We recently connected with Jessey Adams and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jessey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I was always a very good student, so when I made the decision to put college off and pursue music, I think it threw everyone, including myself, off. I had spent two years in high school at a career center studying Sports Medicine, earned college credits and passed the ACSM exam to become a certified personal trainer. I enjoyed Sports Medicine, but I still felt very lost when asked what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Being a traveling musician was so far “off the path” that it didn’t even seem like an option. Choosing a college and major became an obsessive stressor in my life. I started to notice the only time I felt calm was when I was playing music. I would perform a few nights a week to half empty dive bars and that became my escape. I loved it more than anything I had ever done. It felt like a part of me that I needed to live. My obsession with figuring out my academic life shifted into trying to break my way into the music industry. Eventually deadlines passed for committing to a college, and like ripping off a band aid, I had chosen music. I had time booked with a producer in Nashville, TN to go record and a few bar gigs in North Carolina to look forward to. I started booking shows wherever I could; in state, out of state, dive bars and even a few larger events. The beginning was slow and money was tight, but for the first time, I felt like I was choosing the right path for my life. This is now my second year out of high school. I have traveled across over 25 US states and 5 Canadian provinces for music, been recognized on multiple news and radio stations, opened for national touring acts and won overall in major competitions (Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival and Michigan State Fair Superstar).

Jessey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a traveling country singer/songwriter. I’ve loved music my whole life and started performing my original music for audiences at 16. I completely managed myself and learned everything I could to further my career; booking shows, creating promotional material, managing finances, website design, etc. I began traveling right out of high school and have no stopped since. I have been all over the country for music and even into Canada playing music wherever I can. When I travel from one place to the next, I often sleep in a truck bed tent. I find the most inspiration for my music when I am outside. A lot of my songs have been written on long hikes through the mountains. In the past year I have won overall in the Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival competition and the Michigan State Fair Superstars competition.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The best feeling is when something I wrote resonates with a stranger. Music connects people in so many different ways, so to be the person creating that connection is indescribable. I don’t think people realize how much it means to me when they let me know that they enjoyed my song because it reminded them of something in their life. I’ve always leaned on music for comfort, so to provide that comfort for someone else means the world.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My biggest goal is to play music for the rest of my life and have a way to sustain this career financially and emotionally. This is a hard career path to maintain, but I personally feel like it’s even harder to stop. Music has become something that I live and breathe and would let take me to my grave. Whether it’s little bars or sold-out venues, this is the life I love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jesseyadams.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jesseyadamsmusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jesseyadamsmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jesseyadamsmusic
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jesseyadamsmusic

Image Credits

Lindsay Miller