The circle of life, the personal upheavals planted in loss, grief, and some loves, are all passages Jenna Torres knows well and considers necessary for greater fulfillment. That sense of resilience, renewal, and rising, like a phoenix, guided her sixth album, Firebird.
“It’s the idea that in this life journey, you’re going to face challenges,” says the New York City and Nashville-based singer and songwriter. “It’s not whether or not you will be challenged. It’s what happens when you are challenged.”
For Torres, hardships hit close to home in 2025 when her mother passed away after a long illness. “You get a chance to look at what’s left of your life and decide, ‘I am gonna fight. I am going to fight to breathe. I’m going to fight to be seen. I’m going to fight to believe. I’m going to fight for all the things that I ultimately know will make me feel like I’m honoring being alive,’” says Torres. “I love to see that in other people. I love to see people triumph over adversity.”
Known as a symbol of a mythical bird carrying hardships and blessings in Slavic folklore, Firebird embraces those two points, a recurring theme throughout Torres’ life that’s written in the more pop-bent title track, an anthem of hope and emerging from the ashes of situations that often leave some broken: There’s this thing about evolution, ‘bout the changing of the tide / You can’t hold it back forever, no matter how hard you try.
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“In my life, over and over there has been a resurrection, because my personal journey has involved an immense amount of risk and growth, and then it all falls apart, and I have to come back from the bottom,” shares Torres, adding that the essence of “Firebird” comes from the realization that she’s not alone.
“This time around, when I’m down to ash, I have this awareness that it’s not over, so I come back strong,” she adds. “The fight is so important to me, the fight to overcome the obstacles that took me down, and the realization that I have the ability and the strength to come back from hard things.”
This newfound awareness extends throughout Firebird, from the opening thrusts of country rockers “Heartbreak River” and contemplations on the true cost of peace, “Everything But Money.”
“Every song is like this little holographic version of my heart,” says Torres, “and I do feel like the heart is a faceted gem.”
Torres’ soulful ballad “Your Storm,” holds onto standing by one’s side during their lowest points— I can’t change the weather and I can’t change the wind / But I can be your shelter, if you just let me in—and cuts deeper for Torres and the time spent caring for and reconnecting with her mother towards the end of her life.
“‘Your Storm’ is so important to me, because not only have I lived it and know exactly what it means, but it’s another song about kind of giving, but from a totally different perspective—giving, from the strength of knowing that you are willing to stay the storm of someone else’s suffering,” shares Torres. “It’s one thing to get through your own pain, but to say, ‘I can be strong for you. I can be the master of your ship, and no storm is going to take us out…’ Not all of us are lucky enough, when we’re vulnerable, to have somebody stand by us.”
Every song is like this little holographic version of my heart, and I do feel like the heart is a faceted gem.
Jenna Torres
Reflecting on the challenges she’s faced throughout her life and career, Torres says she is most proud that she was able to stand alongside her mother during the most difficult time. “I’m most proud that I showed up and I did not give up,” she says. “And that was very important for my own growth. I want people to understand in that song that the gift is in the giving.”
The mood shifts with the sensual “For the Taking,” a track Torres calls her “sexy song,” adding, “That’s such a critical part of life for me. I’m a very sensual person, and I really love being able to be in a place where you and that other person have a world unto yourselves that manages somehow to override the noise, the distractions.”
“What If” delivers another heartfelt portrait of confronting a mountain of sadness standing in the way—The moment was breaking me / But dreamers don’t like defeat—through the more celebratory “Everybody’s Happy,” and through the closing “If This is a Dream,” more evidence that Firebird is a triumphant album.
“I’ve had to rise and fall so many times now that the story is not just my story, but so many people’s,” says Torres. “One of the most beautiful things about being a songwriter and putting your heart out there is that it’s not my story anymore. It turns into everybody else’s story, I find out I’m not alone.
[RELATED: Jenna Torres Imagines a Better World on “What If”]
Considering how far she’s come and the messages within Firebird, Torres remembers something her late father used to say, which puts her journey into perspective.
“My dad used to say ‘Life is made sweeter by risk,’ and I think I definitely have the temperament for it,” says Torres. “Sometimes I lose the will, but when it comes back, I have my wings on, and I’m going to try to use them.”
Of Firebird, she adds, “This is just me trying to use my wings to rise and do something. Hopefully, it has enough meaning that people will connect to it and see themselves in it.”
Photo: Jon Karr
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