She is also a former child actress.
Music
In 1995, she formed the indie rock band Rilo Kiley along with her friends Pierre De Reeder, Blake Sennett and Dave Rock (later replaced by Jason Boesel). Beginning with a country sound, Rilo Kiley gravitated toward a downbeat indie rock sound, and with their 2004 album More Adventurous found widespread success. Critics such as Pitchforkmedia attributed this to the "wise" decision to front Lewis on most of the songs (on earlier albums, Sennett contributed about half the vocals). The song "Portions for Foxes" was a hit, and in 2005 the band was picked up by Warner Bros., putting them on a major label for the first time. They opened for Coldplay on their U.S. tour in 2005.
In 2002, Lewis was asked to contribute some female vocals for The Postal Service, whose album Give Up was an international success. Lewis performed in the video for the hit "We Will Become Silhouettes", and toured with the band in 2003. Lewis also contributed vocals to several tracks on the 2004 Cursive album The Ugly Organ.
In 2004, Conor Oberst invited Lewis to record a solo record for record label Team Love. Described by Lewis as "a kind of soul record," Rabbit Fur Coat, released in January 2006, features contributions from musicians Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, M. Ward, Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine, and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie on a cover of The Traveling Wilburys song "Handle With Care". The Watson Twins provide accompaniment and the album is billed as Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins. Lewis toured with the Watson Twins in support of the album in early 2006.
September 2008 sees the relase of a second solo album, titled Acid Tongue.
She has also provided vocals on tracks for The Elected and Johnathan Rice.
Infamous for her quirky clothing and ever constant red hairstyle, Lewis has become a fashion icon in the indie music world.
Lewis was given an "Esky" for Best Temperature Raiser in Esquire's 2006 Esky Music Awards in the April issue.
Influences
In the April 2006 issue of Spin Magazine, Lewis lists the "Music That Changed My Life" in a full page article, noting predominately late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop as an important influences on her musical development. Albums such as N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton, De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising and Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique are listed in the article, as well music by Too Short, Jungle Brothers, Black Sheep, Souls of Mischief and Freestyle Fellowship. In the same article, she is quoted as saying "I'm an Easy-E girl" showing her adoration for the deceased hip-hop producer and former member of the group N.W.A.. She remembers an encounter with Freestyle Fellowship member Aceyalone, "I actually saw them in the early '90s at a Hollywood Club. I went by myself, and Aceyalone picked me out and freestyled about me. Maybe it was part of his shtick - to dis the enthusiastic but lonely white girl. I must've looked like such a poser."
Acting
She made her debut in a Jell-O commercial, then starred as a child in a number of films during the 1980s. Jenny was featured in the 1996 made-for-TV movie Talk To Me with Yasmine Bleeth. Three of her more notable screen credits were Troop Beverly Hills, The Wizard, and Pleasantville. She also had small roles on such TV shows as Baywatch, Golden Girls, Growing Pains, Roseanne, Mr. Belvedere, and Brooklyn Bridge. She continued acting until 2001.
Must visit links:
Official Site
Best Fan Site
Best Rilo Kiley Site
Late Bloomer
Jenny Lewis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got a chancy girl haircut
And a plane ticket to Paris
I stayed there with Pansy,
He had a studio in the seventh
Lost his lover to a sickness,
I slept beside him in his bed
That's when I met Nancy,
She had a ring in her nose and her eyes
Were changing like moonstones
She said, open up late bloomer,
It will make you smile
I can see that fire burning,
In you little child.
Nancy came from Boston,
She got in trouble very often
'Cause her parents had forgotten her,
She would skate over the pond
She was searching for the writer
Of a song that made her shiver
She listened over and over
On a Walkman cassette
She said, come with me late bloomer,
For a little while,
I wanna see that fire burning,
In you little child
How could I resist her,
I had longed for a big sister
And I wanted to kiss her,
But I hadn't done that
We found the writer,
He was just some kid from Boston
I was jealous as I watched him talking to her
But man he's not astonish,
Didn't look like no Adonis
But as Nancy had promised,
He was heavy as led
And he said, come with us late bloomer,
For a little while,
We wanna feel that fire burning,
In you little child
Give me my candor,
But I just had to have her
And at the time I didn't mind sharing with him
He rode in silence,
All the way back to the seventh
And I promised I'd write her but I never did
And she said, au revoir, late bloomer,
For a little while,
You gotta keep the fire burning,
In you little child
The song "Late Bloomer" by Jenny Lewis tells the story of a young girl who is coming of age and embarks on a journey to find her place in the world. At sixteen, she is restless and eager for new experiences, which leads her to get a new haircut and travel solo to Paris. In Paris, she meets a man named Pansy who is grieving the loss of his lover and takes her in. It's here that she meets Nancy, a free-spirited girl who is searching for the writer of a song that moved her.
