During the Christmas Season, I have had the opportunity to interview more artists. One of them is Jessica Rae whose music appears to have come from Heaven. I invited her and she accepted to be interviewed.

The rest is history with the interview being conducted in E Mail format.

 

1. How was it like to be a part of the PBS Special «Legends and Lyrics»?

 

 

Legends and Lyrics was an amazing experience. It was thrilling to be a «Rising Star» sharing the stage with incredible talent. I was a little anxious, as it was my first performance in front of a very large scale audience. Everyone at Legends and Lyrics were all about the songwriters and celebrating their talent. It was a privilege to be a part of it.

 

2. You have performed at various Hard Rock Cafes. Which ones did you perform and how was the reaction?

 

I have been fortunate enough to perform at a few Hard Rock Café’s, including Chicago, Nashville, Myrtle Beach and Key West. Every venue has been a fantastic experience. Everyone is friendly, professional, and treats musicians with a high regard. I have had great success at all three locations and I’m happy to say that I am currently discussing more dates with Hard Rock during my upcoming spring acoustic tour.

 

3. When did you get started in the music business?

 

5 years ago, when I sang «Ave Maria» acapella at my grandma’s memorial service, that was my first time singing in front of people. It really wasn’t singing though, as it was more of a prayer to honor my grandma and her background as a big band singer. At that moment, I realized that I felt more comfortable singing than I had ever felt with 18 years of performance violin. My life changed dramatically. I recorded a few songs, by Alison Krauss and Patty Griffin, and I emailed everyone with an mp3. People were surprised to learn that I had this voice hidden inside me that we didn’t know was there. I was encouraged to move to Nashville. Within the last 5 years, I started writing songs, I learned the guitar, learned improvisation on violin and I’m still earning a hard knocks degree in branding and business management. 

 

4. What was it like singing with Pat Benatar?

 

What a great honor and opportunity that was!  She and her husband are true rock stars and commanded a huge audience.

 

5. How did you feel when you performed at the Milwaukee Summerfest?

 

I had seen many of my favorite singers on those stages while growing up, so to actually be on one of the stages, performing, I recognized what an opportunity it was!  Summerfest is a great venue to expand my fan base and I made a lot of new friends after my performance.

 

 

6. You are involved with the National Hemophilia Association and Smile Train. Please feel free to talk about these organizations and your involvement with them?

 

I am dedicated to achieving a recognizable brand so as to increasingly contribute to charities such as Smile Train and, most recently, becoming involved with The National Hemophilia Association. I’ve designed a t-shirt line in order to assist Smile Train to achieve a greater awareness for their kindness to children. We created a music video, featuring the song I co-wrote, «Victory For Women», to increase public awareness for Von Willebrand disease; and, of course, my humble search is on for investors to help smooth this road I’m traveling.

 

Link to “Victory for Women” music video:

http://www.facebook.com/NationalHemophiliaFoundation?v=app_10531514314

 

 

7. What is the meaning of Christmas for you?

 

Christmas is my ultimate reminder of my faith and the reason I am.

 

 

8. What is your advice to those who want to start a career in the music business?

 

Just like the saying “love travels on a gravel road”, the music industry is not well paved. You really have to know how to network, leverage what you know with who you know, and most of all, stay true to your own message and don’t let anyone have control of the steering wheel.

 

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” – Dr. Seuss.

 

9. What message do you want to send to the public and the world this Christmas season?

 

It’s all about family, virtues, and laughter.

 

10. Will you be performing in Florida soon?

 

I am currently in the middle of scheduling a Spring acoustic tour with another artist here in Nashville, Kyle Jennings. We will be on the road for 7 weeks visiting 11 states. We will do a lot of touring in Florida, both the east and west side as we will be heading to Key West for the Songwriters Festival.  You can view my dates as they come about on my website. http://www.jessicaraemusic.com

 

Thank you for accepting my invitation to be interviewed. Merry Christmas to you and your family as well as those who read this article and my blog.