Jill Freeman

A native Los Angeleno, Jill Freeman is a singer, songwriter, and performer whose music draws on folk, blues, jazz, and a wide range of musical influences. Known for her distinctive voice and deeply personal songwriting, Jill has spent her career exploring the emotional and imaginative possibilities of music.

Jill first gained recognition as a member of The Life Is Grand Band, a vocal trio that developed a devoted following on the Los Angeles music scene. The group’s original song “Feel Like Makin’ Art” was included in the influential Fast Folk series, now part of the Smithsonian Folkways collection.

Following the group’s dissolution, Jill embarked on a solo career with Songs About Sex & Depression, an intimate collection that earned enthusiastic reviews for its honesty, originality, and emotional depth. Sing Out! praised her as “both a distinctive songwriter and a gifted singer,” while Music Connection described her work as “some damn fine music by a very good performer.”

Her music has also reached audiences through film and television, with songs and vocal performances appearing in New Girl, Roswell, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Young and the Restless, Melrose Place, The Oranges, and numerous other productions. Her song “Kisses Good” was recorded by EMI artists Once Blue and featured in the Touchstone Pictures film Mr. Wrong. Jill also collaborated with acclaimed blues guitarist Robben Ford on his album Keep On Running.

A Handmade Life

With A Handmade Life, Jill ventured into new creative territory, drawing inspiration from the psychological symbolism of traditional fairy tales.

Fascinated by the ways these stories reflect our deepest desires, fears, and struggles, she began collecting melodies, fragments of lyrics, and found sounds in what became a musical diary. Those early explorations eventually evolved into an ambitious collection of songs, each inhabiting the emotional world of a different story.

“Fairy tales are like dreams, filled with deep symbolism about the human psyche,” Jill explains. “They carry the voice of our subconscious. I wanted to dive into those dreamy stories, swim deep, and see what I came back with. This album is the expression of what I found there.”

Produced by Joel Wachbrit and featuring an accomplished ensemble of musicians, A Handmade Life blends intimate songwriting with theatrical arrangements, unusual instrumentation, and cinematic storytelling.

From the unsettling world of “The Robber Bridegroom” to imaginative reinterpretations of Cinderella, The Wizard of Oz, and Little Red Riding Hood, the album explores the emotional truths hidden within familiar tales.

The result is a deeply personal and imaginative work that earned widespread critical praise for its originality, musical ambition, and emotional depth.