Jeni Magaña


Jeni Magaña is a Mexican-American multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer-songwriter, experimental musician, and photographer based in Los Angeles, USA. She releases solo music as Magana, and is one-half of the pen pin duo with Emily Moore. Magaña also currently performs and records with Mitski, and has previously worked with Lady Lamb and Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards.

Early life

Jeni Magaña was born in Bakersfield, California. She relocated to Boston, Massachusetts to study music at Berklee College.

Career

Multi-Instrumentalist and Producer (2007–present)

As a multi-instrumentalist, Magaña has recorded and toured with a range of artists. While earning her degree at Berklee, she contributed double bass to The Meanest of Times, a 2007 studio album by Dropkick Murphys, and formed The Polaroid Truth folk duo with Jeff Fettig.
She has written, recorded, and toured with artists including Laura Cortese and The Dance Cards, Annie and The Beekeepers, Pigeon Club, Ella Vos, and Lady Lamb. She has also worked as a producer.
Magaña joined Mitski's touring lineup in 2018. Whilst touring with Mitski, Magaña has also worked as a photographer, shooting for the 2022 L'Officiel campaign, and the behind-the-scenes video for the ‘’Stay Soft’’ music video. Magaña began recording with Mitski in 2024, contributing double bass to Mitski's “Buffalo Replaced / Coyote, My Little Brother“ for the Spotify Singles series, appearing in the Mitski: This Land concert film, and the performing on the accompanying soundtrack, This Land: The Live Album. She also contributed bass and backing vocals to Mitski's "Where's My Phone?" single in January 2026.
In 2025, Magaña toured as bassist, clarinetist and backing vocalist for Tim Minchin, and as well as guitarist and keyboardist for Good Neighbours.

Solo works as Magana (2016–present)

After relocating to Brooklyn, New York, Magaña released an album with Oh Odessa, and scored the 2015 short film Beyond the Shadows, before she began working on solo material under the name Magana.
She signed to the Audio Antihero label in 2016, and eleased her debut solo single ‘’Get It Right’’ on September 26. The Golden Tongue EP followed on October 28.
On January 20, 2017, Magana issued the ‘’Pages’’ single.
In July 2017, after relocating to Los Angeles, California, Magaña collaborated with director Lauren Finerman on a music video for ‘’Inches Apart,’’ a song from the Golden Tongue EP. "Inches Apart" was re-released as a single with remixes by Frog and Benjamin Shaw.
Magana continued to issue singles, appear on compilations, and play on bills with Pom Pom Squad and Deep Sea Diver, before self-releasing Breathing and You Are Not a Morning Person in 2020. The latter of the two was re-issued by the Beanie Tapes label the following year.
Magana returned on March 25, 2024 with the Teeth album, which was co-released through Audio Antihero and her own Colored Pencils imprint. In October of that year, she performed at O+ Festival.
On October 4, 2024, Magana issued DREAMS, a multimedia ambient music dream diary and photography book, via Hand Drawn Hand.
On January 24, 2025, Magana released the Bad News EP through Audio Antihero.

pen pin (2022–present)

In 2022, Magaña formed the pen pin duo with Emily Moore. pen pin released their debut single ‘’Spooky Love’’ on October 26, 2022, with ‘’Office Party’’ following on December 14.
They returned in 2023 with two more singles, ‘’The Fringe’’ on August 23, and ‘’The Boredom’’ on September 29.

Discography

Albums and EPs

  • Golden Tongue EP
  • Breathing
  • You Are Not a Morning Person
  • To Sleep To Dream EP
  • Teeth
  • DREAMS
  • Bad News EP

Compilations

  • ''Golden Tongue + Bad News''

Singles

  • "Get It Right"
  • "Pages"
  • "Oceans"
  • "Inches Apart"
  • "No More Friends"
  • "Jenny Don't Leave"
  • "Girl in Chains"
  • "Afraid of Everybody"
  • "Beside You"
  • "Paul"
  • "Break Free"

