For Jensen McRae, songwriting is alchemy and her latest album is gold

Find someone who looks at you the way Jensen McRae looks at songwriting. The musician has a stunning new record out that showcases a lyrical skill that balances passion with precision.

Born and raised in Southern California, McRae found her calling in writing, be it essays, journaling and, of course, lyrics. Influenced by classic songwriters like Carole King, Stevie Wonder and James Taylor, she also got a bachelor’s degree in popular music from the University of Southern California.

In this session, McRae talks about making I Don’t Know How But They Found Me!, her approach as a lyricist, recording the album in North Carolina with producer Brad Cook, and why songwriting involves more math than you may think.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.