Jenesa Dawn and Alexander David are a married pop duo out of Spruce Grove who together form the band Jenesia.
They have accomplished a lot as a family since their first performance together in 2014. Last October, they shot an energetic one-shot music video for their song “Liar” while Dawn was pregnant, which was released the week their son was born.
The duo supports each other in their musical and personal life. They keep an open line of communication and implement author Gary Chapman’s “The 5 Love Languages” into their lives to recognize how others give and receive love.
“Words [of affirmation] is my top [love language] and physical touch is my second, and same with him. […] I would suggest to people to figure that out even if the relationship isn’t romantic. Even if you don’t want to, try to go out of your comfort zone to reach them in that way,” said Dawn.
Jenesia’s love and support for each other shines bright through their emotional lyrics and their live performances, most notably their 2019 performance at Festival Place in Sherwood Park.
Jenesia’s performance at Festival Place in 2019. | Photo via Sherwood Park News
“We did an unreleased song, it was a piano ballad we wrote together, a duet, and just for the one song we had this mini white grand piano out and Alexander played it,” said Dawn.
“The lighting was just perfect and the people in the room were giving an energy like, ‘we love that you guys love each other!’ and that was kind of a hard time for us, we were both struggling with our mental health and just in that moment, all that stuff didn’t matter,” Dawn said.
Jenesia uses their platform to extend their musical vulnerability into activism. A portion of the ticket sales for their show went to Little Warriors, an organization in the Edmonton area that helps children who have experienced childhood sexual abuse, something David has experienced personally.
“I want to use my personal story to let kids know that if you have gone through this, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you can live a normal life just like anybody else, despite what happened,” said David.
Jenesia has been focusing on developing a keynote concert series focused on David’s story that they want to share in schools. The series aims to help students who have experienced childhood trauma share their own stories and get support.
“They’re the future,” said David.
Follow Jenesia on Instagram @jenesiamusic or catch them on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.
