CELEBRATING ARTISTIC DIVERSITY CREDIT: GILES CLASEN JEN KORTE: SUPERPOWER IS HER VULNERABILITY BY GILES CLASEN KNOWING ONESELF ISN’T AN EASY FEAT. This is something Jen Korte has realized more and more as she begins her 41st tour around the sun. “My grandpa died two years ago, and I started diving into his legacy,” Korte said. “I know who he was to me, but to others, he was a community activist, a Chicano activist. [It makes me wonder] what is my legacy? What is my worth outside of music? Who am I as a person?” Korte is known around Denver for two of her music projects: Jen Korte & The Loss, a traditional band, and Lady Gang, a solo project, where she plays multiple instruments and creates loops to perform songs live. “Music is healing for me. Being on stage is the only place I feel truly empowered, and truly embodied and truly in my spirit, but financially…,” Korte said, pausing as she sought to articulate her thoughts. To pay the bills Korte takes on additional projects and side work. Some of those projects are focused on building CREDIT: GILES CLASEN communities within Denver. This includes Hip Chicks Out, a group that organizes events for the LGBTQ community, and Clear Heads: A Booze Free Hang, which is a monthly alcohol-free concert. Her other side work is cleaning Airbnb rentals. Explaining why she takes on these side jobs, Korte said, “I could pay my bills playing music, but I would have to work seven days a week, and that wouldn’t work. There needs to be a space for me to create. If all I do is hustle, what am I rehearsing for?” Korte is straightforward with her social media posts about her unique rock and roll lifestyle. She has shared her excitement, when she was featured in the Denver Museum of Arts and Sciences exhibit, Guitar: The Instrument that Rocked the World, as well as when she won a grant from the Denver Music Advancement Fund to start Clear Heads. She has also featured photos of herself carrying cleaning materials and wearing rubber gloves to clean Airbnb rentals. She has even talked about the pressures she feels as a woman letting her hair go gray. “I’ve accomplished a lot and reached some of my dreams. I played Red Rocks, then woke up the next morning to get to a cleaning job or work at Instacart.” Korte said. Korte also talks openly about her anxiety. She has been outspoken about crying and being frozen in fear, hours before live performances. She says her anxiety is rooted in feeling like she is not enough and not feeling worthy. “I am realizing being vulnerable is a superpower,” Korte said. “I didn’t realize people had such a hard time with it. I 10 DENVER VOICE July 2022
11 Publizr Home