's why God gave me the gift of music. Music has the power to unite! It overcomes ethical, racial and religious boundaries as probably everyone knows! It is a unique language that every human being comprehends!"

Jennifer began to take singing lessons at the age of sixteen and had her first stage appearances on the following occassions: singing and music competitions. A fact in her biography that she prefers to hold back today and makes her grin: „Well, nearly every musician I know, comes up with something like this - I got the first prize in a karaoke competition that was hosted by one of my hometown's biggest department stores and I was singing in front of thousands of people during an open-air event of a regional radio station that got me a trip to London! I also won a television which I resold in order to buy me new stage outfits, I even won trips to Turkey and Majorca! I remember very well that I was so proud when people said: „Girl, you sound like the Original, even better, and it was all „live"!" This surely was a compliment but moreover, those events were a great opportunity to meet people that come from the business: producers, press and media folks as well as other musicians to communicate and maybe cooperate with. I met a producer who gave me the chance to sing in a professional studio where I made my first demos."

Personal Life

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Jennifer graduated from high school in 1993, being a bit uncertain about her future. The only thing she knew for sure was that she never wants to become a music teacher. „I always loved performing, singing on stage - of course you can explore music in a more theoretical and scientific way. But that was never the issue - I even refused to study opera, much to the disappointment of my singing teacher. I somehow felt that there had to be a different path which was not to reveal though, at that time, when I was at the beginning of my 20s."

Jennifer had several jobs to make a living - she worked as a waitress, a salesgirl in a bakery and assistant in a retirement home. At the same time she took hold of every possibility that could help to get a foot in the door of music business. She performed solo and with a jazz band, still recording demos in a studio. „At that time, it was not my own material I recorded - I think, I wasn't self-confident enough to record songs that I wrote because I couldn't imagine that anyone would like that stuff. Even though I had already written a few tracks, I kept them under seal."

Musical Career

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In 1999 she was offered to record her first album, a chance she couldn't reject since the prospects were good for it to be signed by a major record company. „My producers said that we should try to give the album a more edgy and fresh sound. They knew that I was still in love with singing pop and soul ballads in the style of Whitney and Mariah, but they considered that the album would have more market chances if we adjust it to what was emerging at that time: the sound of artists like Natalie Imbruglia, Faith Hill and Shania Twain, for example. So we selected powerful songs, mainly with rock and country elements. In the beginning, I was quite skeptical with the idea because I reckoned myself and my voice being more appropriate to slower and soulful songs. An evaluation that I reduced to my early musical influences and which in the end was proven to be wrong: I enjoyed recording the album because I discovered new facets of my voice, that I was also capable to sing „rocky" songs!"

The album "Predictable" was released in 2001, succeeding the single „Love, Pain And The Whole Damn Thing" that became an airplay-hit in 2000 and even entered the German Top 100 Single Charts. Jennifer was invited to join the very successful pop-duo „Orange Blue" on their tour through Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 2001. „It was my first major tour and I enjoyed it all: the „getting-dressed-up-and-putting-my-make-up-on", the stage fright and spending most of the time with other talented people! It was great and a lot of fun! But a lot of things went wrong. I don't want to depict it all in detail but after several very frustrating incidents, I had a quite distinct notion that I would become very unhappy if I were making another album with the same producers. There is also the fact that I changed within all these months, personally and also as a musician: I gradually became a total insider of the industry and what I saw was mostly not very amusing. I had to realize that the decision makers didn't fully devote themselves to the project. In the end, I felt very marooned. I was disillusioned and I did not want to accept the way I was treated, both, as an artist and a person!"

When she returned from the successful tour, Jennifer took some time off, pondering about the things she experienced and her future in music. She found her way out of the contract with her producers and the record company. „I felt that I had to end all this, that there was no future for me, under these circumstances. I am also a person that considers change as something very essential and necessary - I mean, you should enjoy the things you have accomplished, at least for a while before you go on to the next. Whenever I feel uncomfortable, in my private and my musical life, I know that I must take prompt action!"

A Brand New Start

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Jennifer spent the last years finally and exclusively writing her own songs and working on her second album, strongly supported by her partner, producer and musician, Armin Ludaescher. „I couldn't have done this album without Armin. I am not exaggerating when I say that he is one of the most brilliant musicians I know. Whenever I give him a rather rough arrangement, he completes it so uniquely and it always leaves me speechless and incredibly happy. He is the only one who truly understands the way I want the songs to sound like and it is a gift that we can work together."

All songs on her new album „Brand New Start" which will be released in June 2006, reflect the love and passion Jennifer has for life itself: „The new songs mean a lot to me - despite all the hardships that I've gone through in the past few years and even before, I am very grateful for everything. It is a great privilege to do the things I love to do, not just because of money, but out of passion! I know, it may sound precocious but when you're getting older and more mature you refuse to go the line of least resistance. I want to lead a self-determined life in every respect and I refuse to submit to conditions that are only favorable to others! Art can only evole in a state of liberty and equality. I think it's quite clear: it was never so difficult to become part of the music world. We are looking back on 40, 50 years of pop music. Nearly everything has already been written and there is a hell of competition out there! Still, I believe that there is enough space for independent artists, in every genre, apart from the usually restrictive paths in the established major industry. What the world urgently needs though, perhaps more than ever, is individuality and authenticity!

I don't want to make a draft on having made something totally new and exceptional with the new album, I haven't reinvented the wheel. But I think I managed to sing the songs in my very own style and tried to do something that carries my fingerprints. Surely, you may find similarities to other artists. But when people ask: „Now tell me, what does it sound like?" I fervently hope that you'll reply:

„Like Jennifer.......... Jennifer Davids!.................."