Jensen McRae’s extraordinary memory doesn’t just serve as a songwriting tool: it’s her superpower, with the Los Angeles-based artist possessing an almost supernatural ability to transform fleeting moments into more. “I think I notice things other people don’t always notice,” she says. “Sometimes I startle people with how much I remember about what they’ve said, or when I can say definitively on what date certain events happened.”
This keen eye for detail permeates ‘I Don’t Know How But They Found Me!’, her second album arriving this spring via Dead Oceans. The record’s title – borrowed from Back to the Future – mirrors McRae’s own intricate dance between past and present, observation and participation. “A big part of my Back to the Future fandom is just nostalgia, childhood – I loved the movie as a kid, and I keep going back to it over the years,” she explains. “The first film in particular is such a clean narrative, a triumph of good vs. evil, a hero overcoming adversity and racing against the clock.”
McRae’s relationship with pop culture reflects a refreshing lack of pretence. “I’ve never been very good about prestige cinema. I need my literature to be rigorous and provocative and deep, but I like for my TV and film to just make me feel good.”
The Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter has been racing her own clock since releasing her debut ‘Are You Happy Now?’ in 2022. Rather than resting on early acclaim, she immediately began laying the foundations for what would become her second full-length effort. “I never stop writing,” she notes. “I’ve never consciously thought of myself as starting or finishing a record. But the oldest song on the album was written in April 2022, just a couple weeks after my debut came out, and the newest song on the record was ‘Massachusetts’, which I finished writing in December 2023.”
That latest addition to the album emerged from an unexpected viral moment – a raw snippet posted online that captured listeners’ imagination. Yet McRae remained steadfast in her creative vision despite the buzz. “It was lovely to see people respond so positively to the snippet, though I wouldn’t say it affected the writing process,” she shares. “I’ve been lucky enough to go viral a handful of times, and when I release full versions of those songs, I like to work without thinking about what other people expect me to do. The integrity of a song rests in my ability to remain faithful to the original seed of the idea, to express what I wanted to express from the beginning.”
This unwavering commitment to artistic authenticity infuses her entire creative approach. “Ultimately, trying to please everybody means you please nobody, so my goal is always just to impress myself.” It’s a philosophy that has served her well; while her debut involved a more contained process, her new effort expanded both collaboratively and conceptually. “With the first album, me and Rahki, my producer, and Kristin, my manager, would go to Rahki’s studio and go back and forth over all the songs we had on a big whiteboard,” McRae recalls. “It was pretty contained because every song in contention was either something I’d written alone or with Rahki. With this one, it felt like we had so many more songs to choose from, and I’d worked with more writers and producers, and the track list changed all the time.”
The album’s recording in North Carolina with producer Brad Cook (known for work with Bon Iver and Waxahatchee) proved transformative. “I felt very free,” McRae says. “Brad Cook is such a brilliant mind, and he’s so down to earth. His process is highly efficient, but it still left so much room for us to experiment and get to know each other.” The sessions became a family affair, with her brother Holden joining on keyboards. “Having my little brother there pushed me because I wanted to give him a learning experience as much as I wanted to give myself a great album at the end of it. I encouraged him to ask questions and take leaps.”
The recording process struck a delicate balance between collective creativity and personal vision. “It was so 100% collaborative; everyone’s input was valued, but it never stopped feeling like my album and my story.”
Music runs deep in the McRae family, though not in conventional ways. “Neither of my parents are really musical by trade, though my dad has a great voice,” she explains. “Our parents stuck all three of us in piano lessons like most parents do, and while our oldest brother didn’t much care for it, me and my little brother took to it pretty quickly. I learned to read really early and have always loved telling stories – songwriting became a natural extension of that.”
“I’m just so beyond excited for people to hear this record. It’s really good. I’m really proud of it”
That storytelling instinct has evolved into what McRae describes as “narrator syndrome” rather than “main character syndrome” – a perspective that shapes her distinctive lyrical approach. “I like to pay attention. I like to remember,” she says. “I think my unique turns of phrase stem from my observational habits. I say things no one else says because I find beauty and value in sensations and occurrences that usually get overlooked.”
Her dedication to her craft extends beyond mere observation. “I write all the time, even when I don’t feel inspired,” she shares. “I try to deconstruct why I like the things I like. I read a lot of fiction – I think it’s vital to be creatively influenced by mediums outside of the one you’re using. And I keep a journal. I pay close attention to life as it happens around me.”
This careful attention to detail has earned McRae opportunities to share stages with artists she once admired from afar. “Getting to open for so many of my favourite artists has definitely been a highlight,” she reflects. “Corinne Bailey Rae was one of my earliest inspirations; MUNA has been my favourite band since I was 18, and watching Noah Kahan go from my social media secret to global juggernaut… I mean, it’s been so special and surreal to watch them all work up close.”
Looking ahead, McRae’s aspirations remain grounded yet ambitious. “I hope I sell out this tour. I hope I get the opportunity to pursue my other creative passions as a result of the success of this album. I hope I make another one,” she says. “But most importantly, I hope the people who need me can find me.”
As release day approaches, McRae finds herself amid welcome organisational chaos. “I’m all in on tour prep and coming up with ideas for this rollout. I’ve been writing a little, but it’s not top of mind. I’ve never really had that experience before, but it’s probably good that I’ve been giving my mind a creative break. I’m just so beyond excited for people to hear this record. It’s really good. I’m really proud of it.”
Between preparations, she’s finding moments for creative recharge – albeit in unexpected ways. “I’ve been playing The Sims a lot. I think I want to start streaming. That feels like a fun challenge and a way for me to turn this time-devouring hobby into something productive.”
As the conversation winds down, McRae offers a simple yet poignant reflection that could well serve as both a personal mantra and artistic mission statement: “I’m hanging in there. I hope you are, too.” It’s this blend of careful observation and genuine connection that makes ‘I Don’t Know How But They Found Me!’ feel less like a second album and more like a continuation of an ongoing conversation – one that promises to resonate far beyond 2025.
Jensen McRae’s album ‘I Don’t Know How But They Found Me!’ is out 25th April.
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