‘Flowers Grow’

It makes weak strong

It takes the sad right outta a sad song

Love

There’s no distance it can’t go

If there’s one thing in this world I know

Love

It makes the flowers grow”

“This song is about remembering what is actually important in life. Even when something bad happens, the ones who love you will always be there,” said The Jensen Sisters. Kendra and Kansas Jensen are Goodridge High Schoolers who are leaving quite an imprint on the world around them. “Flowers Grow” is just one of many original songs the sisters have recently written and composed. With intentions of writing the song about their family, who is extra supportive in everything they do, they say family really makes a lot of stuff possible for them.

The daughters of Erik and Kelsey Jensen live in rural Goodridge; Kendra is going to be a junior at Goodridge High School, while Kansas will be in eighth grade. Going public with their musical duo just two years ago, the sisters have been booking gigs steadily ever since. Two years ago, the young ladies signed up to perform at the Goodridge School Talent Showcase, saying how nervous they were to do so. “Our mom had to practically push us onto that stage! She told us we had to follow through with it since we signed up, but if we hated it, we never had to do it again,” Kendra laughed. 

The opposite happened. The crowd loved the girls and they were bitten by the music bug.

Fast forward to the school’s talent show a year later, the sisters took to the stage once again, performing “Good Hearted Woman” by Waylon Jennings. “This is where it all kind of happened for us,” they say. “People started asking us to sing everywhere!” 

Those performances have included a variety of talent shows, church services, weddings, funerals, coffee shop gigs, graduation ceremonies and area bars. Since then, they were also given the opportunity to open for artist Blind Joe when he came to perform in Goodridge!

While Kansas has always enjoyed singing, Kendra says she was always too shy and scared to use her voice. While she’s definitely using that voice these days, Kendra is self-taught on the piano and guitar and says she leads the duo more instrumentally, while Kansas offers strong vocals, though they do split who takes the lead on certain songs. 

Having a love for classic country music, you can also hear The Jensen Sisters perform some classic rock hits, along with some originals. The two idolize Dolly Parton and draw inspiration from her, along with Waylon Jennings and Chris Stapleton. “We obviously love country music, but we appreciate all genres. We listen to everything and like to surprise people with the songs we sing, throwing in a little bit of everything,” Kendra remarks. 

The two sisters actually fulfilled an item on their bucket list recently; they attended the Dolly Parton concert at the Grand Casino Amphitheater in Hinckley, MN, on July 20th. They said it was breathtaking to see Dolly perform live. “She is just so humble and down to earth; that’s one of the things we really admire about her,” they offered.

Kendra and Kansas might not realize it quite yet, but like their idol, they’re pretty humble and down to earth, too. For such young ladies, they have very mature opinions about the world around them; it’s evident in one of their original songs, titled, “It Is What It Is.” 

With lyrics that speak volumes, they sing, “The grass isn’t always greener on the other side – the cards you’ve been playing aren’t better than mine – so let’s stop keeping score and enjoy the ride – we’re both only here for a matter of time.” 

The song is about being yourself and not comparing everything you do to someone else. Kendra adds, “People these days get way too caught up with being perfect or the very best – just being YOURSELF is an option….” 

As of today, the musical duo have ten original and completed songs under their belt, with many still in the works, waiting for inspiration. The girls’ dad, Erik, is a songwriter; this is a hobby that has come to him just in the last five years. Erik works away from home, driving truck in Williston, ND, and writes song lyrics in his spare time. Kendra says it’s pretty special when their dad calls home and says, “Hey, I have a new song I want to share with you girls.”

Kendra and Kansas’ first crack at song writing was to put music to some lyrics their dad wrote. Undertaking this task was not easy, but it would prove to be successful. For Father’s Day last year, the sisters went to a studio and recorded that song their dad wrote. While visiting him out in Williston, their mom casually put the CD into the player. “It was the first time he ever heard his song 100% completed,” Kendra smiled. The name of that song was called “Are you over me?”

Let’s hope the public can hear that song, which holds a special spot in the Jensen’s hearts. The sisters are scheduled to perform at the Grygla Fall Festival later this month. They’ll take the stage on Main Avenue on Saturday, August 27th, from 3:30-6pm. With plans to sing a bigger, louder set list for Fall Fest, the duo hopes to debut some new original music, as well as some classic country favorites! “We’re going to do our best to have something for everyone,” Kendra promises.

Writing and performing together, Kendra and Kansas say it’s something that has brought them closer together as sisters. While teenagers and sisters have the occasional fight, these two say they’ve never argued while writing a song. “We are so on the same page when it comes to this,” they agree. “We might not hit every note perfectly, every time, but we just love playing music and performing….I don’t know…we just get up there and we do our thing,” Kendra says humbly.

And the two are doing just that - getting up there, doing their thing…and doing it GREAT.

You can stay up to date with Kendra and Kansas by liking their Facebook page, “The Jensen Sisters,” which they keep current with videos and photos of their performances. Make sure to check them out on the stage at the Grygla Fall Festival.

“Flowers Grow”

An original by Kendra and Kansas Jensen

At the end of the day when I lay down my head

I thank the good lord for the gifts he gives

Food on the table

A clean bill of health

But there’s one thing I could never do without

(Chorus)

Love, it makes weak strong

It takes the sad right outta a sad song

Love, there’s no distance it can’t go

If there’s one thing in this world I know

Love, it makes the flowers grow

I’ve lost many battles

I’ve hung my head low

At times I’ve had nothing to show

But I find a way to make happiness stay

It’s the people in your life that matter most

(Chorus)