Great Neck resident Jenna Pasqua didn’t enter the karaoke competition at the Village of Great Neck Plaza’s Bond Street Promenade Night last month to win a prize.
Pasqua, a singer and composer who had a rock musical she wrote produced on stages in New York and London, performed in the competition for another reason altogether.
“I don’t do these competitions for the money,” said Pasqua, who is in her late 20s. “I have loved music since I was born. I just sing.”
After earning $250 for winning last month’s Great Neck Plaza Promenade Night competition with a rendition of “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele, Pasqua will be performing in a final karaoke contest on Sept. 9 at the Great Neck AutoFest and Street Festival.
Pasqua also can be seen singing every Saturday night at Great Neck Plaza restaurant Sip City, located at 16 Middle Neck Road.
For Pasqua music and theater have always been a major part of her entire life.
Pasqua said she started singing when she was two years old, began competing in competitions at four and graduated to writing songs by the age of six.
“I knew that this was something I wanted to do when I as four,” Pasqua said. “This is what I love.”
Pasqua has performed all over the world. She wrote and produced the rock musical, “Tess,” with her sister Annie.
Her sister started working on the musical, “Tess,” 10 years ago. Pasqua came onto the project in 2007 and together the two sisters turned it into a rock opera that has been produced on stage in London and New York.
They sent the musical to a few festivals and it took off in 2009, Pasqua said.
Pasqua said she and her sister worked equally together on the project.
“When two people work on music together usually one person composes music and the other does lyrics. It’s not like that with us,” Pasqua said. “Sometimes we work together and sometimes we both go work in our separate spaces but we both write music and lyrics equally.”
With her passion for music, Pasqua said she knew she wanted to study it at school.
In 2002, Pasqua went to Juilliard for voice and she graduated from Montclair State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting.
Today, Pasqua is working hard to put together a pop music album of her original songs that she said he shopes to release next year. She already has songs on YouTube and has a good number of followers, she said. Her biggest influences in writing are Debbie Gibson and Karen Carpenter.
When it comes to writing her original songs, Pasqua is always writing and working on her arrangements.
“I don’t think there’s a day that goes by where I don’t turn on my recorder on my cell phone and create a five-second snippet of what I think my next song is going to be,” Pasqua said. “I’m always working on my songs. I’m a perfectionist in this area, which can be frustrating.”
When she isn’t working performing or creating music with her sister, Pasqua works as a crisis counselor at the Long Island Crisis Center. She said she is working her way into the mental health field and is interested in looking at all aspects, including music therapy.
Pasqua credits her successes in the music industry to her family.
“I have family and fans to thank for everything,” Pasqua said. “My family is unconditionally with me with every turn. I get my work ethics from my dad, my music ear from my mom, voice from my grandpa, and my sister is there for me every step of the way.
