“Hometown Girl Makes Good” should be the title of Janelle Grace’s next country album. After eight years of living in Nashville with her songwriting and singing that produced her first CD called, “You Can Overcome” in November 2016, Janelle will be playing at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Sunday, September 1, 2019 from 6 PM to 9 PM. She has come full circle and will be playing to a large crowd, which will include her family and friends.
Born and raised in Nebraska, Janelle was exposed to country music early in her life, when she learned how to play guitar, write songs and sing. Janelle’s interesting music background includes taking singing lessons for both German and Italian opera with teacher Lee Finecy, for three years in Nebraska, and studying guitar and piano when she was in school. She was also in the high school swing choir, which led to a job singing opera serenading diners at the Macaroni Grill; at many weddings, at karaoke bars, and with bands at clubs. She also won some singing contests, as well as taking second place at one of the Colgate Country Showdowns.
Two polarizing events for Janelle: 1) when she was in high school and went to see Faith Hill perform at Nebraskaland Days in North Platte, Nebraska when she was on tour with husband Tim McGraw, and 2) when she was in college and watched Shania Twain singing, “Any Man of Mine.” Those two events finally pushed her to think it was possible to move to Nashville to pursue her dream of being a country singer/songwriter. Could she really do it?
Being a practical woman, Janelle earned her Nebraska degree and license and worked as a dental hygienist for years. Janelle applied to take her dental hygienist licensing exam in Tennessee early in December 2010. Having to bring her own patient for the practical part of the exam, Janelle drove herself and one of her patients from Nebraska to Memphis, checked into a hotel, and the next day performed her duties according to the test instructions. She thought she had passed. When she was told that she hadn’t, she was understandably upset and confused.
The first obstacle to her realizing her dreams had happened. She thought it was a test from God to make her strong. She prayed. Two weeks later, the Board informed her that there had been an error and that Janelle had indeed passed, so she started applying for dental hygienist positions in Nashville.
In March 2011, Janelle’s longtime friend Kim Smith from Florida offered to meet Janelle in Nashville and help distribute resumes to various dental offices. Kim was a big fan of Janelle’s talent and encouraged her to follow her dream and Kim wanted to be a part of it. They were close friends until another tragedy happened much later.
One dental company flew Janelle out to interview her in May 2011. She landed the job and Janelle arrived in Nashville in August 2011, with a job and her dreams. She did it!
“It took me a year to get to Nashville and I had a job all lined up before I moved,” said Janelle proudly. But the obstacles and setbacks continued, some heavy enough to dissuade anyone from continuing, but not Janelle.
After being in Nashville for seven months, she had been working as a dental hygienist at that job until November 2011. She started at a new dental office in December 2011. The next trauma occurred on March 17, 2012 – St. Patrick’s Day – when Janelle was hit by a truck in a parking lot. Someone said that if she had been a few inches closer, she could have been killed. Now she was relegated to her home, unable to work or walk, which forced her to spend her time writing lyrics while she was recuperating, perhaps a blessing in disguise. It set her on the path for writing songs again. She was renewed and saw how to turn tragedy into victory.
Months later, Janelle had an opportunity to go to a songwriters’ session at the same location where the truck accident happened. Knowing she had to face her fears, she went, and songwriter Rives introduced Janelle to her next songwriting partner, Kevin Robey.
Rives and Robey listened to “Cheers to an Empty Glass,” the first song Janelle wrote in Nashville for her upcoming EP, “Faith Hope Believe.” The three of them decided to write together, and that result was the song, “Promise,” which was released on her first EP – a song about Janelle’s dad and the promise she made to. Him before he passed away. They continued to write together and more songs were written and produced.
But other setbacks still continued. Janelle had some unfortunate romantic encounters, unemployment, and she accidentally swallowed glass in a bottle, which wreaked havoc with her vocal chords – enough stress and disappointment to flatten anyone’s dream, but not Janelle.
