Hallmark Star Jen Lilley Has Another Career Outside Of Acting
Some Jen Lilley fans know her best for her daytime television work on "Days of Our Lives" and her appearances in Hallmark movies, but the "Mingle All the Way" star has somehow found the time to launch another career.
In addition to putting smiles on the faces of her fans, Lilley has a smaller audience at home whose happiness is of the utmost importance to her: her children Kayden, Jeffrey, Julie, and Jackie. In a 2019 interview with HOLR, Lilley spoke about how she juggles her career and motherhood. "I think that everything is about balance. You can do a lot of things on your to-do list and you can wear a lot of hats, as long as when you're wearing each one, you're focused on it," she said.
She got some practice divvying up her valuable time at the start of her acting career when she and her husband, Jason Wayne, were struggling to make ends meet. During an episode of their YouTube series "Coffee Break with Jen and Jay," she said that she worked as an extra during the day and retail in the evening. "I was working part-time at The Container Store so that I could get the 40 percent discount," she shared. Once the bigger acting roles started rolling in, she became successful enough that she could pursue another passion that had nothing to do with selling bins and baskets — unless you're shopping for containers online while listening to her croon.
Jen Lilley uses her other talent to help others
Before Jen Lilley aspired to be an actor, the Hallmark star discovered her vocal talent. "I started singing when I was 9, but I wasn't confident singing in front of people, unless it was worship," she told Aleteia. She overcame her fear when she met the perfect duet partner: her "Days of Our Lives" co-star Eric Martsolf. Their rendition of the holiday classic "Baby, It's Cold Outside" was such a big hit that Lilley decided to release a holiday album, "Tinsel Time," in 2015.
A year later, Lilley started working on a record inspired by the soulful music of the 60s. She released her single "King of Hearts" in 2018 and became a queen after our own hearts by announcing that the proceeds from its sales would go to Project Orphans, a charity that helps place orphaned Ugandan children in foster homes. As a mom who adopted two foster children herself, it's evident why Lilley wanted to champion its cause. One child, in particular, tugged at her heartstrings, and she raised enough money for his heart transplant.
When she was preparing to release her album, "Hindsight," in 2020, Lilley devised another way to give back. Per Talent in Borders, she held a contest that gave entrants a shot at appearing in one of her Hallmark movies and the music video for her song "On The Street Where You Live." Votes for the contestants could be purchased, with the proceeds going to Project Orphans.
Jen Lilley's husband is also a musician
Jen Lilley's Hallmark family supported her music career by featuring two of her songs — "Jingle Bells (Reprise)" and "Tinsel Time" — in the Christmas movie "Mingle All the Way." She also made her music a family affair by giving husband Jason Wayne an opportunity to shine. In the "King of Hearts" music video, that's him showing off his percussion skills. "He's an outstanding drummer, but he's so shy, so it meant a lot to me that he was in it," Lilley told Entertainment Tonight.
On "Coffee Break with Jen and Jay," Lilley said that her husband's drumming talent is one of the things she loves most about him, and she took to Twitter to celebrate when he got to perform live at the C3 Church NoHo in 2013. Wayne is also his wife's biggest fan when it comes to her music and he's particularly fond of the title track from "Tinsel Time," which is a holly-jolly toe-tapper. "My husband said, 'This song makes me feel like a kid again!'" Lilley told Starry Mag.
But fans of Lilley's singing shouldn't hold out hope that she'll release new music anytime soon. In a 2022 appearance on the "Loves and Lattes" podcast, she shared that she decided that life as a recording artist wasn't for her around the time she dropped her debut album. "As much as I love it, I was like, 'You know what? I feel like that industry's kind of strange,'" she said.