Angela James has been making waves ever since she first opened her mouth to sing. The toddler with the curly red hair, who chose the middle of a church prayer to sing her first song, hasn’t stopped singing since. With a sass all her own, Angela credits her love for country music to an early introduction to Reba.
Angela grew up in a small town outside Nashville, where she traveled and sang with her family’s southern gospel band. By the age of 12, she extended her interests to dancing and found that her musical tastes began to expand as well. Dancing exposed Angela to jazz, hip-hop and rock ‘n’ roll, and she began to develop a style all her own.
At age 16, Angela was already writing and recording her original music, which she dubbed “Southern soul”, and by 18 was working with some of Nashville’s most acclaimed writers and producers. She accepted a position as staff writer with Riddle Music Group, an independent publishing company. At Riddle, some of the industry’s most seasoned writers recognized her enormous potential and began to mentor Angela and “show her the ropes.”
In the spring of 2008, Angela was chosen as one of six finalists on TV’s The Next GAC Star and continued to push ahead in the music industry, determined to gather as much experience as she could and learn from Nashville’s best and brightest. Angela’s talent and stage presence caught the eye of up-and-coming producer Jimmy Dulin in the summer of 2009, and the two began a project that showcased Angela’s writing talents and vocal versatility.
Jaron Lowenstein chose Angela to sing backup in his fall 2010 Long Road to Love Tour, and the rising star was back on the road, a bit different experience from her childhood trips with her family band, but just as educational. “I feel blessed to be surrounded by a music family who truly ‘gets’ my style of country,” says Angela. She’s ready to bring her own sassy, soulful style of country to an audience that’s hungry for something unique and exciting. The question is, are you ready for Angela??