PERSONAL SOUNDTRACK
Jessica Lea Mayfield’s new album tells a traumatic story
Jessica Lea Mayfield is making some hot tea to soothe her voice.
It’s a regular occurrence in the singer-songwriter’s life. Drinking the tea isn’t from a late night of performing; it’s to repair her voice after a few days on location in Palm Springs, Calif., while filming a video for her next single, “Offa My Hands.”
“It’s nice to be back home,” she says. “I had a lot of fun shooting the video for the song. I get to rest a little bit, then I’m off on tour.”
The 28-year-old is to begin her tour in support of her latest album, “Sorry Is Gone.”
This year also marks the 10th anniversary of debut album, “With Blasphemy So Heartfelt.”
Over the decade, Mayfield has learned a lot about herself.
She’s grown as a person and as a songwriter.
And her latest effort is more introspective and personal than her previous albums.
“Sorry Is Gone” became the soundtrack to a highly personal and traumatic story.
The Ohio-born Mayfield was quietly enduring years of domestic abuse, smiling and touring while she hid a brewing tempest — and the bruises, too.
But lyrics don’t lie even as bruises fade, and they started to tell the tale of her marriage before she was even able to; songs often dark and dangerous and ready to confront and claim her life.
Writing primarily on an acoustic baritone guitar — out of necessity at first, in her thin-walled apartment — Mayfield started to process the years of hurt and uncertainly through words and melodies that helped her see the light in the darkness.
“I have to sing about things and write about things that have happened to me as therapy,” she says. “That’s what connects me to other music I listen to. I want music to make me feel things. This is my inner dialogue, and my chance to get the last word.”
Mayfield says her writing style has changed somewhat from when she began recording as an 18-year-old.
“I’ve never been one to hold anything back when I’m writing,” she says. “The difference between then and now is that I’ve become more edited. I still write about what’s on my mind, but I don’t put it all out there. When I was younger, I would blurt anything out. Now I think about how to better say it. I’m more confident in letting people into my life within the writing.”