If I hadn’t met the people I did, maybe I still would have gotten here, but it’s definitely because of the connections I made at Bridgewater, that’s how I learned about the music industry.
Jennifer Christensen, ’16, opened the email. There it was: validation that she was on the right path in her pursuit of a music career.
The email was from The Bravo network, requesting permission to use Christensen’s song, “Dangerous,” in an episode of the reality TV show “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”
“When it takes a while to happen for you, you wonder if you’re doing something wrong or something right,” the singer-songwriter said. “But I’m learning that’s the process, sometimes you have to wait a long time before you get that call.”
Christensen’s music career started at Bridgewater State University.
As an undergraduate, she met fellow BSU student-musicians and together they formed a rock band, Blind Revision. The group performed at festivals and even did short tours that included stops in Philadelphia and New Hampshire. Some alumni may have even caught a show at the former Bogart’s in Bridgewater.
Her involvement with the band instilled the confidence Christensen needed to pursue a music career.
“If I hadn’t met the people I did, maybe I still would have gotten here, but it’s definitely because of the connections I made at Bridgewater, that’s how I learned about the music industry,” she said.
Through her BSU bandmates, she began to network with other musicians across New England and beyond who helped her better understand how things work.
“I always wanted to work in music but wasn’t sure how. I didn’t understand the music industry. I knew nothing about it,” she said. “It was a really cool way to enter the music industry.”
After graduating from BSU with degrees in psychology and anthropology, Christensen made the decision to move to California, where she currently resides, to make her dreams a reality.
In 2020 and 2021 she began releasing singles for her solo project. Each of the singles she’s released this year are paired with music videos she directed and edited herself.
Christensen also started shopping her music to different music publishing and licensing companies, which is how she was discovered by Bravo.
Her BSU degree in psychology has come in handy, as emotions serve as inspiration in her lyrics.
“I take certain emotions that I’m feeling and try to make them more relatable in words. I think psychology has helped me understand my own feelings and helped me to write about them,” she said.
Her goal is to continue the path she’s on and not let anything get in her way, including self-doubt.
“The way you perceive your own life and opportunities, that can sometimes hold you back,” Christensen said. “You have to be able to move forward with your thoughts, willing to have new experiences and always keep learning.”
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