Jenny Owen Youngs (born November 22, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released three albums and a handful of EPs both independently and via

Nettwerk Records Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing. Established in 1984, the Vancouver-based company was created by Nettwerk principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record ...

, and has toured worldwide. Youngs is also a songwriting collaborator whose cuts include the 2018

Panic! at the Disco Panic! at the Disco is the solo project of American musician Brendon Urie. It was originally a pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 by childhood friends Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson. They recorded their firs ...

single " High Hopes," as well as songs with

Brett Dennen Brett Michael Dennen (born October 28, 1979) is an American folk/pop singer-songwriter from Central California. His seventh studio album, ''See the World'' was released in July 2021. Early life Dennen grew up in Central Valley, California in a s ...

Ingrid Michaelson Ingrid Ellen Michaelson (born December 8, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Her first album, '' Slow the Rain,'' was released in 2005, and she has since released eight more albums: '' Girls and Boys,'' '' Be OK'', '' Everybody' ...

, Shungudzo,

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

, and others. Youngs' songs have been used in TV shows such as ''Weeds'',Mintzer, Cori (August 18, 2006). "'Weeds' still addictive in its second season". ''Oregon Daily Emerald'' (University of Oregon). ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

'', ''

Nurse Jackie ''Nurse Jackie'' is an American medical comedy-drama television series. It premiered on Showtime on June 8, 2009, and its seventh and final season premiered on April 12, 2015. The series finale aired on June 28, 2015. The show stars Edie Falco ...

'', ''

Suburgatory ''Suburgatory'' is an American television sitcom created by Emily Kapnek that aired on ABC from September 28, 2011, to May 14, 2014. The series originally aired on Wednesday nights at 8:30/7:30 Central following '' The Middle''. The title is a ...

'', and ''Switched at Birth''. In 2017, her 2012 song "Wake Up" was featured over the end credits of ''

BoJack Horseman ''BoJack Horseman'' is an American adult animation, adult animated Black comedy, black Comedy drama, comedy-drama streaming television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F ...

s season 4 finale. On March 28, 2018, it was announced that Youngs would work as the composer for Muscle Memory, a short film directed by Carly Usdin being made as a part of the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

's Directing Workshop for Women.

Early life and education

Youngs was born in a hospital elevator. Raised in

Newton, New Jersey Newton, officially the ''Town of Newton'', is an incorporated municipality located in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is situated approximately by road northwest of New York City. As the location of the county's administrati ...

, Youngs grew up playing the flute, the

french horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

and the

sousaphone The sousaphone ( ) is a brass instrument in the tuba family. Created around 1893 by J. W. Pepper at the direction of American bandleader John Philip Sousa (after whom the instrument was then named), it was designed to be easier to play than ...

in elementary school and the

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

junior high school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...

. At age 14, her older step-brother told her that if she wanted to be in a band she needed to learn how to play the guitar. She attended

Kittatinny Regional High School The Kittatinny Regional High School is a six-year comprehensive regional public high school and school district in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in seventh through twelfth grades from five municipalities in the n ...

and graduated from

State University of New York at Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase (commonly Purchase College or SUNY Purchase) is a public liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. It was fo ...

with a degree in studio composition."The Sound of Youngs' America: One singer-songwriter you have to hear". ''Fairfield County Weekly'' (Bridgeport, Connecticut). November 10, 2005.

Music career

As a solo artist

''Batten the Hatches''

Youngs' first album ''

Batten the Hatches __NOTOC__ ''Batten the Hatches'' is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs. Originally self-released in 2005 by Youngs, it was reissued with the bonus track "Drinking Song" two years later by the Nettwerk label. The tra ...

'' was recorded with borrowed equipment at SUNY-Purchase and self-released in 2005. While at

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

, Youngs met Gary Calamar, the music supervisor of

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

's '' Weeds'', which led to her song "

Fuck Was I "Fuck Was I" is a song by Jenny Owen Youngs, from her 2005 album '' Batten the Hatches''. Its name refers to the phrase "What the fuck was I thinking?" The notoriety resulted in a contract with Canadian indie label

. Nettwerk Records re-released her album ''Batten the Hatches'' on April 10, 2007, with new artwork and an additional song ("Drinking Song"). ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'' called the album a top pick, complimenting Youngs' "simple, stripped-down guitar" and her "edgy lyrics and sweetly sung melodies". ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' described the album as an "accomplished debut". "Fuck Was I" was also released on '' Weeds: Music from the Original Series, Vol. 2''.

''Transmitter Failure''

Youngs released her second album, '' Transmitter Failure,'' on May 26, 2009. She supported

Regina Spektor Regina Ilyinichna Spektor (russian: Регинa Ильинична Спектор, ; born February 18, 1980) is a Russian–born American singer, songwriter, and pianist. After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in ...

in her 2009 tour promoting the album '' Far''.Derogatis, Katie (February 13, 2007). "Girl with guitar soundtracks 'Weeds'". ''Washington Square News'' (New York University). Youngs collaborated with Xian Hawkins under the moniker Bell Horses, which resulted in the album ''This Loves Last Time'' (2009). In the fall of 2009, Youngs performed alongside

Chuck Ragan Charles Allen Ragan (born October 30, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is the guitarist and vocalist of the band Hot Water Music. Ragan has also released a variety of solo material, including a series of 7-inches on ...

