If you thought Nashville was only serving up country twang, think again. Jenna Kay is here to crank the volume and add some glitter-coated attitude to the mix with her brand new EP, “Smartsass.”
Fresh off her 2025 release, if I can’t, Jenna’s sophomore alt-pop project feels like a bold step forward. “Smartsass” is not just a title. It is a mission statement. Across six brand new tracks, she fuses punchy, rocked-up beats with massive, hook-driven choruses that refuse to leave your head. The result is a collection that feels as cinematic as it does unfiltered.
What really makes this EP pop is its emotional range. One minute, you are in the middle of a high-energy, punk-tinted anthem. Next, you are swaying through a vulnerable, stripped-back ballad. That contrast gives the project its spark. Jenna is not boxed into one sound or one mood. She lets the chaos breathe.
“Smartsass” digs into breakups that did not end neatly, hard truths that sting a little, and all the unresolved feelings we try to pretend are not there. But this is not wallowing. It is owning. Jenna describes the EP as her attitude in musical form, a confident and sarcastic reflection of finding her voice and saying what she once kept quiet. At its heart is a message she stands by: you do not have to make yourself smaller just to fit in.
Originally from St. Louis and now based in Nashville, Jenna Kay has been chasing the stage since she was five years old, famously belting out Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” and catching the live performance bug early. After high school, she left Nashville to pursue music full-time, and in just a few years, she has become a rising presence on the city’s live circuit. As the first and only pop artist working with Label 22, she is carving out her own lane in a town not always known for alt-pop rebellion.
Her 2024 debut EP, Icing on the Cake, introduced listeners to her world of heartbreak, fresh starts, and emotional intensity. Now, with “Smartsass,” she levels up. The project feels sharper, louder, and more self-assured. It is clear she has her sights set on reshaping what pop coming out of Nashville can sound like.
With ambitions to grow her Bows and Boots fan community and take her music on the road, 2026 looks like it could be Jenna Kay’s year. If “Smartsass” is any indication, she is not asking for permission. She is kicking the door open.
‘Smartsass’ is a fearless alt-pop statement
