James explores passion for music
May 23, 2015
With a deeply rooted southern spirit, born on the border of Indiana and Kentucky, junior Tina James aims to become a country singer. At South, James has been a part of Variety Show for the past three years. She performed in the freshman act and continued on to be a backup singer.
James, whose goal is to become a professional country singer and who aims to get into Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, describes how she had developed a distinct interest in music.
“It came in a really young age to me,” James said. “Ever since I was a baby, I’ve always listened to music. My grandma started me on it. She would hum me to sleep as a kid and sing to me. I always kind of gravitated towards that pole.”
Besides singing, James has introduced herself to many different aspects of performing including dancing, songwriting and playing instruments, being able to play up to 12 different instruments. For James, although challenging, she feels that when “doing something that you love, you can easily get a hold of it that fast”.
“I went down to Nashville and went up to each and every record label down on the street,” James said. “I’m like, ‘Hi, I’m Tina, I’m 11, I want a record deal, here’s my record,’ and I walked out. It was definitely a learning experience, being that young, and that was my first visit to Nashville.”
Tina’s mother, Sue James also describes her daughter’s passion for country music coming naturally for Tina.
“For some reason, she just loved country music,” Sue said. “I think it was in her blood.”
One of Tina’s inspirations, the person who had initially introduced her to music, was Tina’s grandmother, who had been an opera singer, but could not fulfill her dreams to become a professional singer during the Great Depression. Tina’s grandmother built determination and helped inspire her to strive for her music.
“I think she knew Tina had it in her, and she somehow wanted her to fulfill her dreams of music and always would sing to her and talk to her about music,” Sue said. “That’s where that comes from in Tina.”
Tina has published her own original song on Youtube called “Sober in Kentucky” which she had written after coming back from a summer camp in Nashville, where she met with writers of Blake Shelton.
Sue also talked about the time when she heard her daughter perform at the Cubby Bear, a bar and restaurant in Chicago that holds concerts and hosts events.
“Her father and I were both so proud of her at what she’s accomplished at such a young age,” Sue said.
Clayton Nimz, a friend of Tina’s also shares his experience with Tina and her music and has known her since the 6th grade. Tina and Nimz had tried out for Variety Show this year but did not make it; however, they have hung out together to play music.
Nimz describes the time when Tina needed him to help her for a song she wanted to publish last summer.
“There was a time this summer when we went to Gravity Studios to record her new song, ‘Sober in Kentucky’, and she needed a lead guitarist, and I filled in.” Nimz says.
According to Nimz, Tina is very unique in her music style and likes to do her own thing.
“She has her own mindset,” Nimz says, “She knows exactly how she wants a song to sound, and she will make other people sound like that,” Nimz said. “[It’s] good to have someone who wants to make their own music.”