, Jim Ward,

Tim Barry Tim Barry is an American musician and the lead singer of the Richmond, Virginia-based punk rock band Avail. In addition to performing with Avail, he was the bass guitarist in the Richmond-based folk punk band (Young) Pioneers from 1994 to ...

Joey Cape Randal Joseph Cape (born November 16, 1966) is an American singer and musician. Active since 1989, Cape is best known as the frontman of the California punk rock band Lagwagon. Cape released his first solo album, ''Bridge'', in 2008. His secon ...

Dave Hause Dave Hause (born March 12, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter. He currently performs both solo and with his band The Mermaid. His music draws from heartland rock, folk rock and punk rock. He has also played in multiple Philadelphia, PA area ...

Frank Turner Francis Edward Turner (born 28 December 1981), is an English Punk rock, punk and Folk music, folk singer-songwriter from Meonstoke, Hampshire. He began his career as the vocalist of post-hardcore band Million Dead, then embarked upon a primar ...

, and others as part of the 2009 Revival Tour.

''An Unwavering Band of Light''

On July 1, 2010, Youngs launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund her third album and reached her goal of $20,000 in 28 hours. Her drummer, Elliot Jacobson, had his chest waxed as an incentive to reach the goal. The campaign ended on August 13, 2010, with a total of $38,543 and 646 backers. On February 7, 2012, the Kickstarter-backed third studio album, titled ''An Unwavering Band of Light'' was released. In 2017, a song from that album, "Wake Up", appeared over the end titles of the season Four finale of

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

's ''

Bojack Horseman ''BoJack Horseman'' is an American adult animation, adult animated Black comedy, black Comedy drama, comedy-drama streaming television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F ...

''.

Side Projects, touring, and other releases

On April 5, 2018, Youngs released the song "Won't Let Go of Me" which was featured in the

episode "Hold Back The River" ( Season 14, Episode 18). The song was written with Aaron Espe and Kyle Neal. Neal produced the song while Espe was credited as a co-producer. On March 28, 2018, it was announced that Youngs would work as the composer for ''Muscle Memory'', a short film directed by

Carly Usdin Carly Usdin (born 1982) is an American director, writer, and producer. Usdin is best known for directing the 2016 film '' Suicide Kale'' and co-creating the comic book series ''Heavy Vinyl'' with Nina Vakueva. In 2019, they received the Jury Prize ...

being made as a part of the

's Directing Workshop for Women. Youngs has toured worldwide headlining and also supporting artists such as

Against Me! Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup ...

, and

Streetlight Manifesto Streetlight Manifesto is an American ska punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, formed in 2002. They released their first album, ''Everything Goes Numb'', which was distributed by Victory Records, on August 26, 2003. The band he ...

. In January 2013, she was announced to rejoin The Revival Tour, where she performed alongside

Rocky Votolato Rocky Votolato (born March 8, 1977 in Dallas, Texas, United States), is an American singer-songwriter. Biography He was raised in Frost, Texas, roughly 50 miles south of Dallas, until the age of 13. After his parents were divorced, his moth ...

, Jenny O., and

Tim McIlrath Timothy James McIlrath (born November 3, 1978) is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the punk rock band Rise Against. He is vegan and straight edge. Early and personal life McIlr ...

Rise Against Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rooted in hardcor ...

. In December 2012, Youngs began her Exhibit project in which she visited a New York City museum once a week, recording a song inspired by her visit within the same week. The album was released on Bandcamp and consists of 8 tracks. Youngs covered "Have You Forgotten" by Red House Painters for American Laundromat Records's charity CD "Sing Me To Sleep – Indie Lullabies" released in Spring 2010. In March 2010, Youngs toured with

Bess Rogers Bess Rogers is an American indie rock musician from New York City. Early life and education Rogers was born into a musical family on Long Island, New York, and attended the Conservatory of Music at the State University of New York at Purchase f ...

and A.W. on their 'Spring Break Forever Tour', after which she flew out to the United Kingdom to support

Motion City Soundtrack Motion City Soundtrack is an American rock band that formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1997. The band's line-up consists of vocalist and guitarist Justin Courtney Pierre, lead guitarist Joshua Cain, keyboardist Jesse Johnson, bassist Matthew ...

on their London, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow tour. She headlined a show at "Monto Water Rats" in London in April 2010. In addition to her solo career, Youngs was a member of the band The Robot Explosion, a

side project In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style. Usually these projects emphasize ...

with fellow musicians and friends

, Andrew Futral, and Saul Simon-MacWilliams. Youngs has toured with

Vienna Teng Cynthia Yih Shih (born October 3, 1978, Saratoga, California), better known by her stage name Vienna Teng, is an American pianist and singer-songwriter who was based in Detroit, Michigan and now lives in Washington, DC. Teng has released five s ...

