JILLIAN SPEER

Originally born and raised north of Seattle in the Pacific Northwest region known as the Skagit Valley, Jillian Speer grew up with music as an integral part of her life from a very early age. Ballet, tap, jazz, and modern dance classes that began at three years old—followed by dance competitions from ages 10 to 16—instilled in her a relentless work ethic and a pursuit of excellence.
At nine years old, she began vocal lessons, and at ten, Jillian started training in classical guitar.

Writing songs, guitar recitals, dance classes, dance competitions, intensive summer arts camps, and starring in local musicals and theater best describe her formative school years. At age fourteen, Speer recorded her first demo—entirely original songs—and that was when she truly got “the bug” for music and the art of recording.

“By the time I was sixteen, I felt like I had optimized everything my small town could offer me, and I wanted so badly to go out and see the world. I applied to be an exchange student, and out of twenty-four kids, I got chosen.”

Jillian received a scholarship to spend one year in India, an experience that would deeply affect her life and profoundly influence her music.

After returning from India, Jillian continued writing songs, spent six months living in Hawaii, and then returned to the Pacific Northwest. At eighteen, she recorded her first full-length album, Silent Teaching, in Portland, Oregon. After several trips to Los Angeles, the album began circulating and quickly attracted interest from multiple record labels once it landed in the hands of a well-known entertainment lawyer who actively passed it around.

Shortly thereafter, Jillian moved to Los Angeles when a million-dollar deal was put on the table with a Sony-subsidiary record label funded by Gateway Computers.
They wanted to sign her quickly and position her as their first artist to launch the label. While the budget for the deal was one million dollars, the catch was that they wanted half of her publishing.

At the time, Jillian was waiting tables at a famous Sunset Boulevard restaurant called Cravings in West Hollywood. Joni Mitchell was a regular there. Jillian confided in her about the chaos and pressure surrounding the negotiations, and Joni famously replied, “If they want half your publishing, you tell them you want half of their business too.”

Jillian walked away from the deal. She was not about to sell her publishing.

Los Angeles continued to embrace her, and she felt at home instantly. She stayed and formed The Jillian Speer Band, continuing to record and perform to sold-out shows across Los Angeles for many years.
Within a five-year span, Jillian had four separate million-dollar deals on the table.
She walked away from two of them, and two of them were ultimately pulled.
Integrity in her art always came first—not money. Selling out was never an option.
Selling CDs at her shows, however, continued to build a loyal following and led to her opening for acts such as Jewel and Michael Franti & Spearhead on large stages.

After six years of extreme highs and devastating lows in the turbulent music business, Jillian moved to Maui to rest and reset from the relentless roller coaster she had been riding.

“The business can be very unforgiving, heartless, and most of the time, talent has nothing to do with making it. I was met with that harsh reality many times. I needed more Mother Nature and less music venues and LA traffic. I needed to return to my roots, and Hawaii stole my heart.”

During her time in Maui, Speer recorded another album, though it was never released. She played a handful of shows, but mostly, she swam in the wild with dolphins. Jillian met dolphin cinematographers on the island and spent much of her time following them out to sea.

“Swimming with dolphins was life-changing for me. It’s like being in the presence of a high holy being.”

After three years in Maui, Jillian felt ready to give herself fully to music once again.
At twenty-eight years old, she returned to Los Angeles with a clear vision.
This time, she was determined to manifest a sponsor—someone who would help fund and support the album she had been hearing in her head for years.
She knew exactly which musicians she wanted and exactly who she wanted to produce it.
For three years straight, she immersed herself in affirmations and prayers, focused solely on manifesting the right support.

Once again, the City of Angels wrapped her in its peculiar magic. By a series of unlikely events and bewildering grace, Jillian met Dr. Dre. They connected instantly and became deep friends—helped in part by the fact that they share the same birthday.
He believed in her talent and privately funded the album she had been dreaming of making.

Four years later, Deeper This Way was finally finished.

With her classical guitar training, Jillian lays a meditative foundation beneath songs of love, loss, heartache, and hope. In 2015, she founded her independent label, Speerit Records, and in 2016 she released Deeper This Way.
Produced by Grammy Award–winning producer and mixer Qmillion and featuring drums by the legendary Chris Dave, the album reflects the influence of city life on a small-town girl, blending Folk, Soul, Hip-Hop, and Rock into a genre-defying sound.

Deeper This Way reached the Top 20 on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter chart, gained heavy rotation on college radio, and its raw, politically charged music video “Zion” garnered hundreds of thousands of views and an outpouring of praise.

Her 2018 EP, Wet With Fire, marked another collaboration with Qmillion and Chris Dave, and stands as her most alternative release to date—richly textured, deeply layered, and emotionally fearless.

In August of 2024, Jillian released another full-length album entitled Beautifully Complex. She describes it as her favorite work to date: “Mostly acoustic, melancholy, honest, raw, deep, and vulnerable.”

The grounding force and shining star of all of Jillian’s music is her rich, lamenting voice and her fearless lyricism. Her songs are contemplative at times, political at others, but always an honest reflection of an artist committed to true self-expression and music with meaning.
Jillian is deeply devoted to the songwriting craft, consistently delivering thought-provoking lyrical content rooted in truth and emotional depth.

She describes her sound as Progressive Folk~Rock—music that nods to a classic era while remaining unmistakably her own.
Jillian Speer is a breath of fresh air in an industry often driven by trends rather than truth, standing as a reminder that art born from integrity still has the power to move, heal, and endure.