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Artist Spotlight – May 2022



Jaelee Roberts – May Artist Spotlight


“I have been blessed and lucky enough to have played multiple times at the Grand Ole Opry, which was and is still my biggest dream, but I would also LOVE so much to play at The Ryman. I have been to The Ryman many times, but it is a dream of mine to play on that stage. The Ryman has an insane amount of amazing history and because of that, it makes it special to me. To me, it is the Mother Church and so, so many of my heroes have played on that stage.”

The above comment was said by our May Artist Spotlight, so let’s dig in and learn more about Jaelee Roberts. She was born on April 9th in Nashville, TN but currently lives in Murfreesboro, TN. Murfreesboro is known for its American Civil War history along with having the state’s largest undergraduate university, Middle Tennessee State University.

A lot of people would probably say that Jaelee is one lucky girl to be a daughter of two very well-known bluegrass artists, Danny Roberts (The Grascals) and Andrea Roberts (Owner of Andrea Roberts Agency (ARA)), but Jaelee would tell you that she is blessed! Obviously, Jaelee has been surrounded by music since the day she was born and because of that, it has been more natural for her to learn skills and enhance the talent that God gave her. As a musician of multiple instruments, fiddle, mandolin, piano and guitar, Jaelee started getting serious about the guitar when she got into high school and noticed how it truly accompanied her singing. She has been singing as early as she can remember and can’t tell you of a time that she is not singing. Singing is her favorite thing to do but she has always been interested in songwriting too. Her first song was written at the early age of seven while sitting in the driveway listening to the Grand Ole Opry with her mom. From that point on, as she grew older, the importance of songwriting also developed.

Jaelee was homeschooled from the seventh grade through senior year. Her teachers from Lessons Worth Learning were wonderful people who encouraged her tremendously and were such blessings. After graduation, Jaelee enrolled in Middle Tennessee State University where she is currently a Junior and majoring in Commercial Songwriting. Balancing of learning songs, practicing, and writing songs while at the same time meeting deadlines for homework and studying has been the biggest challenge. Unfortunately, due to all the demands of both music and school, Jaelee has had to miss a lot of writers rounds and concerts, but she keeps the end goal in mind and knows that school is the priority right now and that it is ALL worth it! She feels so blessed to be able to attend such an amazing college where she gets to learn tons, do so many cool things AND play music too. Through her college courses, Jaelee feels she has absorbed tons of knowledge that can benefit her music career. She has truly been enjoying an artist publicity class in her current semester and has discovered an interest in PR (public relations).

Jaelee Roberts is no stranger to the stage. She started singing in front of people at church as young as three or four years old. Outside of church Jaelee thinks her first show was at the Pumpkin Festival in Franklin, TN at the age of five. Taking lessons at The Main Stage Music and Dance Studio turned into numerous recitals, and performances/events around the Nashville area. During these early years, Jaelee was on many stages with a kid’s bluegrass band called The Grasshoppers and then was given a great opportunity to play her first professional gig with the Rebekah Long Band while only in high school.

“AMAZING!!! Having two musically successful parents has been AMAZING!” is Jaelee’s perspective on having such well-known, should I say famous, parents. Jaelee felt that her parents never pushed her into music, and she knows that they would have been supportive in anything that she decided to do. Although the road was wide open, Jaelee knew from a young age that she wanted to be just like them and go into the music industry. Her parents have allowed her to see all sides of the music industry through the years, including the business side thanks to her mom. All of the experiences have been super beneficial, and she wouldn’t change a thing.

Jaelee has so many memorable moments while touring with her parents, I was able to get her to share a couple. Most of the memories were times when The Grascals played The Grand Ole Opry where she literally grew up backstage and seen so many amazing shows. That experience is a treasure of hers that no amount of money could buy! Jaelee got to meet Merle Haggard; meet Charlie Daniels and receive an autographed fiddle bow; meet Hank Williams Jr and getting a crocodile tooth necklace from him and so many more memorable moments. Probably the one that she shared and gave me the biggest smile was that she would take pictures with Little Jimmy Dickens and used him to measure how much she was growing. Wow, just wow!

I couldn’t help it – I had to ask her if she has considered doing a collaboration with her parents. She would ABSOLUTELY love to do a collaboration with her parents, she loves playing with them. As an eight-year-old, she had the privilege of singing with The Grascals and still joins them once in a while when she is near. At ten years old, Jaelee sang with her mom on a “Daughters of Bluegrass” recording with Heather Berry Mabe. Then in 2014, Jaelee also sang on her dads Nighthawk (Danny Roberts solo project release) album. Now, don’t tell anyone but she let me in on a little secret, she and her mom (Andrea Roberts) are going to be singing harmony together on her dad’s (Danny Roberts) new recording project. So, stay tuned and alert!

As you have read, Jaelee is SO thankful for her parents and for everything that they have done for her. She looks up to them more than she could ever say. They have always been her biggest inspirations and definitely always will be. Other than her parents, there are too many people that have inspired and/or taught her to narrow to only one person. To anyone that reads this article that had a part in her musical journey so far, Jaelee wants to say, “THANK YOU for believing in me and I want to make you proud!”

Jaelee tends to write the slower sad songs (sad songs make her happy) and more of a “classic country meets bluegrass” style. Her writing inspirations come at all random times and places but she writes mostly in the comfort of her bedroom.

