The Funeral Portrait’s Lee Jennings on Working With Ivan Moody

“We didn’t have a No. 1, we didn’t have anything like that, we were still this small, little band…and he was just so nice and friendly.”

Lee Jennings of The Funeral Portrait joined Loudwire Nights on Tuesday (April 15) and dove into his friendship with Five Finger Death Punch’s Ivan Moody — and how that friendship led to their collaboration on “Holy Water.”

Listen to the full conversation in the player near the end of this article.

“Our label wanted us to do the song before [we toured with Five Finger Death Punch and Marilyn Manson last year],” Jennings told Chuck Armstrong.

“Ivan, he’s never really done a feature before, I think the only other feature he did was with Cory Marks. He was like, ‘I’ll do it if I have time,’ and he didn’t have time because he had just gone from Europe right to the U.S. tour.”

Jennings figured the feature for “Holy Water” wouldn’t happen because of schedule conflicts, but after their tour with Five Finger wrapped up, Moody reached out to the frontman.

“He was like, ‘Do you still want me on that song? After hearing it every single night on tour, I feel like we would crush,'” Jennings recalled.

“I literally got a voicemail from him and it was like, ‘Hey man, I heard the song on the radio on my drive. Do you want me to track vocals for it?'”

Jennings jumped at the opportunity.

“It’s another weird, life-changing moment and it’s cool to just, like, exist.”

Lee Jennings Gets to a Place of Finally Feeling Like He Belongs

For Jennings, the partnership with Moody was much more than a simple request from his label. It grew out of a growing friendship with the Five Finger singer.

“I remember sitting backstage and the weather was so nice,” Jennings shared about one of their tour stops together in California.

“Ivan comes over and he sits and he just wanted to talk. He talked and he talked and he talked and that was a big moment for us, just connecting extremely well. It was about halfway through the tour and he just wanted to give me advice. He was like, ‘Listen, you know, if you ever need anything, just reach out to me. I want to help you guys.'”

Jennings admitted it felt surreal to him because Moody and his band were selling out arenas and headlining festivals.

READ MORE: Architects’ Sam Carter Opens Up About New Album, Touring America

“That same night, Chino from the Deftones was there and so it was this big moment…it was Ivan, Manson, Chino, Alex Terrible and myself. I’m the one person that does not belong here.”

He said it was hard for him to come to terms with actually being part of a group like that, but he’s reached a point where he can give himself some credit.

“Maybe I do belong. Maybe the 10 years of grinding in a van has kind of paid off, you know?”

What Else Did The Funeral Portrait’s Lee Jennings Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• Why he’s become more and more comfortable being transparent on social media: “It’s almost therapeutic. For me, I’m able to be me. I don’t have to pretend … I’m not cool. I’m me and the coolest part about that is I get to live a true life. I can be real and I can be myself where I don’t have to play pretend.”
• What he hopes his fans experience at his live shows: “Once they enter the doors, I hope they leave everything behind. As soon as the lights come on and they have to leave, of course those feelings are going to come back, but I hope more than anything, the few hours they’re at the show, they’re enjoying themselves. I hope that it brings them some sort of peace and they can escape whatever it is that’s bothering them.”
• What’s on the horizon for The Funeral Portrait: “The next record, I really want to take our time, so that’s why we’re starting on it now … I want to go bigger and I think the biggest thing I really want to accomplish either this year or next year is doing a real headlining tour and really put our money where our mouth is.”

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Lee Jennings joined Loudwire Nights on Tuesday, April 15; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.