We were lucky to catch up with Andrea Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Andrea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

Sometimes I wonder where I would be if I had found my confidence in my voice sooner or known someone in the music business early on. Then I look at all God has allowed me to accomplish and experience and there’s just no way to have orchestrated it any better. Music was always important to me but I had no idea how to “Break In” to the industry so I didn’t give it much thought. I didn’t know anyone who was famous or who had a full-time career in music to aspire to. There was a mystique to the music industry when I was growing up so being a real recording artist didn’t seem tangible. I come from a musical family so I was aware from an early age that I could sing/harmonize with the family during the holiday sing-alongs led by my Grandmother. My Mom and Dad were always encouraging and supportive when I expressed interest in music whether it was singing, piano lessons, attending a concert or buying a cassette/cd. I sang in church choirs beginning around the age of 5 but I was shy when it came to singing by myself. I sang with my brother for many years. He was much more confident and has a golden voice. I was very OK with not having the attention and just tagging along to sing once in a while. When I got to college at Morgan State University, I joined the world renowned Morgan State University Choir under the direction of Dr. Carter. We had the incredible opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall and I believe that sparked the performance bug. I decided to participate in a talent show on campus which was so liberating for me. I didn’t win but it was the 1st time singing alone as an adult, miles away from home and totally out of my comfort zone. My peers were very receptive and encouraging so that was a major boost to my confidence. Fast forward to today…I would not change anything. There are always what ifs but I’ve learned to embrace the unique nature of my journey and believe that everything that led me to this point happened exactly at the right times. I’m actually really excited for the future because I have more wisdom, confidence, expertise, industry credits, respect of many peers and passion now. I feel like the best is yet to come!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I grew up singing with my family and at church in my hometown of Sacramento, CA. I would not be the singer I am today without that foundation. My professional career in entertainment continues to be more than I could have imagined. When I arrived in LA in 2000 for graduate school at Cal State LA, some of the students on campus were doing extra/background work in TV/FILM through Central Casting. Since I had some flexibility, I signed up for orientation and was booked on a few sets. There were talent shows on campus and one day I decided to compete. This time, unlike in undergrad, I WON!! As a college student, winning extra money was a big deal along with being chosen. I won a few more times and the university invited me to perform at an event. That was the 1st time I got a band together and performed a jazz set. Early in my career I collaborated heavily with my friend and wonderful producer/musician/engineer, Andre Lamb. He introduced me to professional recording in the studio. I spent hours upon hours on the weekends working with him. We created some beautiful music. I had written poetry and some simple songs but working with Andre graduated me to the big league! Soon after I joined Faithful Central Bible Church where Bishop Kenneth Ulmer was the pastor at that time and eventually joined the choir, One Voice, under the direction of Donald Taylor. I really enjoyed returning to my gospel choir roots after a break for a few years. I was able to lead songs and meet some amazing singers/musicians. I have to shout out my good friend/drummer/producer/talent manager, C.Von Parchman of 6X Entertainment, who was open to collaborating with me from day 1. Our collaborations really helped me continue to hone my songwriting skills. As I became more involved with songwriting, I also became frustrated with studio recording prices and availability. This prompted me to enroll at Audiograph International where I earned my ProTools Certificate from well-respected expert, Jose “Chilitos: Valenzuela. Taking that step was a game-changer. I could record when I wanted and engineer for myself. My new found skill opened the door for me to collaborate with producers around the world. Around the time I started taking voice lessons from highly sought out vocal coach, Romeo Johnson (Sangahz). He taught me how to breathe properly,  gave me warm up exercises and gave me a safe place to explore parts of my voice that I didn’t know existed. My range improved and I still use some of the warmups and tips he shared. In 2008 a music producer/engineer I was working with, Michael Parnell, asked if I would be interested in singing on Young and the Restless. I was beyond elated and immediately said yes since I was a huge fan of the show. Getting to meet the cast was surreal. I had never imagined being on TV but that experience peaked my interest. I began looking for places to perform and 1 night a friend. Caprisha.  told me about this place called Cozy’s in the Valley where there was an open mic with live band. We went to check it out and the vibe was incredible. The talent was insane! It was a special birthday event for the host, L. Young, so the performance list was full but he told me to come back the next week and he’d make sure I got a chance to perform. He kept his word and that began a beautiful journey of my artist development. 2009 moved me into a new space when a friend, Kurt Lykes, called me to sing in a session for David Foster. I was ecstatic as a fan and thanking God for such a wonderful opportunity to sing on Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli’s projects. In 2010 I was part of a group called Tribe of Judah (thank you Jonathan Grier and Tracy Carter) and we booked a background gig singing with Mariah Carey. At that time we had done several TV appearances singing with Josh Groban on Ellen and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno but I wasn’t a member of the union yet. In order for me to participate on the Mariah Carey gig, I had to join SAG-AFTRA since I had worked the maximum gigs under the union without being a member. I was in “must join” status so I paid my dues and haven’t looked back. 14 years strong. 2010 is also the year I began my professional theatre career in Los Angeles when I began working with amazing writer/director/producer/author, Don B. Welch. He was doing a play at the Wilshire Ebell called, “Hallelujah Mahalia” and told me he had a role for me if I was interested. I had never done theatre in front of a large crowd but I said yes and that began a fantastic theater career and friendship. My parents, extended family, friends and even a few coworkers were able to attend so that was very special. I can’t thank Don enough for being a major part of my current success. After I had been singing in the plays for a few years, I expressed to him that I wanted to try a speaking role and he made it happen. When he began moving into tv/film, he remembered that I wrote original songs and asked if I’d like to submit for consideration for his upcoming film. I read the script, collaborated with a producer/musician I knew, Michael Loyd, and my 1st single “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough” opened his film, “24 Hour Love” which is still available online through Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, Youtube Primetime and more platforms. Since then I’ve written several songs for his films and most notably, a song I wrote the lyrics for “Through A Child’s Eyes” produced by Joe Archie, won “Best Original Song” at the Cannes World Film Festival. We traveled to Cannes, France where the film, “Baby Girl” was screened at the Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase where we also won “Best Original Song”. I booked a speaking role in Don B. Welch’s upcoming film, “Just Before Sundown” and another film by Justin Rowe Tolliver called, “Name Image Likeness: Time to Get Paid”. Currently I’m working on my debut project called, “Living the Dream”. I am so grateful for every person who contributed and I’m excited to share my new music soon.

