Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter JILLIAN JACQUELINE spreads hope and resiliency with today’s release of “Wait for the Light,” a brand-new track fitting for the times, yet ringing with timelessness.
Written and recorded in just a week, the soulful piano ballad stands witness to the human spirit – recognizing the COVID-19 pandemic and yet acknowledging that good still exists. We will get through this hand in hand as we “wait for the light,” Jacqueline sings, her effervescent vocal crackling with optimism and joined by a heavenly choir.
CMT.com premiered the powerful song and adjoining lyric video on Thursday (May 28), remarking that it “focuses on the beautiful things” which are still around us. And in an effort to inject some more beauty into a tragic reality, five dollars from every “Wait for the Light” autographed limited-edition poster sold online in Jacqueline’s web store will be donated to the Nashville Food Project.
“During the last three months, most of my plans for the near future had to be put on pause and rearranged, and I felt that shift happening for an incalculable amount of people around the world,” shares Jacqueline. “So many were losing jobs, so many were losing loved ones, and so many others were losing hope. I was reminded that it is a vital choice as human beings as to whether we lean in or look away when someone else is hurting. And at the same time, I felt myself suddenly seeing life in a very different way, a more detailed, poignant, fragile way. So, when I sat down to write this song three and a half weeks ago with my husband, Bryan Brown, and brother-in-law, Tofer Brown, I wanted to bring myself back to the basics, to the most simple things that we can always rely on, like the fact that beauty keeps creating itself around us even when fear and uncertainty seem so overwhelming. I wanted to highlight that it all comes back to us, choosing to see every moment, whether it’s with a stranger or a neighbor, as a potential for connection and healing and faith in the dark. We wrote and recorded this song in a week, and I like to think of it as an urgent love letter to the world. My hope is that its message transcends age, geography, race, gender, class, or any other construct that can make us think we are any different from any other human we pass on the street. When we’re in the midst of darkness, sometimes we just need someone to walk beside us while we wait for the light.”
ART COURTESY OF JILLIAN JACQUELINE
“Wait for the Light” was co-written by Jacqueline with her husband, Bryan Brown, and brother-in-law, Tofer Brown – who also produced her attention-grabbing breakout EPs, SIDE A and SIDE B. The current climate may have halted progress on her upcoming recording project, but could not quell her creativity, inspiring her to write, record, mix and master the uplifting new track on the spot. Both Brown brothers teamed up to handle the song’s production.
Jacqueline’s SIDE A and SIDE B EPs arrived in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and since then she’s continued to reach milestones. After being named to multiple “Artists to Watch” lists, the Pennsylvania native hit the road with the likes of Thomas Rhett, Little Big Town and Kip Moore – marking a string of sold-out shows in the U.K. – and in 2019 embarked on her first-ever headlining tour.
