CCM: Besides the obvious rock influences, what are some other musical flavors that make their way onto the new album?
JL: I feel a big difference in the Skillet sound versus the Ledger sound is a lot of the pop influence. Obviously I’ve been doing a lot of touring for the last ten years, so there’s going to be a massive rock influence. You can definitely hear that in the Ledger EP (buy) project, but what you’re also hearing is that I grew up listening to P!nk or Avril Lavigne or even softer influences. My dad had me listening to The Beatles and Alanis Morissette ever since the day I was born. So, there’s a softer side to Ledger, but it’s also staying true to what I’ve been doing for the last ten years of my life.

I do feel that it represents me well since it highlights the softer side, the more feminine side and the poppier side of Jen that you might not necessarily experience with Skillet as much.

CCM: You mentioned being 100-percent committed to Skillet, so how much room does that leave for you to support this project?
JL: It does look confusing, doesn’t it? I don’t plan on leaving Skillet at all, and what’s freaking fantastic about the way the entire thing ended up being set up is that I’m signed to John and Korey’s label, which is an imprint of Atlantic Records. So, basically it’s a team. It’s not my own project that’s separate from Skillet. It’s actually that we’re all a part of Skillet and yet we’re all a part of Ledger. Hopefully, as a unit, we can move forward into these next seasons and explore our options.

I love being a part of Skillet. I’ve seen God move with it. I’ve seen Him save so many lives. When I pursued this side project, it was never about wanting to leave Skillet. It was about representing another side of us. So I’m hoping that I can open up for Skillet, say, at a festival date or on tour together. Then I can headline the night with Skillet on the drums. It’s tiring, but it’s worth it. [Laughs] It’s basically a dream set-up since we’re all together. Korey plays guitar with me and John sings on one of the songs. It feels like this awesome family unit where we’re expressing a different side of us and then coming together to do the Skillet thing, too. It’s all really amazing.

CCM: What does the rest of your spring and summer look like?
JL: I know that Skillet is doing some mainstream rock events in Europe and then some festivals back in the U.S. There’s talk of Ledger maybe opening up for those festivals, too, but none of that is arranged, so we’ll see before we start making too many plans. Also, I think Skillet will have a new release by the end of 2018, maybe even by the fall. That’s what we’re aiming for.

Ledger, Jen Ledger, CCM Magazine - image

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