Jackie Putnam shares “I Wanted To Be Free” From Her Album, Phoenix
Jackie Putnam, an international award-winning country-pop sensation from Debert, Nova Scotia, captivates audiences with her powerful vocal range and inspiring story. Performing extensively throughout Canada and abroad, she delivers unforgettable performances.
Inspired by country legends like Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, Putnam’s music blends country and pop elements. She is a nominee for multiple Josie Music Awards and International Singer Songwriters Association Awards and has received top honors from the North America Country Music Association International. Recently, Jackie showcased her talent at the 2024 East Coast Music Awards.
Her latest single release, “I Wanted To Be Free” is out now, with an accompanying video.
Congratulations on your new single, “I Wanted to Be Free”! Can you share the inspiration behind this song and what it means to you personally?
I wrote this song during a period in my life of facing adversity. The song is about the Bay of Fundy where I can walk across the ocean floor because of our World’s Highest Tides that roll in and out every day. It is where I collect my positive energy, peace, and positivity from every wave that comes crashing in. When I walk across the ocean floor, I feel better, the pores of my feet soak in all that good positive energy from the strong tidal force of the waves that come crashing in on the beach every day.
How does “I Wanted to Be Free” fit into the narrative of your musical journey so far? Is there a particular message or story you aimed to convey through this track?
It’s a part of the story of my album, “The Phoenix” of being trapped in that bottomless pit and finding my way out. When I sing the lyrics, “Released my thoughts into the sea, for the universe to bring back to me” this is how I create and make things happen, by tossing my thoughts out to the universe for it to come back to me. It doesn’t happen instantly, but it does happen in time. I visualize to materialize. During that period in my life, I was struggling, and I wanted to be free from the living hell that I was going through. I see now why I had to go through that difficult period in my life because I would have never been able to write “The Phoenix” album. For every negative, there is a positive. My positive is my album.
What was the creative process like for “I Wanted to Be Free”? Did you encounter any challenges or surprises while bringing this song to life?
I began writing this song one summer evening, in the backyard at a friend’s house. The lyrics and melody all come to me at the same time when I write. It tells a story of how I wanted to be free from the darkness and depression that I was suffering through, how I became a stronger person by asking the universe to free me, to give me something positive, something to believe in. The ocean and beach are my positives, and it saves me in many ways.
I walked across the ocean floor because I could. In Five Islands, NS when the tide goes out, there is no water, and you can walk across the ocean floor. I collect my thoughts near the ocean. I find peace and positivity.
Every wave that came crashing in, made me stronger than I have ever been, giving me power, energy, positivity, and something to believe.
I sailed away from ship to shore is about me performing on four ships out in the Atlantic Ocean. In the briny, through the storm, is about my life.
Released my thoughts into the sea, is me throwing a stone into the ocean. This is my thought that I send to the universe. The universe returns my thoughts to me that I visualize to materialize.
Looking ahead, do you have plans to release a music video or visual accompaniment for “I Wanted to Be Free”? What can fans expect in terms of promotional activities for this single?
My video is streaming now on my YouTube Channel, and it was filmed in three locations, Parrsboro, Five Islands, and Little Dyke, Nova Scotia. I enjoy recharging at the Ottawa House historic site, near Partridge Island. This once was the home of where Sir Charles Tupper, Father of Confederation, Premier of Nova Scotia, and the 6th Prime Minister of Canada lived in the 18th century. This picturesque beach is near where my grandmother had lived. I collect my positive energy from walking barefoot along the ocean floor from all that tidal force crashing on the shore.
Five Islands is another picturesque beach where I can walk across the ocean floor. It has the fastest tides in the world that will chase you to shore. I have walked out to Moose Island, sometimes sinking up to my knees into the muck flats. I enjoy camping, hiking, digging clams and fishing flounder there. Over 201 million years ago, volcanic activity created one of the most stunning landscapes in Nova Scotia of dark basalt rocks, cooled lava, and the red rocks are the sediments swept by rivers and winds. When the tide is in, it is a beautiful blue ocean. When the tide goes out, there is no water, and you can walk across the ocean floor.
Little Dyke Beach is a rocky beach with a muddy water tide that rushes in that I call my “Chocolate Milk Ocean.” The tide from the Bay of Fundy flows in from Parrsboro, to Five Islands, to Bass River, to Portapique, to Great Village, to Little Dyke, to Masstown, creating a tidal bore that rushes into Truro, Nova Scotia. I grew up in Masstown and would often walked down to the beach to pick Marsh Greens when they were in season to eat. This is where a full band had joined me on the beach to back me up to film this video.
I also have a lyric video for “I Wanted To Be Free” on my YouTube Channel for folks who would like to sing along with me.
