Janie Metts discusses trip to country capitol
Although Janie Metts has been singing her whole life, her face lit up as she talked about her newest ventures in the music business.
Only days after flying home from Nashville, Metts was overjoyed to sit outside among the familiar scenery of Five Points and talk about her trip.
“We edited for my new music video while I was there,” Metts said. “I’m really excited about it. I can’t wait for it to be ready.”
The Columbia native and 2010 USC graduate could not stop smiling as she talked about how she worked with Quaver Music and the National Association for Music Education at the Nashville staples the Ryman and the Grand Ole Opry. The aspiring country artist has been traveling and spreading her music in order to launch the career she’s been tirelessly working on.
Her busy schedule is familiar to her, though, as she spent her time at USC balancing school and music. Although she went to school for fashion merchandising, she knew her first passion was her music.
“I knew when I was little that I wanted to be a singer,” Metts said. “I used to sing a lot with my mom all the time.”
Before the alumna graduated, she spent time in between classes working jobs to pay for studio time and vocal lessons in hopes of pursuing a career in music.
On top of her busy college schedule, Metts joined with a commercial vocal coach in Columbia to hone her style and record five-song demos.
From there she met with Noel Golden from the old Edwin McCain studio in Greenville to revamp her style a little more.
Golden introduced her to Jan Smith, Atlanta-based vocal coach who has worked with big-name stars like Justin Bieber, Usher and Matchbox 20. With Smith’s guidance, Metts and Golden created a new demo featuring “If You’re Gonna Love Me,” “Sunny,” and “Boo Hoo Hoo,” which are for sale on iTunes.
A few years later, the same ambition she had throughout college is still there, helping her to burst into the country scene with her unique vocals and positive attitude, which includes a mix of her three singles. Keeping Columbia close to her heart, Fisher Films shot the music video right outside campus lines at 701 Whaley St.
The songs featured were all co-written by Golden, but Metts said she loves to write her own music has been writing since she was a small child.
“My dad would write down the lyrics and I’d scribble paintings to go with them,” she said. “We still have them upstairs in my house.”
Although her desire to write and perform hasn’t faded in the least, her writing process goes a little differently now. Metts said she gets inspiration for her original music from movies to old books to real-life events and even thoughts that pop in her head while in the shower.
“I keep those bath crayons in the shower,” Metts confessed. “If an idea pops in my head in the bath or shower I can write down the song.”
No matter how she comes up with her country songs, Metts said she is prepared to continue on the country path no matter how hard it is. She said she plans on moving to Nashville sometime next year to perform and release more singles, but is even more anxious to cross one item off her musical bucket list.
“I’ve always wanted to hear my song on the radio,” she said. “It’s been on local shows and stuff, but I just want a hit on the radio. That would just be so amazing.”
For more from Metts, like her Facebook fan page at facebook.com/janiemettsmusic, follow JanieMetts on Instagram and @janiemetts on Twitter.