From Detours to Dreams: Jolene Harnish Talks “One Road Town”

We got to sit down with Nova Scotian Singer-Songwriter Jolene Harnish, just off the release of her newest single “One Road Town”.

The song recently made Top of the Country! You can stream it here:

Jolene spoke about making music work even if the path she took wasn’t the one she envisioned for herself, how being from a small Nova Scotia town influenced the single, and who inspires her the most in the music scene.

An Interview With Jolene Harnish

Front Porch: Jolene, welcome to the virtual Front Porch!

Can you introduce yourself to the Front Porch audience?

Jolene: My name is Jolene Harnish, and I’m a country artist and singer-songwriter from Nova Scotia, currently living in Halifax.

I write from true experience and who I am authentically. I’m signing, recording, building my circle and my team. I’ve got a lot of things I’m trying to accomplish with my music, and so far so good.

FP: Is there a moment you realize that music could be a profession for you, and not just a hobby?

Jolene: This is what I’ve always wanted. I’ve only ever wanted to do music, since I was little. But I kind of did a detour.

I jumped into it early, when I left Nova Scotia and moved to Ontario. I signed with an independent label there, and I started writing and recording, doing a bit of the music scene in Toronto. I did that for 6 years, and then things kind of went south. The label was no more, and I was kind of struggling.

So I moved back to Nova Scotia in 2006. And I thought to myself, “I don’t know if this music thing is going to work out for me”. So when I got back here, I kind of got into life and all the responsibilities that come with it. I became an entrepreneur and started a business and just got entrenched in that.

To be honest with you, I gave up on myself when it came to music. I just suppressed it, because I didn’t think it was possible. Doing that didn’t make me a very happy person, because I wasn’t being true to who I was.

When the pandemic happened, I had some time to sit back and really look at my life. I started an apparel company called Staycation Apparel because I was trying to get people to start looking at what’s in their own backyards. We were all stuck in our own communities, our own provinces, and there was a big push to stay home, support local, really dig into that.

I decided to write a song for the brand called Staycation, and it went really well. It got Top of the Country, actually. And on a whim, I just asked myself, “if I wanted to go to radio, how would I do that? If I wanted to start doing music again, how would I do that?”

I started connecting with people in the industry, and with the song doing well, I was like “wow. That felt really good.” Almost like I started to live again. So I thought… maybe I should do another one?

So I recorded another song, and then from there, the floodgates just opened. I started connecting with different artists, producers, and writers, and at that point I just decided to blow my life up. And I went for it. You know what? I’m just going to give this everything I’ve got because I don’t want to have any more regrets.

So yeah. I’ve been performing a lot. I have a band on the side called Rugged Lace, and we’re busy almost every weekend. And I can announce here that One Town Road got to Top of the Country. Which is amazing.

So to answer your question, I always wanted this to be my full time gig.

FP: Are there any skills that you think you have that apply to being a small business owner and a musician? Are there ways in which those two things are similar?

Jolene: Oh my gosh, they really are. You have to understand that music is a business. Having the experience I have with running my own business and building relationships. Even just the tenacity to get up and go, and be focused, is so helpful in both areas.

FP: Who are your biggest musical inspirations?

Jolene: I have a lot of artists that I look up to. Janie Fricke, Tanya Tucker, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna. Even when I was young I could see Madonna was such a smart business woman. And that’s equipped me, watching her as I was growing up.

I love watching how these women have their own personality, and it comes through everything they do. In their brand, in their songwriting, how they talk, how they dress, everything is so authentic to who they are. I get a lot of inspiration from that.

You know what? I just watched the Back to Black movie. The one about Amy Whinehouse. I was so pumped after watching it.

She was a really troubled young lady, but her talent, her songwriting, to see how true she stayed to what she wanted to sign about. She wasn’t allowing labels or anybody to tell her she had to look a certain way, perform a certain way. Her songs were the truth. Listening to them is almost like she’s sitting across from you, talking to you. That’s so cool.

FP: Let’s talk about the single, One Road Town. Congratulations on making Top of the Country!

We’ve been talking a lot about writing from personal experience. How did your personal experiences inform the writing process on the track?

Jolene: I grew up in a really small town. My parents were entrepreneurs, which is probably where I got my work ethic. They built and owned the only motel in that town. I grew up on that property, and since I was 13 or 14, I was helping run the business. They would literally leave me there to run things by myself.

Because of that, when I was young, I missed some things. School activities, extracurriculars, sports, stuff like that. I also wasn’t the strongest student academically. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had ADHD and dyslexia, so I didn’t learn well in a classroom setting. I had a pretty rough time at school.

But put me in the field, and I got it. You tell me how to do it and I’ll understand it. I had wicked street smarts and good instinct. And even at that point, the only thing I ever wanted to do was music. I was really insecure about that. And it’s hard, being from a small town. You get to a point where it’s like… okay, what do I do?

Do I stay here and take over my parent’s business? Stay with the highschool boyfriend? Stay where you’re rooted? Or do I just go?

And I decided I needed to go. I needed to go find out what life’s about, and see if I can do this music thing, and figure out who the hell I am.

That’s what the song’s about. It’s where you come from in the end. Where you came from makes you who you are, it’s a big part of your identity, and you never lose it.

It’s okay to stay where you’re rooted and continue life, but it’s also okay to leave and know that you can always come back. I got to leave, and I came back a better version of myself. It’s nice that I’m representing where I’m from. And I want to be an inspiration to people, to say that you can do the same thing I did.

It’s no secret that I’m no spring chicken. It’s hard to admit this, but I’m in my late 40s and I’m just now cracking the can. I’m finding my voice and mapping my way. But my message to people is that just because it didn’t happen when you wanted it to, doesn’t mean it never will. Sometimes you just have to take a different road and it’ll lead you where you need to go. Don’t give up. It doesn’t matter how old you are, if you think you “messed up”, whatever. All roads lead back.

FP: What would success mean for you with regards to this single?

Jolene:I mean, obviously I’d love to have a single on Billboard. That would be amazing. But I think this song is a little different. It’s hitting people differently and I can see that reaction.

If people just take this song and love it, just grab onto it, get to know me better through it, that would be amazing.

FP: What’s the future look like for Jolene Harnish?

Jolene: I’m actually going to Nashville at the end of March for a writer’s retreat. Honing my writing craft more.

I’m hoping to get into some festivals, release more music and get to know people. And, get to know myself in the process.

You can keep up with Jolene by following her on her socials:

Instagram: @joleneharnish
Facebook: Jolene Harnish Music
YouTube: @joleneharnishmusic
TikTok: @joleneharnish

Jason Saunders

Jason Saunders is a graduate from both the English Literature program at Trent University and the Journalism program and Seneca College. He has a passion for music, writing, and all things creative.