Jenna McDougall

Jenna McDougall was born in Sydney, Australia and has two sisters. Growing up, she put on small shows with her family. She was a regular traveller to the UK to visit friends. She played instruments during high school, and performed in her school choir and musicals, which sparked her interest in music. She attended an all-girls school.[1]

McDougall was playing small acoustic shows in Sydney before she joined Tonight Alive.[2]

In an interview, McDougall said she had problems with eczema: "Between July 2011 and March 2012 I had health issues that were escalating beyond my control. My body was overloaded with toxins and my eczema had reached a point of paralysis. Willing to try anything, I saw doctor after doctor and tried countless forms of treatment but gained no relief and found no answers. It was by far the most challenging time of my life and throughout that period of time Tonight Alive did 9 tours."[3]

McDougall has stated that some of her and Tonight Alive's influences are pop-punk bands that have played Warped Tour such as Paramore, Blink-182, Yellowcard, Fall Out Boy and Pierce The Veil. She has also said that she enjoys the music of Led Zeppelin, Alanis Morissette, Missy Higgins, Avril Lavigne, Hole, Letters To Cleo, Bob Marley, Damien Rice, Bon Iver, Jimi Hendrix, Rage Against the Machine, Rufio, The Script, Jimmy Eat World, Thrice, and the Starting Line.[4]

When McDougall joined Tonight Alive it consisted of: Jake Hardy (guitar), Whakaio Taahi (guitar) and Cam Adler (bass), who were still in need of a committed vocalist and drummer. While McDougall was playing her own acoustic shows, she asked Adler to help her record some of her demos. She in return recorded her vocals over a demo that Adler gave her of Tonight Alive, after he asked and told her they did not have a singer. McDougall became Tonight Alive's lead vocalist. They had their first practice on 31 May 2008, the day before her sixteenth birthday. That August they played their first show at Hypefest. As the youngest member of the band, McDougall was still in school when they began recording All Shapes And Disguises.[2]