“Success to me is getting to do what I love and making a living at it,” says singer/songwriter Jessica Ridley. But it’s already been more than simply making a living for this Canadian artist. You might even say she’s hit The Big Time!
Recently, Jessica landed a spot as a Top 3 contestant on a new social reality series on ABC-TV, Bud United Presents: The Big Time. She competed against thousands via online application, and then against 10 other people at auditions in LA in front of the producers, including Evan Weinstein (Amazing Race).
Jessica was chosen as one of the three to appear on the show and then competed in a 1-day series of challenges, including:
- Belting out “O Canada” a cappella in an empty Las Vegas stadium
- Writing (within an hour) the words and music for a 30-second commercial for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
- And finally selecting, rehearsing and singing a cover song (she chose Toto’s “Hold The Line”) before a live audience at the Canyon Club showroom in downtown Las Vegas
Jessica ran away with the top honors for all 3 “tests” and proved she was worthy of being named winner of the contest and performing as the opening act for the iHeartRadio Music Festival, a Vegas extravaganza spotlighting 17 major performers, including Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Kenny Chesney, and more! (See our Shout Out to Jessica here for more details about the event…)
One of the songs Jessica performed that night included her new Nine North Records single, Flaming Red:
Jessica caught the attention of her manager/producer Don Somerville while singing at church in Calgary near her hometown. He heard her singing and asked if she’d ever thought about performing professionally. “I said, well yeah—when I was 11 singing into a hairbrush in my room, of course I wanted to be a star. But it wasn’t something that seemed realistic at the time.”
Somerville thought otherwise. He saw something unique in the young artist, and began developing her singing and songwriting skills. He sent her to Nashville regularly to write with seasoned Music Row tunesmiths, and put her in the studio where she could hone her vocal abilities.
She also spent time in the rehearsal studio, first with Live Music Producer Amy Wolter, learning how to bring “moments” to her audience. Then she had Live Music Producer Tom Jackson work with her to prepare for an important showcase.
| Hit and Run (Champlin/Somerville/Windle) showcased by Jessica Ridley at The Big Time |
[audio:https://onstagesuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/02-Hit-and-Run.mp3] |
Her songwriting has grown by leaps and bounds, declares Jessica. She co-wrote four of the songs on her debut album, and writers represented on the album include James Dean Hicks (Kenny Chesney, Jessica Simpson), Bob Carlisle (“Butterfly Kisses”), Jeff Silvey (George Strait), Billy Simon (Mark Wills) and Bill Champlin (former frontman for the group Chicago).
“My manager calls it ‘writing up.’ When you write with people who are better than you, you can’t help but get better yourself. I love co-writing, and I always want to write with people better than me because you learn so much!”
And her live performance? It’s already been said that she “paces the stage like she owns it.” And, for that she credits Tom Jackson and his team: “The main two things I’ve gotten better at because of Tom are my ability to create moments by changing things up during songs… not just playing the CD live… and using the whole stage.”
Stay tuned for more great things to come from this awesome young talent! One thing is for sure: we’ll be seeing her out performing wherever and whenever she can. According to Jessica, it’s what she loves to do. “Singing gives me so much joy. It’s something I love and I’ve always loved. I’m just so excited that now I can do it as a career.”
Tom Jackson
Tom is uniquely talented and skilled at transforming an artist's live show into a magical experience for the audience; helping artists at every level create a live show that is engaging and memorable, teaching them to exceed their audiences' expectations and to create fans for life. Tom has taught indie and major artists of every genre. He has worked with Taylor Swift, Le Crae, Home Free, The Tenors, Shawn Mendes, The Band Perry, Francesca Battistelli, Jars of Clay, & many more. Tom also teaches at colleges, conferences and events worldwide.
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Really cool story..thanks for sharing!