Jess Merritt no longer silences her inner voice.

The Ann Arbor singer-songwriter follows her instincts and unleashes her authentic self on Wild in Me.

“It’s been a big journey,” said Merritt, aka Jess Oberholtzer, about her new folk-rock-soul EP.

“Over the past five years or so … I went through a divorce, the pandemic, and coming out. It’s been a real transformative time. I look back, and I’m so grateful that I took those steps because I feel so much closer to my true self now. Even though things are a little bit scary as far as what the future holds, I just feel solid in myself.”

Merritt embraces that bold mindset through an honest and inspirational collection of songs about self-discovery, growth, and freedom. The four tracks on Wild in Me come to life through soulful vocals, cathartic lyrics, and soaring instrumentation.

“I tend to write about things that are closely held and deeply felt,” said Merritt, who previously performed as Jess McCumons.

“I feel happier after I feel something intensely, even if it’s challenging. To me, revisiting and sitting in those feelings, even if they’re not sunshiny all the time, actually does feel very healing, cleansing, and empowering.”

She especially brings a strong sense of empowerment to the title track, which features stirring electric guitar and hopeful keys. In the chorus, Merritt sings, “To find out where I wanna go / Learn what I already know / To free the wild in me.”

“That line, ‘Learn what I already know,’ feels like a message that I keep relearning for myself,” she said. “But there [have been] too many times when I’ve looked back and thought ‘I knew better and I didn’t listen—I didn’t trust myself.’ I’m trying to take that into account more.”

The title track also takes inspiration from a Mallard duckling, which Merritt and her two daughters briefly cared for after it was separated from its flock.

“We didn’t keep it,” she said. “I live right by the Huron River, so I would go down and get pond water and green things. It was doing fine for the week that [we] had it.”

They named the duckling “Miracle,” but later took it to a rescue facility. Caring for the duckling led Merritt to think about the importance of having an inner wildness and following that spiritual guidance.

“And as a parent, especially as a parent of daughters, I hope that I can raise them in such a way that they never lose that connection,” Merritt said. “That they always have that voice inside them in some way.”

Merritt’s daughters, Grace McCumons and Willa McCumons, lent their voices to the title track as well.

“They had fun,” Merritt said. “They did that at Big Sky [Recording] and had the whole studio experience. They both have beautiful voices.”

Meanwhile, Merritt continues following her inner voice on “Stones Alone,” the EP’s introspective opener about leaving the past behind and starting a new chapter.

Backed by fearless electric guitar, she sings, “Pieces pushed down at withering cost / How many seasons / Of love have been lost? / Terrified to look on now that I / Cut back the dead wood / To see what survives.”

“I took a bonsai class, and there’s a line in there about cutting back the dead wood,” Merritt said. “That came right from that class. It’s saying, ‘Let me just clear the clutter and debris and see what’s still there.’ I need more nourishment, I need more than this to grow.”

Merritt strives for future growth and change on “Even Though,” an anthemic track filled with contemplative electric guitar and pounding drums.

She examines the risks of putting her needs first while singing, “I’m causing all this trouble / Why ruin what I had? / I’m breaking up my promise / So selfish and so bad / Afraid to face the pain / Ashamed I can’t explain / I have to, I have to, I have to.”

“There’s a theme in there of ‘I have to, I have to do this—I don’t know why? It’s scary, but I have to anyway. I’m gonna go, even though all the reasons,’” Merritt said. “It’s about listening to my heart instead of just my head.

“In the production with Chris DuPont, we wanted to bring in a heartbeat behind it to remind ourselves to listen to that—that’s important, too.”

After listening to her heart on “Even Though,” Merritt finds peace and clarity on the soothing closer, “Lakeside.”

Surrounded by serene keys and breezy electric guitar, she sings, “Finding my peace here / My heart and mind’s clear / I’ve got everything I need / Some say I’m crazy / I’m not scared to daydream / Though nothing’s guaranteed.”

“My parents bought a place on Lake Michigan a couple of years ago, and it’s been this new and amazing thing that we have in our lives,” said Merritt, who hails from Chelsea and has four younger sisters. “We were up there on vacation … my whole family … and we just love sitting and looking at the lake and noticing every moment it’s different.”

One of those family trips prompted Merritt to co-write “Lakeside” with her sister, Michele Oberholtzer.

“I was sitting on the porch strumming guitar and then my sister Michele came out [to sit with me],” she said. “Michele is an incredible writer, and so many of the other songs came [from] conversations I’ve had with her. We just sat and wrote it right on the spot. I feel excited and hopeful that we’ll do more together.”

The track also pays homage to Merritt’s partner, Julia.

“I was in a new relationship with Julia at the time, and it was really early, and I was missing her, but we weren’t at the point in our relationship where she would come on vacation,” she said.

Merritt started writing the other tracks for Wild in Me during the pandemic. She penned the title track on a keyboard gifted from The War and Treaty’s Michael Trotter Jr., who gave her the Korg Grandstage one night after a recent show in Detroit.

“This keyboard has opened a lot of expression for me,” said Merritt, who’s shared the stage with The War and Treaty in the past. “I never would have written the song ‘Wild in Me’ without the sounds and the feel of the keyboard that I received from Michael.”

By February 2024, she went to Ann Arbor’s Big Sky Recording to work with producer Chris DuPont (harmony vocals, electric guitar) and engineer Josef Deas (keys). They recorded the EP’s four tracks with TJ Zindle (electric guitar, harmony vocals), Jonathan Brown (drums, percussion), Tommy Reifel (electric bass), and Jenny Jones (harmony vocals).

“They’re all incredible musicians, but I have been blessed to work with people who I can share that vulnerable heart space with and feel comfortable,” Merritt said. “They really help it develop and make me feel like we can turn it into something cool together.”

That same group performs as a new edition of The Understorey and will join Merritt for her EP release show on May 18 at The Ark.

“Chris [DuPont] will open the show with a shorter set, and I’m excited about that. I love his original material,” she said. “I’ll do a longer set—just one—and I’ll do the whole EP, some other originals that are more recent, and a couple of covers that are newer.”

After the EP release show, Merritt will perform June 15 at Ann Arbor Summer Festival and continue writing new songs. She’s also starting a new design, building, and home improvement business.

“Getting these songs recorded and out feels freeing and opens up some space for me to write more. I want to get into a more disciplined writing practice instead of waiting for things to keep knocking,” said Merritt, who has an engineering background.

“I love creative pursuits and design and making things, and I also love [the] hands-on [aspect of] figuring things out and analytical stuff. I have been doing a lot of projects lately for different people, remodeling things and making things.”

Lori Stratton is a library technician, writer for Pulp, and writer and editor of strattonsetlist.com.

Jess Merritt performs May 18 with Chris DuPont at The Ark, 316 South Main Street, Ann Arbor. For tickets, visit The Ark’s website.