Seraphina Lotkhamnga on February 25th, 2011

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Despite growing up in New York and graduating from the prestigious Purchase Conservatory of Music for Recording and Composition, Jenny O packed her gear up and planted herself in sunny Los Angeles three years ago before completing her solo debut “Home.” Leaving one conglomerate music scene for another has its pros and cons – but the warmth of California has only nurtured the 28-year-old singer-songwriter, as she found her voice as well as a welcome collaborative community.

“In New York, I was just sort of floating in my own little space, and when I was introduced to L.A. I saw something I felt more akin to,” she says. “I didn’t completely identify with the modern sound there. I feel like I was probably relevant in some way, but I do like what I’ve grown to be comfortable with here ”“ which is a common appreciation for timelessness.”

• ||| Stream: “Won’t Let You Leave”:

Upon her arrival in L.A., Jenny O sat in with myriad local artists as a bass player a backing vocalist – a synergistic approach that’s continued with her current residency at the Bootleg Theater, which she describes as  “family style.”

To assume that her EP “Home” reflects her new-sound comfort zone in L.A., though, isn’t quite accurate. It’s actually a nod to a record titled “Love and Sleep,” which previously included the track. She explains with slight laughter that she recorded it during a pleasant time after graduation but never released it. “I was making a record and I was in love, but I also kind of slept for two years,” she says.

Hers was only a hibernation in one sense. Jenny O was writing music, but she didn’t start playing shows until she moved west. Now her songs – which display a warm intimacy built around her crystalline folkie’s voice – are flushed out by a backing band that includes Mike Green (the Belle Brigade), Jake Blanton (the Sweet Hurt) and Benji Lysaght (Ambulance LTD). She acknowledges she’s only beginning to discover her capacity as an artist.

“I’ve always been able to create anywhere, but I feel more free here,” she says. “I’ve been able to create in a more clear-headed manner and feel more comfortable at accepting the things that came naturally out of me. I just happened to be here when I got to that place.”

“Home” will be physically released via Manimal Vinyl in March, and Jenny O plans to head into the studio for a full-length after her Europe tour later this spring.

||| Live: Jenny O. will perform with a string quartet to cap off her residency on Monday at Bootleg Theater with J. Tillman and Jonathan Wilson.

||| Download: “Won’t Let You Leave (Spirit Animal Remix)” and  “Well, OK Honey,” along with its remix by Short Stories.

Photo by Jeff Koga

||| Watch: After the jump, check out her self-directed video for “Well, OK Honey:”