Jess Novak Announces New EP and Music Video Multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, Jess Novak, has announced the release of her next EP, WOMAN. The disc will feature two original songs and an unexpected cover due out this December.
Novak teamed up again with producer/engineer, Justin Spaulding, who was also behind the sound of Novak’s last EP, Sonrise, released with her husband Ben Wayne in 2023.
“I think there’s a time and place for all types of recording,” Novak says. “I’ve released live songs, studio songs with my band, solo, as a duo in Nashville, and they’ve all been great experiences. But I like to keep trying new things. I loved experimenting with Justin and allowing him the space to take simple songs and make them modern.”
The album, Novak’s 13th since 2013, is also a call to action for women, as evidenced by the title track. The song, which will also celebrate the release of a music video in December, declares, “to the women who survive / stand tall and choose to fight / don’t ever lose your fire.”
“I wrote the song a day before my last F.I.R.E. (females inspire, rock, empower) Festival in March,” Novak says. “Going into my festival performance, I felt like I needed to capture the spirit of the event in a song, specifically combining the words ‘fire’ and ‘woman.’ I did in this song, but didn’t expect the timing to be so meaningful. I want to give faith and inspiration to women who are standing up for themselves and others all the time.”
Novak will put on her next F.I.R.E. Festival on Sunday, March 9 at ONCO Fermentations in Tully, NY with more details and lineup announcements in January. The festival presents women in art, music and business and occurs annually, though additional F.I.R.E. events are already being planned throughout 2025.
“I love this EP because it was effortless and powerful,” Novak says. “Justin is so easy to work with and a genius at taking simple song skeletons and making them fully alive in a way I couldn’t have imagined. And I feel best when I’m delivering a message much bigger than myself. I hope the song ‘WOMAN’ does that.”