Recently, I sang the National Anthem at Loyola Marymount’s Men’s Basketball Game. I’ve performed the National Anthem for the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings (my hometown), PBR: Professional Bull Riders, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the San Francisco Giants. I hope to one day perform at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks as well as expand to the NFL, boxing and other sports.

I also love being a VOICEOVER ACTRESS. I am a voice talent in the new project, “When He Looked at Me” from HitKulture Digital (thank you Bruce Briggz) available on Spotify, Audible, Apple Music, and Google.

I’m most proud of myself for betting on me and understanding the favor God has showed me. I won’t even try to imagine the amount of money I’ve invested in my career but I’d do it again in a heartbeat because I really love how my journey has unfolded. I’m grateful for the respect of my peers and legends/icons in the entertainment industry.

My brand is about bringing uplifting music and positivity to the world. I’ve always worked with integrity and do my best to treat people the way I’d like to be treated. I’m not limited to one genre. I have gospel roots and I love r&b, jazz, country, musical theater and inspirational music. I am a versatile singer/songwriter so if I need to write a rock, pop, reggae, hip hop or any other genre, I’m confident I can deliver.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

A few years ago, I ruptured my patellar tendon. For those familiar with injury, you know how awful it is. For those who don’t, basically a tendon in my knee snapped and the top part of my leg had no communication with the bottom. I couldn’t do a leg lift. I couldn’t bend my knee. I was unable to walk safely.  I had to have surgery. I had just lost 50 pounds and my entertainment career was on the rise. I was devastated and had to learn to walk again. That was a rough time mentally and physically. I was not able to work for 6 months. It was difficult to watch so many friends booking gigs and doing all the things we’d normally be doing together. I gained a lot of weight back and it was just a rough time in my life. The silver lining was my parents being able to help me recover during this time. The time we spent together was priceless. I’m forever grateful for their love and support. It did make me sad for a while seeing all the work I was missing out on. I had even received a direct offer for a tv show and had to decline due to my injury. At a certain point I had to pray and talk to myself about changing my attitude while I was down. I bought an exercise bike with hand pedals. Even though I couldn’t ride the bike normally I could pedal using my upper body. I started getting stronger overall through physical therapy. Eventually I got to the point where I could walk without a walker and begin driving again. No sooner than I was cleared to return to work, I received an email inviting me to perform at the Academy Awards singing background vocals for Mary J. Blige. Thank you to Sally Stevens, Taura Stinson and Raphael Saadiq. Here I was those past 6 months wondering if people had forgotten about me…perhaps, out of sight, out of mind…but they had not. I was elated to be in the mix again. God really showed me that I was not forgotten. That downtime also made me realize that I had spread myself too thin. Post injury, I spend my time more wisely. I’ve learned the value of REST and PEACE. I’ve learned to say YES to events I truly want to attend. I’ve learned to say NO when I need to relax. My mother would always tell me that I didn’t realize how busy I was. I now see what she meant and I’ve slowed down. My mother passed away in 2022 and not having her here with me in the physical is a pain I deal with daily. While I definitely feel her spirit, there is a major void. Life just isn’t the same. I miss my best friend and all the wonderful times we had. The fact that I get up every day and keep living/loving with purpose is resilience on another level. I am doing my best to manage my grief and live life to the fullest as she would want me to! Yet Holding on!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Please please please, BUY the music of those artists you love, especially the independent artists. We don’t have the big machine behind us for marketing. Streaming is a joke as far as an income stream for many artists. While we do appreciate the streaming, we would greatly appreciate listeners purchasing the music as well. Creating music is very costly. There are a lot of people advocating for streaming laws to change but until they do, please support us by BUYING our music and sharing with your friends! A simple share on social media goes a long way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.officialandreajones.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/officialandreajones
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialandreajones
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/andreajmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/officialandreajones

Image Credits
Sheldon Botler Photography Diamond Dust Photography