Jess Kellie Adams

Full band show! For some of us, it can take a lifetime to heed the wise words of Dolly Parton: “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” For singer and songwriter Jess Kellie Adams, that awakening came early in her life and career, just in the nick of time. “I get it now, Dolly!” she says with a laugh. The former self-professed underdog has never been more aware of her purpose and is now making her own way on her own time with tenacity and a whole lotta heart. “My whole life I've questioned who I am. It took seven years in Nashville for me to truly come into my own. My formula is different. My experiences are the foundation of who I am as a person and an artist.” “What makes me different is what makes my journey magical,” she says with a confident smile. And those unique stories come to life in Adams’ collection of new songs. “Everything I write and release as an artist is a story from my life or a situation weighing heavy on my heart,” the Belmont Music Business graduate reveals. “When someone listens to my music, I want them to feel inspired, strong, loved, and welcomed into the JKA family. I want them to have a smile of relief because they know we share similar stories and so do so many others in the audience as well.” With influences ranging from The Chicks, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Earl Thomas Conley and Merle Haggard, honest storytelling lies at the heart of everything Adams does. The Ohio-native grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opry with her grandpa and devouring every song that played on her local country station. Just as these iconic artists and their songs have influenced her life and make a tremendous impact on her own music, Adams strives to do the same for her fans. “I remember after one of my shows, a woman came up to me and said she wished her nephew would’ve waited one more week to hear my song. It floored me. We both knew what that meant and hugged with tears. I was 15 at the