Leading up to the day of the event/show, Jaelee tries to practice as much as she can. Prior to going on stage Jaelee likes to do some vocal warmups, drink lots of water and sneak away by herself to say a prayer. The other routine, and probably her favorite, that she does prior to going onstage is her hair and makeup – I would have had her explain but I don’t think we have enough time or space (Ha Ha!). After a show and off stage, she is usually keyed up and ends up talking a lot but also reflects on the show; how it went and what she could do to improve the next show.

One of the craziest things that has happened at an event was a fan asking to take a photo with her and then changing it to be his lock screen on his phone. It was very interesting but I didn’t mind. The most memorable moment during an event was when she was performing with Sister Sadie. They were performing a song that she wrote with her friend Theo MacMillian called, Something You Didn’t Count On and she looked out and saw someone singing along word-for-word. She said she will never ever forget that moment and what it felt like!

If Jaelee could give any advice to any new/up and coming artist, it would be “Never say no to any opportunity that you are given! Take every chance you can even if it scares you. Most importantly, always keep God first in your life. I have done that every step of the way and it brings so much comfort and peace. He has a plan for YOU!”. She knows that there are both good and bad days. Over the years, Jaelee has learned that you have to pick yourself up, get over it and push on. There is not one person that hasn’t had a bad experience in whatever they are doing, and you just learn from it and don’t dwell on it. The only other advice that Jaelee could give to a young artist is that you should always carry a spare/back-up instrument with you, you just never know when something could happen like breaking a string, losing it on airlines or having a car back up over it. Yikes!

This young lady has such a wonderful and strong family musical foundation that will only get much better in years to come! In just the past couple years alone, she has released four singles (‘All My Tears’, ‘One’s Real Life’, ‘Still Waters’ and ‘Think Again’), attained the well-deserving Momentum Vocalist of the Year Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), joined the multi-award-winning group Sister Sadie (2020 IBMA Entertainer of the Year trophy and 2019-2021 Vocal Group of the Year honors) as lead singer/guitarist and now, just days away, releasing her debut album ‘Something You Didn’t Count On’. I personally cannot wait to hear her version of Landslide!

Fast Firing Fun Facts:

What is your favorite Holiday and why?

Christmas! She loves the time of year; how happy everyone is and getting to visit with all the family. The best part of Christmas is celebrating the birth of Jesus – that is what is ALL about!

What is your dream destination?

Nashville, Tennessee! She absolutely loves to travels and plans to go EVERYWHERE but doesn’t see herself living anywhere else but Nashville.

What is your favorite type of car?
Jaelee truly loves her Ford Edge – it’s truly an awesome car and she is so thankful to have it! Right now, her dream car Is a Ford Bronco.

Who was your favorite teen heart throb?

Without hesitation, Jaelee said Zac Efron! To her, he was the BOMB in High School Musical.

Do you have a hobby outside of music? What is it?

Makeup! Jaelee loves to do makeup. If there is any free time, Jaelee can be caught doing makeup, watching YouTube tutorials and trying new looks. She thinks it is so much fun and enjoys doing it a lot.

What is your favorite kind of Ice Cream?

Cookies and cream – best ever!

What is your favorite junk food?

French fries – 100%

Do you have any pet(s) and what are their names?

Jaelee has a tiny little dog named Dolly Loretta and she is her little best friend. She also has a hamster, Daphne, and she looks like a little bear.

What is your favorite book that you read or author that you like to read?

‘Grace Unplugged’ by Melody Carlson

What is your favorite movie line? Obviously, what movie is it from?

“Stupid. Ugly. Out of date. If I can’t find anything to wear, I’m not going.” Is Jaelee’s favorite movie line and it is from the Jim Carrey movie The Grinch (2000). Jaelee can extremely relate to this scenario, as it may or may not have happened a few times with her. Ha ha ha! If you know Jaelee well, you know that she can recite pretty much every line of the movie.

News from artist:

Jaelee Roberts has a new CD being released on May 20th!

The title of the album is ‘Something You Didn’t Count On’

Record Company is Mountain Home

This record only has two cover songs and the rest are all new originals. The original songs include four that she wrote along-side other wonderful co-writers. The whole album contains favorite songs of hers, each one is very special to her, and she hopes that everyone else loves the entire album as much as she does.

On April 22nd, Jaelee’s new single “Sad Songs” was released. Let me tell you all, it is a good one and makes me excited about the new album. This single is an instant grat track which means that the single, on the new album, is available immediately for you to buy and download during the pre-order period.

Website for artist, tour dates and/or merchandise:

Check out the artist/band website for all their new songs, tour dates and merchandise. The best way to support local broadcasters and artists are through their sales – CDs, albums, shirts and etc. Let’s show our support – go check their website.

You can currently get hard copies of the CD and other merchandise soon from her website:

www.JaeleeRobertsMusic.com

If you would like to follow Jaelee Roberts through Social Media, find and follow her at:

Facebook – www.facebook.com/JaeleeRobertsMusic

Instagram – www.instagram.com/JaeleeRobertsMusic

Twitter – @Jaelee_Music

BandsInTown – Jaelee Roberts Music

You can stream or download her music on Spotify, Pandora and Apple Music

You can find everything listed above by clicking this link: www.Linktr.ee/JaeleeRobertsMusic