Young talent, old soul: Tampa teen singer-songwriter performed at Madison Square Garden and dreams of country music career
14-year-old country musician prodigy JudyAnne Jackson has already accomplished a lot in her short time as a performer. At age 10, the Tampa Bay native sang during halftime at Madison Square Garden, the mecca of American entertainment venues.
The following year JudyAnne kept the early accolades coming, winning the Producers’ Choice for PBS’ Celebration of Music, a series that showcases young musical talent, in addition to her selection as a finalist for NBC’s “Today Show” aspiring singer-songwriter contest.
The precocious teen is a self-proclaimed “old soul,” which also happens to be the title of her debut EP released last fall, produced by Grammy award-winning producer Mitch Dane.
A love for music since she could talk
Perhaps that old soul designation befits an adolescent who has already been immersed in music for nearly a decade. JudyAnne began playing the piano at age 5 and has been singing practically since she learned to talk. She saved up her allowance money to buy her first guitar at 8 and wrote her first song, “Stuck in the Clouds,” at age 9, a tune expressing her dreams of becoming a professional musician.
“So, I’ve always had a love for music,” JudyAnne said. “I think the best thing about it is playing live and playing in front of people and just seeing them smile when you sing, that’s so cool. Even songwriting, creating music that people can really relate to and hearing that from people, it’s the best thing a songwriter can ever hear.”
Her musical sound blends country and pop while her lyrical style centers around storytelling. JudyAnne especially enjoys sharing these melodic stories while performing live in her hometown.
“I love Tampa, there’s so many amazing places to play here,” she said. “It’s so fun to just be able to play near the water all the time too. It’s just so pretty in Tampa. I love the community here that’s super supportive of my music.”
Her favorite Greater Tampa venue is The Attic in Ybor City, where she celebrated both her album release party and her fourteenth birthday on Nov. 11, 2021.
“Not only because it was such an amazing venue, but the people who came to my show, they were all my friends and family, and they were there to support me—through my whole musical journey—and just to hear them singing back my songs that I wrote last summer was like the best feeling.”
Playing MSG, career aspirations
JudyAnne’s opportunity to appear at the world-famous MSG transpired after she submitted an audition tape for a halftime show contest and was invited to New York to perform. She sang “Rolling in the Deep,” by Adele.
“I can’t believe I got do that,” said JudyAnne, reflecting on that formative moment. “My family all came up with me. Singing in front of that many people—I think it was 20,000 people—was just crazy and such an amazing experience.”
JudyAnne ultimately hopes to pursue a music career, eyeing a move to Nashville when she attends college so she can lay down roots in the heart of the country music scene and craft her stories in a city renowned as the “Songwriting Capital of the World.” She is already familiar with Music City, having worked with Nashville’s Hope Tree Entertainment to record her debut EP “Old Soul.”
“Eventually, the big goal is to be able to go on tour and play stadiums,” she said. “But you know I think the real thing is I just want to be able to play music for people and for people to hear my stories through my songwriting and have a long-term career in it.”
Follow JudyAnne on Facebook, Instagram, her YouTube channel, or listen on Spotify. For more details, visit judyannejackson.com.
By Colin McCandless
