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| Erika Jo |
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"I didn't just wake up a year ago and say, 'Hey! I want to sing!'. It's all I've ever wanted to do. It's been a big focus in my life, even as a child."
-Erika Jo
| Date of Birth: November 2, 1986 |
| Birthplace: Angleton, Texas |
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| After years of singing and performing in her spare time, Erika Jo achieved stardom when, at only 18, she won the Nashville Star competition in April of 2005. Shortly thereafter, she released a single, "I Break Things," and a self-titled debut album. |
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| We like Erika Jo's centered personality and work ethic, both all the more impressive in light of her prodigious talent. It's great how she, not yet out of her teens, can sing about all sorts of adult heartbreak and hurtin' -- and still make us believe it. |
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Erika Jo Heriges was born on November 2, 1986, in Angleton, Texas. Eighteen months later, she moved with her father Bo and mother Paige to Mount Juliet, Tennessee, a town 15 miles outside of Nashville. Two years later, Erika's sister Shelby Lynne was born, completing the family. By this time, Erika Jo was already on the road with her father's band.
While her schedule was a busy one, Erika Jo stayed in school and remained focused on her education. But music was her passion, and once she reached her teens, her role in the band had evolved, from a cute (though talented) guest to a serious frontwoman. Throughout her high school years, Erika Jo was performing as many as 80 times a year, and had traveled to 26 states and even out of the country on her tour dates. Erika Jo was a finalist on the True Value Country Showdown in 1999, and appeared on the small screen on Crook & Chase, Prime Time Country and Destination Stardom.
When Nashville Star (the country equivalent of American Idol) first appeared on the USA Network, Erika Jo tried out for the show, feeling her extensive experience would make up for her young age. Unfortunately, she didn't advance far. But she tried again for the show's third season in 2004, as it had been revamped to have a more youthful, cutting-edge feel.
This time around, Erika Jo made it through every stage of the competition, which started in November 2004. Ironically, she was less interested in winning than she was in getting the professional opinion of the judges. "I went there thinking, 'I just really want to hear what these people have to say,'" she recalls. She still thought that school would come first, particularly after the music school at Nashville's Belmont University accepted her right before she was named a finalist. But then, on April 26, 2005, she was voted the winner of Nashville Star, beating out fellow finalists Jason Meadows and Jody Evans. |
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© Michael Caulfield
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