Nancy becomes a mentor to the singer, taking her under her wing and showing her how to live life to the fullest. She urges the singer to be herself, even if it means being a late bloomer. The singer enjoys her time with Nancy, feeling like she finally has someone she can relate to and look up to. Ultimately, the singer has to say goodbye to Nancy and return home, promising to keep the fire burning inside of her.
The song is about the journey of growing up, finding oneself, and the people who make an impact along the way. It encourages the listener to embrace their true selves, even if it means taking a different path than others. It's a song about seizing the moment and cherishing the memories made along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
When I turned sixteen I was furious and restless
At the age of sixteen, I was filled with anger and uneasiness.
Got a chancy girl haircut and a plane ticket to Paris
I got a risky, edgy haircut and a ticket to Paris.
I stayed there with Pansy, he had a studio in the seventh
I stayed with Pansy, who had an art studio in the district of Paris called the seventh.
Lost his lover to a sickness, I slept beside him in his bed
Pansy's partner died of an illness, and I slept in his bed to comfort him.
That's when I met Nancy, she was smoking on a gypsy
That's when I met Nancy, who was smoking at a street vendor stall.
She had a ring in her nose and her eyes were changing like moonstones
Nancy had a nose ring and her eyes appeared to be changing colors like moonstones.
She said, open up late bloomer, it will make you smile
Nancy urged me to be more open and let loose, saying it would make me happy.
I can see that fire burning, in you little child
She felt that I had a passionate, youthful energy inside me.
Nancy came from Boston, she got in trouble very often
Nancy was from Boston and often found herself causing issues or getting into trouble.
'Cause her parents had forgotten her, she would skate over the pond
Since her parents had neglected her, Nancy would skate over a pond to get away from her problems.
She was searching for the writer of a song that made her shiver, she listened over and over on a Walkman cassette
Nancy was looking for the writer of a particular song that moved her, and she would listen to it repeatedly on her Walkman cassette player.
She said, come with me late bloomer, for a little while, I wanna see that fire burning, in you little child
Nancy invited me to come with her and explore life a bit more, hoping to see that energetic spark inside of me.
How could I resist her, I had longed for a big sister
I couldn't resist Nancy's offer and yearned for someone like her to look up to as a big sister.
And I wanted to kiss her, but I hadn't done that
Although I desired to kiss her, I hadn't acted on it yet.
We found the writer, he was just some kid from Boston
We located the writer of the song Nancy loved, and he turned out to be a young guy from Boston.
I was jealous as I watched him talking to her, but man he's not astonish
As I observed him chatting with Nancy, I felt envious, yet realized he wasn't all that impressive.
Didn't look like no Adonis, but as Nancy had promised, he was heavy as led
The writer didn't look like a handsome Adonis, but as Nancy had assured me, he had a lot of emotional weight.
And he said, come with us late bloomer, for a little while, we wanna feel that fire burning, in you little child
The writer invited me to join them and explore life's possibilities, wanting to feel that youth and passion within me.
Give me my candor, but I just had to have her
Admitting my honesty, I knew I needed Nancy.
And at the time I didn't mind sharing with him, he rode in silence, all the way back to the seventh
I didn't mind sharing Nancy's affections with the writer at the time, and he silently rode back to the seventh district with us.
And I promised I'd write her but I never did
I made a promise to write Nancy, but never kept it.
And she said, au revoir, late bloomer, for a little while, you gotta keep the fire burning, in you little child
Nancy said goodbye to me, calling me a late bloomer and urging me to keep that youthful spark of mine burning.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jenny Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind