The great Louis Armstrong once said “music is life itself” and no one captures that essence more than singer-songwriter Jess Vernon, using music to find strength in the darkest of times all through her life. Beginning with her first piano at age four, Vernon was already writing her own songs by elementary school, blazing past the traditional piano lessons and defining her own sound. Born in Kamloops and later moving with her family to Drumheller, Vernon grew up in what she defines as a religious cult where her parents' support of her musical interests limited only to a domestic, faith-oriented environment.

“I grew up thinking women are lesser, says Vernon. “My parents told me, you'll only ever play guitar around the campfire. They’ve never been to a single gig of mine, ever. And I’ve always wanted to prove everyone wrong.”

Photo by Michael Grondin

Indoctrinated with a doomsday revelation that she was going to die before the age of 30, Vernon’s parents discouraged her from pursuing her own career goals. Marrying at 20 she tried to surrender to her community’s traditional values but it was far from the white picket dream as she endured domestic abuse throughout the four year marriage. As she reeled from the turbulence, the only thing she knew she could truly believe in was her music and began to venture into the world-at-large, playing in bands and performing local shows. The deep love for performing opened her eyes to a larger reality than she had ever known, giving her the strength to leave the marriage and the cult at age 24. It was a hard decision that estranged her from her parents and entire family. Only one special person, her grandmother, was supportive. 

Sharing the same fierce heart, Vernon’s grandmother attended a residential school and later contracted tuberculosis resulting in the removal of one lung in her early 20s. The struggle continued as she became a single mother of five children, a hardship which the cult took full advantage of by offering help and the promise of salvation only if she joined their following.

Encouraging her to pursue her musical dreams and  follow her heart, Vernon recalls her grandmother’s words who was always there for her. “I don't care what they say. God would never say that you can't talk to your family, and you are family!”  

Photo by LC Photography

Independent, liberated and free at 24, Vernon was living a healthy lifestyle (vegan, yoga), reconnecting with her Cree heritage and pursuing her musical dreams, ready to take over the world when that world turned upside down just one year later when faced with a life-threatening diagnosis of a rare form of cancer.

“I’m one of the youngest people to get it. And it's just random. It's just like a lottery, sorta. And in a weird way I'm grateful for it, because it made me a better person. It made me realize, ‘I'm gonna live my life the way I want to live my life.’ I needed that push, because I wasn't living my life the way I wanted.”

Vernon is the model of strength battling two forms of cancer over the last eight years but still full of optimism embracing her passion for singing, songwriting and performing full-time, planning for the best.

Photo by Aaron Brown

“There's a 43% chance the cancer will come back in five years, but I'm realizing there's a future. Especially growing up in a cult where I didn't think I'd make it to 30 because the world's gonna end and then finding out at 25 you're gonna fucking maybe die actually That really frightened me, freaked me out. So I always kind of lived in the moment and to prepare for the future. And now learning to have a balance between the two and taking each day as they come.”

Sadly, Vernon’s grandmother passed away in 2019 after her own battle with cancer. That left her without a guiding light and still estranged from all remaining family. Instead of breaking her down, the loss only strengthened Vernon’s determination to survive, to live her own life and appreciate every day, honouring her grandmother’s kindred heart and warrior spirit. 

Photo by Aaron Brown

Playing both the piano and guitar, Jess Vernon’s music is beautifully honest, as she writes from her own life experiences as dark and troubled as they might be. 

“Being myself is what people want to see. When you lay it all out on the line, it's terrifying and exhausting, but people really appreciate it… I think a lot of my music right now is about that. It's about letting go of the past, and learning to have a different perspective on it instead of it hurting and killing you. Just learning that, ‘Okay those were lessons and I've learned and I don't ever have to experience those things again. That's a huge one.”