She released a ten song CD, in November 2016 called, “You Can Overcome,” with inspirational message to give hope to anyone who has experienced obstacles, depression, and accidents. “At least I’ve never had cancer,” she added. She also released “The Journey of Janelle Grace,” a companion CD/DVD based on her life experiences. Songs which tell her story include, “Nothing’s Wrong Song,” “P.S.” “Find a Way,” Feast or Famine, “Drink Him Gone,” and “You Can Overcome,” the title track. Portions of these songs are featured on her website. You can also download them or stream them everywhere digitally.
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The other tragedy happened when Janelle was boarding a plane in Chicago coming back from Christmas vacation when she found out that her dear friend Kim Smith had been killed in a plane crash on December 26, 2017. Janelle had a song on her recent album called “Never Got to Say Goodbye,” written on behalf of Janelle meeting people in Nashville and hearing stories of how they lost a loved one suddenly. Now Janelle could personally relate to this heart wrenching feeling. Other passengers handed her tissues when they found out Janelle’s sudden loss grief. Janelle took her sorrow and poured it into the song, “Never Got to Say Goodbye,” which is on her website, once again turning her sadness into beautiful music.
About July 2017, Nashville music publicist Nicole Zeller, founder and president of Brickshore Media, had Janelle featured on three radio shows, with four more scheduled. They were getting ready for a media push when Janelle had another traumatic event happen – her mother dies suddenly in September 2017. Again, Janelle could relate to that feeling of sudden loss in her song.
Janelle took time off for bereavement leave and returned to her hometown to be with family. Janelle is the youngest of 4 children – she has 3 older brothers. The two oldest both live in Arizona. The youngest of the boys lives in Nebraska. All are married with children. She felt she needed to move back home to fill the void of her nieces and nephew’s grandma passing as Janelle’s mom would babysit the kids as her job and the kids were so close to her, but she didn’t do so.
For eight months, Janelle’s social media and music life in Nashville was at a complete standstill due to extreme grief. Listening to her mother’s spiritual guidance and her own inner voice, Janelle picked up her music and guitar again, and was booked in her next show June 2, 2018. “This was my first big show back in Nashville at Belcourt Taps and I devoted that day to my mom,” she recalled. “The Nashville Entertainment Weekly filmed that special.” Janelle has also been working with other songwriters and she has met renowned Jeffrey Teague with Artist & Repertoire in Nashville, Tennessee to create a new project. This will hopefully be debuted in either the spring or fall of 2020, entitled, “Heartland.”
Janelle has also been working with Wynne Adams, an artists’ developer and founder of Wynne Productions, Inc., who was the project supervisor for her first album, “You Can Overcome.” Currently, Wynne oversees Janelle’s website, shows, and any upcoming tours.
“There’s a plan for everybody, even though we don’t know the plan. So, when difficult things happen, it’s breaking you down to build you up again,” she said philosophically and spiritually.
“I’d like to be an inspiration to people who have hard times – that you can overcome anything,” she mused. “I have a big heart for my home state – 75% of Nebraska was underwater from the flooding. You’re under that dark cloud and you don’t think you’re going to get out of it.” Janelle Grace knows what that’s like. She’s been there plenty of times.
As to her dreams, Janelle envisioned, “I’d like to perform at Nebraskaland Days in my hometown, the Ryman, and the Grand Ole Opry. I also want my music to inspire people and give them hope.” Janelle has learned to turn adversity into productivity, the lemons into lemonade psychology. Anyone can do it – is your glass half empty or half full? It’s the same amount of water. What’s different is your perspective – positive and hopeful or negative like Eeyore.
“When little things bother me, I can always say, ‘I’ve been through worse’,” she said she laughed because she has and she’s come through each one of them with flying colors. Get ready for the music and songs of Janelle Grace. Her name says it all.
Janelle Grace’s website is www.jdgrace.net.
Facebook: @jdgracemusic
Instagram: @jdgrace26
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