Meet Jessica McLean – a sweet spirited,
surfer-girl, singer, songwriter, and musician
whose indie-acoustic sound and truth-filled
lyrics are as refreshing and soulful as she is. Her style is a blend of folk, rock and country all in one. She sings with a raw, gritty, power one second that can transform into a quiet, whimsical folk sound the next. “I sing from my heart. I don’t think too much about what I do,” says Jessica. “I just sing how I’m feeling inside.”
With her metallic blue Dean guitar in hand, dangling from a diamond studded strap that she designed herself, Jessica is a girl who’s not afraid to live her dreams. This year alone she’s traveled to South Africa, Australia, Hawaii and California all while preparing for the release of her debut album, Designed to Dream.
“God’s designed us to live our dreams,” says Jessica. “He created us with unique gifts, plans and purposes in order to tell the world about his love. God wants you to dream up ways to use those gifts for good.”
Designed to Dream is an intimate reflection of her life. Each track was written out of a personal experience God brought her through. “The longer I live, the more I realize that I am nothing and Jesus is everything,” says Jessica. “Each song reflects that.”
The album features nine tracks that give a raw, heartfelt delivery in combination with acoustically layered guitar tracks, driven percussion and soulful musical arrangements. “Beautiful is a song about my personal struggles in the area of self worth and body image. The chorus says, ‘Lord, make me beautiful from the inside out. Your love is what matters to me. I am beautiful in your eyes O Lord. You love me just as I am.’”
The album’s most acclaimed track, Ocean Song has already made waves. The music video was featured on Noah’s Arc, one of the most widely viewed Christian surf films of all times. She wrote Ocean Song after Hurricane Isabel devastated the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the quiet surf community where she lives. “Standing on the calm beach the day after the storm, I was brought to a realization of God’s power and redeeming grace. God brought peace to the storms in my life and reminded me of how He changes lives.”
“I wrote the song Good Things Come while I was single and waiting for the husband God wanted for me. It’s a testimony of purity and patience.” Jessica is now married to her husband of two years, Nic, who makes evangelical surf films.
Jessica traveled alongside Nic and the Walking on Water film crew to South Africa, where they shot footage for their upcoming film as well as Jessica’s new music video for the track Designed to Dream which will also be featured on the movie’s DVD. Designed to Dream is a reflection of the dreams God has placed within this girl. Her heart’s desire is for people to listen to this album, relate to it and be touched. Jessica encourages others with her music and is committed to sharing God’s love with the world. “Whatever gifts you have, use them for God, and He will give you a life far more amazing than you could have ever imagined. He has for me.”
-Allie Berthold
Visit www.jessicamclean.com