My goal is to have 1,000 YouTube Subscribers, so if anyone out there has a YouTube account, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/jackieputnam
As an artist known for your powerful vocal range and heartfelt lyrics, how do you feel “I Wanted to Be Free” showcases your growth and evolution since releasing “The Phoenix”?
This song showcases more of an alternative music roots style of my songwriting. This song is about real life, it’s about me. Sometimes my songs come out as pop, country, or rock. I’ve always joked that “I’m a little bit country and I’m a little bit of rock n roll, just like Donnie and Marie combined into one.” My plan is to release a couple more songs from my album to keep building, and to create more radio spins before I release “The Phoenix”. I am very proud of my album because I co-produced it with Scott Ferguson, and I invested every cent that I had earned from my singing career into my album I am working very hard at promoting it, releasing new music, and creating new videos.
Collaborating with esteemed Canadian musicians like JOHN CAMPBELLJOHN and BRUCE DIXON must have been an incredible experience. How did these collaborations influence your music and the overall sound of “The Phoenix”?
It was absolutely an incredible experience to have John Campbelljohn, Bruce Dixon, Kim Dunn, and Scott Ferguson perform with me on this album. We were all together performing in the studio and lots of magic happened with my songs. I am very blessed to have collaborated with such great talent. John Campbelljohn’s guitar riffs inspired me, and while we were recording in the studio, I would hear a guitar melody and ask John to play what I hear. One riff in particular, in this song, reminds me of something similar to Michael Jackson’s music. I also enjoy the dolphin guitar sound that John added.
When it came time for me to record my album, what stuck in my mind ever since I was a little girl was a line from the movie “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, where Doolittle said to Lorretta, that “You’ve got the make the best dog gone album and get it out there on to radio”. I gave this my best and I took my time in creating my album.
Your musical influences include legendary figures like Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and Dolly Parton. How have these icons shaped your approach to country-pop music, and what lessons have you learned from their careers?
I love my idols and their strength and passion for chasing after their music careers and for paving the way for women in music, especially Loretta Lynn travelling to radio station to radio station asking the music directors to play her song. I learned from my idols to keep kicking down those doors and push them open and not to give up because it is very important to chase your dreams and to find the answers to all of the “what ifs”. You don’t know unless you try and just do it.
I had one radio interview where the music director was away on vacation, and someone had filled in for him. The interview went great; however, he played someone else’s song after my interview. I said, “Aren’t you supposed to play my song after my interview?” He said he couldn’t find it on his computer and that the weather would be on for the next half hour or so. I told him that I knew he had my song on his computer because I had been speaking to the music director before he left on vacation, I even offered to email my song to him. He eventually found my song on his computer. I said, “I am going to do what Loretta Lynn would do, and I’m just gonna sit here and wait until you play my song on your radio station.” I had driven a great distance for this radio interview, invested my blood, sweat, and tears into my album and self-funded the whole thing, left my job to promote and chase my music career, and I was not leaving until I heard my song played. 45 minutes later, he played my song, and I was happy and said thank you for playing my song!
As a nominee for multiple awards, including JOSIE MUSIC AWARDS and INTERNATIONAL SINGER SONGWRITERS ASSOCIATION AWARDS, what do these recognitions mean to you? How do they impact your career moving forward?
I am overwhelmed to have so many nominations, including “Album of the Year” for both! I am proud to be recognized internationally for my music and my songwriting. I will be flying to Nashville, Tennessee to attend the Josie Music Awards at the Grand Ole Opry House on October 27th. I wish I could attend both award shows, however, I am an independent musician and I am self-funding my trip, so I chose to attend just one.
You recently showcased at the 2024 EAST COAST MUSIC AWARDS. What was that experience like, and how do events like this contribute to your growth as an artist?
It was a great experience, so exciting, and I loved every minute of it! I took in the ECMA workshops, and one-on-one meetings with the export buyers, and attended the awards show. It was important for me to attend the awards show and watch other artists’ showcases so that I could visualize to materialize. These events contribute to my growth as an artist and are very important to attend as I have made so many wonderful connections with the music industry.
Looking ahead, what can fans expect from Jackie Putnam in terms of new music, performances, or collaborations? Are there any upcoming projects or milestones you’re excited to share with your audience?
I am currently writing my next album and have about 12 songs that I have been working on since last Fall. Two of the songs are completed for my next album. I also plan to use a few songs that I wrote years ago for my album.
I am performing on 4 ships in Atlantic Canada every week until mid-September. I enjoy performing on these ships because I have a new audience of worldwide travelers every day where I tell my story of how I wrote my album. This is a great way to promote myself as an independent artist. I am also donating my time to help children where I will be performing at Tim Horton’s Camp Day in Millbrook on July 17, Truro Aug 24, Bridgewater Sept 21, Amherst Oct 5, etc.
I hope to collaborate with John Campbelljohn, Bruce Dixon, Kim Dunn, and Scott Ferguson again as they did a fabulous masterpiece on my first album!