Teni Rane is a folk-country singer-songwriter with a vintage vocal edge and a knack for capturing common scenes of everyday life in a way that is at once specific and widely relatable. Comfortable in everything from overalls to full-body sequins, Rane isn’t afraid to explore musical territory and synthesizes vocal and sonic influences into her own brand of country-infused, Americana-folk-pop with a jazzy vocal lean that feels simultaneously familiar and brand new.
2023 brings a new slate of releases for the East Tennessee singer-songwriter collectively known to her as “The Goldenrod Singles”. Working again with past collaborator Roger Gustafsson (bass, steel guitar) and adding renowned cellist Dave Eggar and talented guitarist Phil Faconti to the team (both with a long list of impressive credits to their names as well as the coveted status of GRAMMY nominee), “The Goldenrod Singles” came to life in Bristol, TN at Classic Recording Studio with GRAMMY nominated Mike Stephenson engineering and co-producing alongside Rane. These songs are tied together thematically and belong to an album set to release in 2024. The title track - “Goldenrod” - kicked off a series of releases spanning August through October 2023.
Rane grew up in and around a community of Chattanooga musicians who helped nurture in her an early love for music. Her vocals carry power and finesse rolled together with perfect balance to evoke the emotional feel of her lyrics, and her Americana-take on a variety of select covers is delightfully unexpected. Through each stage of her writing life, her original songs have revealed an ability to weave common experiences into songs that captivate people in every age range. As a child she was often found belting out lyrics in the back seat of a minivan on the way to just about anywhere. Singing was the gateway to a creative life. That six CD changer exposed her to the writing of Nanci Griffith, Carol King, Beth Woods, John Prine, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, and many other greats. The resulting flavor of her original work is an eclectic mix influenced by the earliest writing she encountered, as well as by contemporary pop music. Her listeners can also hear a wide range of influences in her vocal performance from the power of Lady Gaga and Stevie Nicks to the finesse of Norah Jones and vintage country edge of Patsy Cline.
Her recording journey began in 2020 with the release of her first EP, “Heart in Tennessee”, which was heralded by Americana Highways as “the mesmerizing sound of an burgeoning and singular talent who is prodigiously steeped in the ability to express herself in a fresh and original manner.” In the summer of 2022 she took up a musical residency at Kneippbyn Resort Visby on the beautiful Swedish island Gotland in the Baltic Sea. During that time she connected with many talented musicians on the island and created the space to work with Sandkvie Studios to record 4 singles that were released over the course of fall 2022. The first of the quartet, titled “Meet Me in Stockholm” is a lightly bilingual invitation from a homesick Rane to her best friend to come help fill the lonely hours. The additional tracks focus on the winter and holiday season with inviting titles “Cozy Inside”, “Rosemary & Evergreen”, and “Tennessee Snow”. The collection of songs allowed for continued exploration and shared the “exquisite nature of her songs, their understated and honesty, their deftness and delicacy, their combination of musical elegance and lyrical eloquence.” (The Big Takeover). These songs all have planned homes on future projects and currently stand alone as singles in Rane’s digital catalog.
Teni thrives in listening room and house concert settings where she feels the most connected to the audience through the conversation and story lines of her music. She also loves playing in parks, botanical gardens, and really any outdoor venue. When playing live, she is often accompanied by her partner and spouse, Jonathan Shumaker, on the bass.