, opening for the singer on the Green Caravan Tour, and opened for

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...

at London's indigO2 on July 27, 2007. Youngs toured with Glen Phillips of

Toad the Wet Sprocket Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Barbara, California, in 1986. The band at the time consisted of vocalist/guitarist Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss, ...

in August 2007, and with

Sean Hayes Sean Patrick Hayes (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He is best known for playing Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'', for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award, four SAG Awards, and one American Com ...

, with whom she co-headlined. She played in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, and Sweden in November and December 2007.

Co-writing and recent years

In 2015, Youngs moved to Los Angeles where she is working on her next album and co-writing with and for other artists. Youngs' notable cuts include

's 2018 single " High Hopes", the 2018 song from the ''

Fifty Shades Freed ''Fifty Shades Freed'' is the third and final installment of the erotic romance ''Fifty Shades Trilogy'' by British author E. L. James. After accepting entrepreneur CEO Christian Grey's proposal in '' Fifty Shades Darker'', Anastasia Steele m ...

'' soundtrack, "Come On Back", which she co-wrote with Shungudzo and producer Jordan Palmer and appeared in both the film and on the soundtrack, "Miss America", which she co-wrote with

and others for Michaelson's 2016 album ''

It Doesn't Have to Make Sense ''It Doesn't Have to Make Sense'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, released on August 26, 2016, through Cabin 24 Records under exclusive license to Mom + Pop Music. The album's lead single, "Hell No", ...

'', and

's 2016 single "Bad Man", which was debuted at the

58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 20 ...

. She also worked closely with

and Dan Wilson to write three of the five songs on Dennen's 2018 EP, ''Let's...'' including the title track. Youngs often collaborates with her friends Chris Farren and A.W.

''Buffering the Vampire Slayer''

In September 2016, Youngs launched the podcast Buffering the Vampire Slayer with

Kristin Russo Kristin Russo (born December 17, 1980) is an American speaker, personality, and LGBTQ activist. She is CEO and Editor-in-Chief of ''Everyone Is Gay'' and ''My Kid Is Gay','' organizations that provide advice, guidance, and education to LGBTQIA you ...

. The podcast discusses the popular television series

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...

one episode at a time, and each episode ends with an original recap song about the episode, penned by Youngs and Russo. The podcast is part of the Stitcher Premium network and has been featured in A.V. Club, Entertainment Weekly, Autostraddle, and Buzzfeed.

''Veronica Mars Investigations''

In August 2019, Youngs launched the podcast Veronica Mars Investigations with

Helen Zaltzman Helen Zaltzman is an English podcaster, broadcaster and writer. She produces the linguistics podcast ''The Allusionist'', the entertainment podcast ''Answer Me This!'', and the ''Veronica Mars'' recap podcast ''Veronica Mars Investigations''. ...

. The podcast discusses the popular television series

Veronica Mars ''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series prem ...

one episode at a time.

Personal life

On June 12, 2013, Youngs came out, announcing "I am super gay", and that she was engaged to marry her girlfriend

, whom she married on August 25, 2013. On May 25, 2018, the couple announced they are no longer together but remain friends and will keep working in their mutual projects. Both of them said, "We've come to realize that we will be better—both to ourselves and to each other—within the context of a friendship, rather than a marriage." On May 3, 2020, Youngs announced her engagement to Jess Abbott of

Tancred Tancred or Tankred is a masculine given name of Germanic origin that comes from ''thank-'' (thought) and ''-rath'' (counsel), meaning "well-thought advice". It was used in the High Middle Ages mainly by the Normans (see French Tancrède) and espe ...

on Twitter.

Discography

Albums

Singles

* "Split" with

Dave House Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * Dave (film), ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * Dave (musical), ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital ...

(UK vinyl 12" single released April 2007), Gravity DIP Records * "

Fuck Was I "Fuck Was I" is a song by Jenny Owen Youngs, from her 2005 album '' Batten the Hatches''. Its name refers to the phrase "What the fuck was I thinking?"

EPs

* ''The Take Off All Your Clothes EP'' March 12, 2007 * ''Led to the Sea EP'' April 7, 2009 * ''Last Person EP'' March 23, 2010 * '' Jukebox the Ghost + Jenny Owen Youngs split EP'' July 30, 2013 * ''Slack Tide'' February 17, 2015 * ''Night Shift'' November 15, 2019 * ''Echo Mountain'' March 10, 2021 * ''It's Dangerous to Go Alone'' June 10, 2022

Compilations

Co-writing credits

References

External links

*
2006 interview with City Belt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Youngs, Jenny Owen 1981 births Living people State University of New York at Purchase alumni American women singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from New Jersey American lesbian musicians Lesbian songwriters American LGBT singers American LGBT songwriters Lesbian singers LGBT people from New Jersey People from Montclair, New Jersey Nettwerk Records artists Guitarists from New Jersey 21st-century American women singers People from Newton, New Jersey 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century American guitarists