Drake Jensen feat. Lisa Thompson – Never Surrender – THEAUSSIEWORD.COM Single Review

Country music artist Drake Jensen has just released a reinterpretation of Corey Hart’s classic hit Never Surrender in a compelling duet with Ottawa artist Lisa Thompson of the band Sovereign Council. An equally exciting video accompanies the track; both are dedicated to the front-line workers that helped the world through this challenging year. But Drake Jensen is not only a country music star but also a leader in the LGBTQ community. He’s released three studio albums: OUTlaw in 2013, Retro in 2014 and Sideshow in 2018.

Some notable single releases from these albums include Scars That You Can’t See, the anti-bullying track which was launched at Nashville’s Hard Rock Café during Nashville Pride and Where Ever Love Takes Us, which broke into the Australian Country Top40 and was turned into the line dance Waves of Love by renowned Irish choreographer Gary O’Reilly and Burn the Floor released in May of 2020, which became a massive hit at Australian radio and was voted ‘Video of the Year’ by fans of the site Country Queer. 

Never Surrender is transformed into a big country-pop crossover smash, with the song’s melodic power kept intact. With added layers of exquisite detail such as Jensen and Thompson’s expressive vocal performances, dazzling lap steel guitar work, and a sustained emotional allure, the new version reveals the lyric’s extraordinary new resonance. The production harnesses contemporary aesthetics and gets the blend of country-pop exactly right, utilising dynamics, instrumentation, and nuanced performances to impressive effect.  From the opening mood-establishing intro to the concluding motifs which include very relatable lines considering the effect the pandemic has had on all of us: The time is all you’re asking for / Ooh, stand your ground, never surrender. 

With almost 100k Spotify streams Drake Jensen is a new breed of music artist, the kind who defies categorization: he’s a country singer, musician, and songwriter whose work transcends genres and demographics. His latest release is a must for lovers of country and pop. 

Drake Jensen feat. Rob Preuss // THE AUSSIE WORD SINGLE REVIEW – Burn The Floor

Drake Jensen’s history is impressive, not only is he a country music star but he’s also a leader in the LGBTQ community and with the launch of his debut album, On My Way To Finding You in 2011, the first video featured an LGBTQ love theme, which caught the attention of Andy Towle of Towleroad, who named him one of the Top 50 Comings Out of 2012.

Since then, he’s released three studio albums: OUTlaw in 2013, Retro in 2014 and Sideshow in 2018. Some noteworthy single releases from these albums include Scars That You Can’t See, the anti-bullying track which was launched at Nashville’s Hard Rock Café during Nashville Pride and Where Ever Love Takes Us, which broke into the Australian Country Top40 and was turned into the line dance Waves of Love by renowned Irish choreographer Gary O’Reilly. This notoriety earned Drake Jensen recognition for his contribution to the LGBTQ community, as well as a notable reference in the book David Bowie Made Me Gay – 100 Years of LGBTQ Music History by Darryl W Bullock.
Now he’s just dropped Burn The Floor, a country crossover track that blends country, pop and dance into a supercharged genre-defying musical experience. It features strong melodies and a direct relatable lyric and is imbued with a sense of fun and carefree panache. Drake collaborated with Nova Scotia LBGTQ singer/songwriter/producer Jon Hemingway and Rob Preuss, former keyboardist of The Spoons and Honeymoon Suite, and former Associate Musical Director for Mamma Mia on Broadway on this innovative new track. Burn The Floor is sure to be the next global crossover hit and worth checking out. Drake Jensen is a new breed of music artist, the kind who defies categorization: he’s a country singer, musician and songwriter whose work transcends genres and demographics and his latest release Burn The Floor is a must for lovers of country and pop.

Continue reading Drake Jensen feat. Rob Preuss // THE AUSSIE WORD SINGLE REVIEW – Burn The Floor

NEW MUSIC: Drake Jensen ‘Wherever Love Takes Us’

As Australia grapples with issues surrounding same sex marriage and the current impact of a hurtful debate on the rights of the LGBTI community, 95a2a84d-2801-4cd5-b259-aab1183971a3Canada’s Drake Jensen has already walked the path.

With singles and airplay already under his belt, it was the dedication of his single‘On My Way to Finding You’ in 2012 to Ottawa teenager Jamie Hubley (who committed suicide after severe bullying) that cemented Drake Jensen as not only an accomplished musician, but also a courageous one, coming out to the notoriously conservative country music establishment in a big way.

Now in 2016, Jensen has released a brand new track ‘Wherever Love Takes Us’, an ode to love in all its forms and a reminder to his fans in Australia of the universality of the world’s most powerful force.

“My early-life story is one that’s punctuated by abuse at home, bullying at school and repressing who I truly was. It was when I saw the appalling story of Jamie that I realised that his story wasn’t that far from my own and many, many other LGBTI teenagers who are struggling with who they are and to find acceptance in a world that simply doesn’t understand.” Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Drake Jensen ‘Wherever Love Takes Us’