A Little About Me
I started singing when I was three. My parents were evangelists and I had spent most of my childhood on the road singing nearly every day. I used to sit in our truck and sing for hours and make up my own "original material" ... I'm sure I drove my parents insane. I remember listening to a lot of country music as we drove. By the time I was 10 I sang on Star Search and then got really close to becoming a Mousketeer, but was encouraged by the producer to go for a musical he believed would give me a more promising future than the Mickey Mouse Club (which was nearing it's last season). So I got into musical theatre around 11 and began doing a lot of plays into my teens. I did a few Annie's and worked as the leading role in The Secret Garden at The Paper Mill Playhouse among others. I had a good little run that ended when I like a lot of child actors, hit a completely un-castable stage. That part of my life was over and I knew that God was closing that chapter for good. It was tough ... I was only 15. It was really the best thing that could have happened though because it brought me back to what I loved more than anything and that was simply music.
I started singing when I was three. My parents were evangelists and I had spent most of my childhood on the road singing nearly every day. I used to sit in our truck and sing for hours and make up my own "original material" ... I'm sure I drove my parents insane. I remember listening to a lot of country music as we drove. By the time I was 10 I sang on Star Search and then got really close to becoming a Mousketeer, but was encouraged by the producer to go for a musical he believed would give me a more promising future than the Mickey Mouse Club (which was nearing it's last season). So I got into musical theatre around 11 and began doing a lot of plays into my teens. I did a few Annie's and worked as the leading role in The Secret Garden at The Paper Mill Playhouse among others. I had a good little run that ended when I like a lot of child actors, hit a completely un-castable stage. That part of my life was over and I knew that God was closing that chapter for good. It was tough ... I was only 15. It was really the best thing that could have happened though because it brought me back to what I loved more than anything and that was simply music.
I began singing anywhere and everywhere; Christmas parties, Weddings, funerals, churches, restaurants ... you name it. I then went on tour with a Christian group that wound up doing their last show in Nashville TN, and so I moved there at 20. That's where the bus stopped so that's where I got off.
I wanted to sing. I wanted to be an artist. So I began dabbling in songwriting and singing demo sessions. I worked at a recording studio as the office manager and though it was tough hearing all the singers record in the back while I cleaned the toilets, brought in food and answered the phone I learned SO much about the recording process. After working there for a few years and singing as many sessions as I could I got my first big break. I went on the road full time as a BGV with Carrie Underwood. We did every television and awards show possible and toured constantly. I learned a lot about discipline, character, humility and what it's like to become HUGE in the blink of an eye. It was an amazing ride. After touring with Carried I went on the road full time with the redneck woman herself, Gretchen Wilson. It was a completely different experience altogether than the Underwood tour and once again, an incredible learning experience. I also began to sing BGVs on a few records. It was both exciting and humbling being a BGV. Your job is to compliment the artist always, NEVER to out-do or shine on your own ... It was both tough and rewarding. Though I was completely thankful to be able to make a living as a singer, I longed to be an artist. It had been my dream since childhood. I was so happy to have found my home in country music. I knew it was where I belonged as an artist. I had floundered around with Gospel and pop but nothing felt right, nothing fit. Country music took me back to my roots. Finally, after years of working toward my dream I was offered a record deal. I began to work harder on my songwriting and then as I had finally found my vision artistically, my record deal fell apart. It was devastating but during all that turmoil a song that I had written, (for my hopeful deal as an artist) began climbing the charts. Reba McEntire had cut it, and it wound up going #1. It was called "Turn On The Radio." I left the road and began writing full time ... still dreaming of being an artist. So now here I am. The Lord has allowed me to experience so much and yet I've never had the real opportunity to make my dream a reality. I'm looking at "The Voice" as a huge platform, an opportunity. No matter what happens, this will be an experience I know I will learn and grow from and hope will provide that open door I've worked so hard for and dreamed of for so long.
I wanted to sing. I wanted to be an artist. So I began dabbling in songwriting and singing demo sessions. I worked at a recording studio as the office manager and though it was tough hearing all the singers record in the back while I cleaned the toilets, brought in food and answered the phone I learned SO much about the recording process. After working there for a few years and singing as many sessions as I could I got my first big break. I went on the road full time as a BGV with Carrie Underwood. We did every television and awards show possible and toured constantly. I learned a lot about discipline, character, humility and what it's like to become HUGE in the blink of an eye. It was an amazing ride. After touring with Carried I went on the road full time with the redneck woman herself, Gretchen Wilson. It was a completely different experience altogether than the Underwood tour and once again, an incredible learning experience. I also began to sing BGVs on a few records. It was both exciting and humbling being a BGV. Your job is to compliment the artist always, NEVER to out-do or shine on your own ... It was both tough and rewarding. Though I was completely thankful to be able to make a living as a singer, I longed to be an artist. It had been my dream since childhood. I was so happy to have found my home in country music. I knew it was where I belonged as an artist. I had floundered around with Gospel and pop but nothing felt right, nothing fit. Country music took me back to my roots. Finally, after years of working toward my dream I was offered a record deal. I began to work harder on my songwriting and then as I had finally found my vision artistically, my record deal fell apart. It was devastating but during all that turmoil a song that I had written, (for my hopeful deal as an artist) began climbing the charts. Reba McEntire had cut it, and it wound up going #1. It was called "Turn On The Radio." I left the road and began writing full time ... still dreaming of being an artist. So now here I am. The Lord has allowed me to experience so much and yet I've never had the real opportunity to make my dream a reality. I'm looking at "The Voice" as a huge platform, an opportunity. No matter what happens, this will be an experience I know I will learn and grow from and hope will provide that open door I've worked so hard for and dreamed of for so long.