Compilation appearances

  • Audio Antihero Presents: "Unpresidented Jams" for SPLC & NILC - - contributes "Be the Same"
  • The Desperation Club - A Cloud Tribute Compilation - - contributes "Tastes Bad"
  • The Creamery Mixtape 2.0 - contributes "Trouble And I"
  • Elder Statesman: Nine Long Years of Audio Antihero Records - contributes "Inches Apart"
  • From the River to the Sea: The Horrible Truth About Palestine - a Fundraiser for the United Palestinian Appeal - contributes "Say My Name"
  • Vinyl Moon Vol.116: Upper Stories – contributes "Half to Death"

Collaborations

  • "Coney Island Kids" - with Van Bellman

Other credits

  • Dropkick Murphys – The Meanest of Times - Double bass
  • Sydney Wayser – Silent Parade - Bass
  • MILES – As Fast As You Can - Photography
  • Rugged N Raw – Anomaly Book 1 - Bass
  • Silvina Moreno – Mañana - Bass
  • Annie and the Beekeepers – My Bonneville - Double bass and backing vocals
  • Gina's Picture Show – Gina's Picture Show – Double bass and electric bass
  • Baum – «2013» - Backing vocals
  • JJ Byars – Waterlogged - Clarinet
  • Caitlin Mahoney – Story Still Left to Be Told - Bass and photography
  • Blaze McKenzie – Born a Shadow - Double bass
  • Matt Suchich – The Creamery Mixtape 2.0 - Bass
  • Burn the Ships – Truth - Bass
  • Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards – Bitter Better - Composition, guitar, bass, and backing vocals
  • Rabib Rafiq – "Cold River" Singel - Clarinet
  • Jonah the Unaccompanied - "Spinning Katarinas" Single - Bass
  • Sparkbird – "Minor Holiday" Single - Double bass
  • Guy Welles – Incognito - Double bass
  • Sparkbird – "Rainbow Connection" Single - Bass
  • UHL – "Miss United States" - Bass
  • Whitney Lockert – "Long Way to California" Single - Photography
  • Kate Hannington – "Nothing to Fear" Single - Additional production, bass and synth
  • Whitney Lockert – Long Way to California - Photography
  • Mitski – "Stay Soft" - Music Video – Behind-the-scenes footage
  • Kate Hannington – "Palm Reader" Single - Additional production, bass and synth
  • Annie Oaksong – "Glacial Blue" Single - Bass
  • Kate Hannington – Chiromancy - Additional production, bass and synth
  • Emily James – "Bird of Prey" Single - Bass
  • Ella Vos – "Mindreader " Single - Keyboards and backing vocals
  • BenBen – Sincere Gifts - Co-producer, backing vocals, clarinet, synth, bass guitar, acoustic guitar and classical guitar
  • Sparkbird – "Disembodied Mind" Single - Bass
  • Ella Vos – "Superglue " Single - Keyboards and backing vocals
  • Pigeon Club – Pigeon Club - Clarinet and photography
  • Sparkbird – "Disembodied Mind" Single - Bass
  • Sparkbird – "Sparkbird" Single - Double bass
  • Sparkbird – "November" Single - Bass
  • Pigeon Club – "Liar" Single - vocals
  • Caitlin Mahoney – Name What I Need - Co-writer, co-producer, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion, synth, bass, and keys
  • Sparkbird – Minor Holiday - Double bass and electric bass
  • Photocomfort – Patron Saint - Bass
  • Caitlin Mahoney – "Balance" Music Video - Camera operator
  • Mitski – Spotify Singles - Bass
  • Sparkbird – "Wooden" Single - Double bass
  • closing. – VI - Double bass
  • Sparkbird – Head Like a Nest - Double bass and electric bass
  • Mitski – The Land: The Live Album - Bass
  • Mitski – "Where's My Phone?" Single - Bass and backing vocals
  • Safe Jazz – "Inexplicably, Bubbles" Single - Clarinet
  • Mitski – Nothing's About to Happen to Me - Bass and backing vocals

pen pin Discography

  • "Spooky Love"
  • "Office Party"
  • "Fringe"
  • "The Boredom"

Oh Odessa Discography

  • Oh Odessa

Polaroid Truth Discography

  • ''Last Day as Children''

Film and Television Credits

Composer

  • ''Beyond the Shadows''

Performer

Jimmy Kimmel Live! - Self Austin City Limits - Self Jimmy Kimmel Live! - Self Mitski: The Land - Self