December 29: Country singer Jessica Andrews is 30-years-old today.

Jessica Danielle Andrews was born in Huntingdon, Tennessee. Her passion for singing began to develop in the fourth grade. She had planned on dancing in her school's talent show, but her sister convinced her to sing Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" instead. At 11, she put her first band together.

After Byron Gallimore with DreamWorks Records Nashville received a tape of her singing, he offered her a recording contract and she began working on her first album. Prior to its release, she began opening for Faith Hill on her Fall 1998 tour, as well as for Tim McGraw (also produced by Gallimore) for his New Year's Eve concert.

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In mid-1999. when she was 15, Jessica Andrews made her debut on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks with the single "I Will Be There for You," from her debut album Heart Shaped World.  The album produced two more Top 40 country singles in "You Go First (Do You Wanna Kiss)" and "Unbreakable Heart."

Andrews was also featured on the premiere episode of On the Verge, a television series on CMT which followed the careers of up-and-coming country artists. On May 3, 2000, Andrews was invited to sing "Unbreakable Heart" at the ACM Awards, where she was nominated for Top New Female Vocalist.       

Two years later, Jessica had her biggest chart success with the song "Who I Am," a #1 country hit and the title track to her second studio album, which was certified gold in the United States. Andrews, who was 17 years old when Who I Am was recorded, described the album as a more mature effort than Heart Shaped World, because it focused more on the emotions that come with growing up.

A third album, Now was released in 2003. The album featured more ballads than her first two albums. A fourth album - ironically titled Ain't That Life - was never released due to the closure of her label.

In late 2008, Andrews signed to Carolwood Records, an imprint of Lyric Street Records. in October of that year, Carolwood Records closed and the album was shelved. Andrews was the only artist on Carolwood not to be transferred to its parent label, Lyric Street.

It's a tough business!

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