Ep. 14 | Jacqueline Constance: On Breakups, Bars & Being Black Queer in Philly R&B

Send us Fan MailFrom getting thrown onto her first talent show stage at age nine by an unyielding mother to navigating the high-stakes music scenes of Philadelphia and Ohio, singer-songwriter Jacqueline Constance joins The Kenlo Show for a raw look at what it means to be tried by fire. In this episode, we explore her days at CAPA high school alongside a young Jazmine Sullivan, how her roots as a classical trombone player structured her ear for production, and the devastating period where she temporarily lost her voice to physical vocal nodules. Jacqueline breaks down going viral on social media, stepping into her identity as a black queer femme, and turning soul-crushing heartbreaks into cathartic therapy on wax.01:00:06 — The People's Platform: Introducing Philly’s own singer-songwriter, Jacqueline Constance01:01:11 — Angel in Disguise: Unpacking a life-changing 9-year-old talent show debut and a mother’s intuition01:03:17 — The Leo Energy: Overcoming early stage fright and learning to feed off the crowd's attention01:03:47 — Hallways of Greatness: High school life at CAPA and witnessing a young Jazmine Sullivan’s genius01:05:16 — Long Arms & Long Trombones: Lugging heavy brass instruments on SEPTA buses and reading music signatures01:06:55 — Auditioning for Vocal Major: Passing the grueling faculty panel and crushing the music theory exam01:08:44 — The Nexus Point: Discovering Ella Fitzgerald’s "Live in Paris" and falling in love with jazz scatting01:11:31 — Evoking the Next Mind: The true spiritual goal of high-level creative presentation01:12:25 — The Wilberforce Shock: Leaving Philadelphia for a ten-hour drive to rural Ohio01:14:41 — Homegrown in Blackness: Exploring collective cultural roots at an isolated midwest HBCU01:17:50 — The Birth of "My Soul": Forming an eight-person campus music collective and packing out student venues01:20:01 — Releasing the First Track: Asking the right questions to turn classical skills into songwriting gold01:22:34 — The 1-Hour Song Rule: Inside Jacqueline’s home studio and capturing lightning in a bottle01:25:07 — The 2014 Breakup: Transitioning out of the "Jacqueline Show" era into real adult growth01:26:30 — Freeing the Femme: Coming out as black, queer, and fluid beyond the cultural status quo01:27:46 — Targeted by Existence: Challenging white supremacy structures by simply showing up in a room01:29:12 — Not Everyone's Cup of Tea: Embracing your identity as an acquired glass of Hennessy01:30:35 — When the Instrument Fails: Battling vocal nodules and surviving eight months of silent rehabilitation01:32:00 — Back to the Fundamentals: How intensive classical training stepped in to save her musical career01:33:46 — Drama for the Plot: Separating real life breakups from dramatic writing concepts like "Bitter Girls"01:34:53 — Leo Tenderness vs. The Growl: How to deliver honesty to a lion without triggering the sun's burn01:40:52 — The Virgo Balance: Handling opinionated communication with a Mercury-ruled best friend01:41:22 — Watching "Pose" with Rita: How a random TV night with her mother transformed into full maternal acceptance01:43:45 — All Bets Are Off: Pouring newfound freedom into raw studio records celebrating women01:46:34 — Tried by Fucking Fire: Refusing to let recent dark periods derail an intentional spiritual mission01:50:01 — Philly Mugging at the Gym: Disarming an intense hometown staredown to greet a viral follower01:52:33 — The Tuesday Breakthrough: Exploding from 5,000 to 11,000 followers and hitting the 200-video mark01:54:42 — Natural Grit: How the Philly soul template birthed an unforgettable layer of lyrical friction01:55:57 — The Neo-Soul Home: Melding ostinato bass lines with foundational home-grown rhythms01:57:51 — The Theater of Kendrick Lamar: Analyzing K.Dot’s conceptual screenwriting approach to hip hop records02:00:30 — A Dream Session: Imagining a multi-hour conversation inside the studio booth with Kendrick02:01:22 — Moving Energy Without Hands: Using the studio as a safe, cathartic release for built-up life anger02:06:02 — Working with Living Legends: Sharing festival bills with King Britt and touring "Lost in Paradigm"02:09:24 — Pushing Into 2027: Teaming up with producer Chris Cargo to unleash a massive tier of tracks02:10:37 — What Do You Do Naturally? Bypassing toxic algorithms to stay true to your late-night identity02:14:45 — Keep, Cut, or Lose Forever: A brutal speed round selecting between Ella, Jill Scott, and Kendrick02:24:02 — Vindicated Spirit: Looking the yellow chair in the face and knowing the groundwork was right02:26:05 — Exclusive: Behind-the-scenes snapshot of Jacqueline's soul-crushing new record, "Slip Away"Follow the Kenlo Showhttps://www.instagram.com/thekenloshow/FollowJACQUELINE CONSTANCE here https://www.instagram.com/jacqconmusic/?hl=enFollow Ya girl Kenlo here :https://www.instagram.com/yogirlkenlo_/Support the showFollow the Kenlo Showhttps://www.instagram.com/thekenloshow/Follow Ya girl Kenlo here :https://www.instagram.com/yogirlkenlo_/