A Christian, drummer, bassist and vocalist; JenLedger is a multi-talented English musician with a predilection for rock music. She is popularly known for her exceptional drumming skills and is the current drummer as well as the co-vocalist of the American Christian rock band named Skillet.
Skillet was formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1996 by current vocalist and bassist John Cooper and Ken Steorts, who is no longer with the band. Other current members of Skillet include John Cooper’s wife, Korey Cooper, who happens to be vocalist, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist with the band; and Seth Morrison who plays lead guitar. Skillet has enjoyed good success since its inception, releasing ten albums (some of which have been certified Gold, Platinum and Double Platinum by the RIAA) and receiving two Grammy nominations in the process. They were considered one of the best gospel rock bands of all time and were also among the top 5 hardest working bands of 2010 published by Songkick.com.
Since joining Skillet in 2008, Jen Ledger has been a valuable asset to the band and it’s safe to say she has been integral to the band’s recent success. Her exploits with Skillet led her to amass thousands of personal fans who continue to praise her for her exceptional drumming skills and beautiful voice.
Biography,
Jennifer Carole Ledger was born on the 8th day of December 1989 to Carole Wingrove and Michael G. Ledger in Coventry, Warwickshire, United Kingdom. His parents are both British, however, his father is also of German descent. She is the youngest of Carole and Michael’s four children, which includes twin boys Martin and David as well as another girl named Marie.
From 2001 to 2006, Jen attended Blue Coat Church of England School in Coventry, UK. She then moved to the United States of America at the age of 16 to study music with a major in drums at the Living Light School of Worship in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Before moving to the United States, Jen was also a finalist in the Young British Drummer of the Year competition. This earned her some sort of validation for her talent as a drummer, which prompted her to move to the United States to further improve her drumming skills.
In 2008, at age 18, Jen Ledger joined the Skilletgroupe as their drummer after beating other top drummers to the position. She did very well in the trials organized by Skillet to replace former drummer Lori Peters, who at the time had just retired. The same year, she left for her first tour with Skillet. It was the Winter Jam tour (which happens to be Christian music’s biggest annual tour). Along with Skillet, Jen toured alongside huge Christian music acts like BarlowGirl, MercyMe, NewSong and Mandisa from January 10th to March 16th.
Jen Ledger Tour with Skillet
She would continue her tour as Skillet’s drummer on the Comatose Tour for the Comatose album, where Jen showed off her vocals on the track “Yours to Hold”, this was her first vocal solo with Skillet. She also got more solo and backup vocals in the following Skillet songs, some of which include: Awake and Alive, Awake and Alive (The Quickening), Hero, Hero (iTunes Session), Hero (The Legion of Doom Remix), Monster (Unleash the Beast), Yours to Hold (Live), Fire and Fury, Salvation, Sick of it (Live), Not Gonna Die, What I Believe, Everything Goes Black, I want to Live, and Watching For Comets to name a few.
5 Lesser Known Facts About Jen
Every Jen Ledger fan should know most of what we discussed above. However, here are some lesser-known facts about the English drummer:
- Before joining Skillet in 2008, Jen Ledger was part of a Kenosha, Wisconsin worship group called The Spark. She was also not the band’s drummer as they already had a drummer; she had to settle for the position of the band’s bass player.
- Jen was introduced to Skillet by a friend named Rosalie; who also happens to be Korey Cooper’s sister.
- Her initial response when Rosalie informed her of Skillet’s interest in her was “no”. However, after praying about it, she decided it was the right decision for her. The rest as we know it is history.
- Jen has toured with other rock bands and has also been a vocalist in some of their hit songs, for example Born Again with Third Day, Jesus Freak with TobyMac and Oceans with NewSong.
- After 10 solid years with Skillet, Jen Ledger has finally signed a deal with Atlantic Records to release her debut EP titled REGISTER on April 13th , 2018. Ledger thinks now is a good time to do something about herself after being under the tutelage and mentorship of John and Korey Cooper for a decade. She credited her songwriting skills and musical style which will be showcased on the EP to John and Korey. She insists they gave her the courage to take this bold step in her career.
LEDGER EP
The songs on the REGISTER EP are produced by famed Nashville producer Seth Moseley as well as Korey Cooper. Korey is also credited with some of the lyrics for the songs on the EP, but the bulk of the songs were written by Jen. Atlantic Records President Pete Ganbarg praised Jen for her unique voice and says the deal is a big win for Atlantic Records as they patiently waited over a decade for Jen Ledger to decide to release her own. work.
Jen’s deal with Atlantic Records, however, did not prevent her from touring with Skillet. She was quoted saying that she is still part of Team Skillet and coming on the 12th of April 2018, she (along with her own group of instrumentalists/musicians) will be the opening act for Skillet’s UNLEASHED tour and she will take on also his role as Skillet’s drummer during their performances.
Jen Ledger is indeed a phenomenal musician with an undeniable talent. Her years of experience coupled with her strong fanbase as well as the support she has from Skillet and Atlantic Records, allow us to confidently predict a successful solo career ahead of her.
