Jen Foster is an award-winning singer/songwriter influenced heavily by classic artists such as the Rolling Stones, U2, and Bob Dylan. In 2009 Foster has spent the last several months in a Nashville recording studio working on her third album. Foster, along with co-producer, Greg Droman, put together an all-star group of musicians, including Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow), Rami Jaffee (The Wallflowers), Sean Hurley (Vertical Horizon), and Fred Eltringham (The Wallflowers, Dixie Chicks, The Wreckers). Embodying a blend of sounds which range from soft, lazy-day melodies to more raucous guitar-driven tracks, the forthcoming new collection includes two tracks (“Closer To Nowhere” and “Venice Beach”) which have recently garnered nominations in the International Songwriting Competition. Foster started her own label – now called Fosterchild Records - in 2003. Her debut release, Everybody’s Girl, garnered national radio success at the Triple A format, as well as positive reviews, praising her no-frills, unfiltered lyrics. Songwriting awards followed and she has also secured some impressive Film/TV placements, with songs placed in the popular television soap opera All My Children as well as a recent placement in an American Pie movie sequel. The title track of Foster’s 2006 sophomore CD, The Underdogs, won “Song of the Year” at the Out Music Awards. Foster grew up in a very conservative, Houston, TX, suburb. Foster credits another outsider, Ani DiFranco, for inspiration in her business model. “Ani did it her way, and she inspired me to do it my way. I’ve created a fairly unique situation. I’ve built a team of people I trust at my label and also, a community of fans,” Foster proudly notes. “It’s always challenging to take off the artist hat and put on the business hat, but it’s a challenge I embrace. My music means too much to me to blindly put it in someone else’s hands.” Foster’s new album, "Thirty-Nine," was slated for a 2009 release, and a four-song EP, "Songs From Thirty-Nine," is currently available. The video for the single "Closer To Nowhere" recently reached #1 on the LOGO Channel (MTV Network) charts. ------------------------------------------------------------- SONGWRITING AWARDS 1) "CLOSER TO NOWHERE" - WINNER, TRIPLE A CATEGORY, INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION 2) "TAKING BOB DYLAN" - GRAND PRIZE, INTERNATIONAL ACOUSTIC MUSIC AWARDS 3) "TAKING BOB DYLAN" - BEST FEMALE ARTIST, INTERNATIONAL ACOUSTIC MUSIC AWARDS 4) "THE UNDERDOGS" - SONG OF THE YEAR, OUT MUSIC AWARDS 5) "AMEN" - WINNER, GOSPEL CATEGORY, USA SONGWRITING CONTEST 6) "SHE" - WINNER, POP CATEGORY, 2001, JOHN LENNON SONGWRITING CONTEST 7) "SHE" - WINNER, POP CATEGORY, 2001, GREAT AMERICAN SONGWRITING CONTEST 8) "EVERYBODY'S GIRL" (FULL RECORD) - WINNER, BEST DEBUT RECORDING - FEMALE, 2004, OUT MUSIC AWARDS 9) "IN BETWEEN POSES" - WINNER, 1st ANNUAL AWARDS, BEST FEMALE ARTIST, INTERNATIONAL ACOUSTIC MUSIC AWARDS 10) "TAKING BOB DYLAN" - WINNER, NASHVILLE SONG & LYRIC CONTEST Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.