Recently, Lori Shropshire of Music News Nashville had a chance to conduct a telephone interview with JoDell. When she called JoDell, the artist was on her way to rehearsal and pulled to the side of the road to do the interview. Now that’s dedication!

Lori: I listened to your CD today, and it’s very nice. You’ve obviously had some voice training.

JoDell: Yes. And I do take lessons, believe it or not.

Lori: That’s good; nothing wrong with that.

JoDell: If I get a new song and I’m having trouble—you know, you always need a set of ears to help you.

Lori: What age were you when you started singing?

JoDell: My mom told me I woke up singing and went to bed singing, and they nicknamed me Chickadee. I sang in the car, sang at work, sang in the church choir—I’ve been singing all my life. But my husband really pushed me into doing the CD and taking it a step further, so I have him to thank. I’m really enjoying it.

Lori: How long ago was that, when you got serious about recording?

JoDell: About eight years ago.

Lori: What about the songwriting—when did that start?

JoDell: I’d always make up these songs in my head but I never put them down! So I started writing them down about eight years ago.

Lori: I looked at your website. It looks like you’re doing a lot of tours and shows.

JoDell: Yes I am, and I’m enjoying it.

Lori: Which came first—did you record and then tour, or did you decide to make the record after you’d already been playing out?

JoDell: Actually, the CD came first. People would ask me to sing at little local things, but when it started getting serious was after the CD. People would say “I love your voice, would you come sing with me?” Then I needed to put a band together. Having a team of professional musicians with me has been a fun, rewarding experience.

Lori: Tell me about putting a band together, because that sounds like a project.

JoDell: It is a project! I started interviewing musicians and it was trial and error, making sure they all get along and it’s one big happy family. But it’s a great team and I love it, and they all work hard. It’s been fun and a learning experience. It’s a lot more work than I ever thought it would be, but when you’re doing something you love that’s okay. The work is worth it.

Lori: That does make a difference. It looks like you’re based out of Tampa, Florida.

JoDell: I am.

Lori: I was looking at the writers on your songs; I see you’ve got a few by Tim Johnson. He’s one of my favorite writers.

JoDell: He is so talented. I was so lucky to be able to have some of the songs to record.

Lori: How did you go about finding songs for the project?

JoDell: I travel back and from to Nashville, and I’m going to be doing a lot more of that. I’m hoping to take my career to the next level, whatever that would be. I’d like to tour a bit more.

Lori: How does it work when you’re scouting for songs in Nashville as an independent artist? Do you go to publishers, or is that something your management does for you?

JoDell: The producer helped me get songs, and when I sent my CD up [to Nashville] a couple of the songwriters heard it and I guess it was word of mouth. I was sent a lot of songs and I picked the ones I wanted.

Lori: That brings me to my next question—how do you decide which songs you want to record?

JoDell: It’s a hard process; there are a lot of very talented songwriters in Nashville. I didn’t know who the songwriters were.

Lori: So you just went with whatever moved you?

JoDell: Yes.

Lori: The songs you wrote yourself sound pretty autobiographical.

JoDell: Yes, they are.

Lori: Were you really a tomboy?

JoDell: Yes, and I still am!

Lori: On the cover, there you are in your overalls. And on the flip side of that we’ve got Glam Girl.

JoDell: I know! I’d rather be in my overalls!

Lori: Well, you clean up real nice! That’s a good picture.

JoDell: Thank you.

Lori: Which is your favorite song off the CD?

JoDell: It depends what mood I’m in, but I really like Unraveling.

Lori: I like that a lot too.

JoDell: When I talk to people they all have a different song they like. There’s just not one that seems to stand out. A lot of people like That’s the Way Love’s Suppose to Be. My girlfriend’s daughter sings it in the bathroom, and she’s three years old.

Lori: When you’ve got the three year old audience you’re doing something right. They’re very honest about what they like and don’t like!

JoDell: That’s true!

Lori: I liked They Don’t Take Pictures of That. That’s a really cool song.

JoDell: That’s another good one. It’s hard for me—I really liked the title track, and also Flying Colors.

Lori: More Than I Ever Dreamed is a great album name. It sums up the whole project real well. I also liked After Her, Before You. It’s got a cool little twist.

JoDell: There’s a nice variety.

Lori: You said you’re rehearsing tonight. How often do you rehearse?

JoDell: Once a week, if we’re learning new songs. I’ve been in the studio the last couple of months, I’m getting ready to put out another CD. Eight of the tracks I wrote with another songwriter here and I’m hoping that I can get a couple more songs from Nashville. I’d like to have a variety.

Lori: What’s the tour schedule like right now?

JoDell: It’s just picking up. We’re building a fan base and having fun, and everyone is enjoying the shows. Right now I’m just in the Tampa Bay area. Hopefully we’ll get up to Alabama, I’ve been doing some PR up there.

Lori: You said you have a new project you’re working on. When do you anticipate the new CD will be finished?

JoDell: When you’re doing everything yourself, trying to balance everything, time flies. I hope to have it done in three to four months. I know that sounds crazy with work and everything, and I’m doing everything myself …

Lori: If you’ve got eight of the songs recorded already that’s not unrealistic.

JoDell: That’s right. I’d like to have it done sooner but we’ll have to wait and see.

Lori: At what point did you decide to get a manager?

JoDell: When things started getting really hectic for me!

Lori: It was time to delegate, right?

JoDell: Yeah! I couldn’t keep up with everything!

Lori: You always wonder when you see people building a career—what happens when and what’s the sequence of events? It’s probably different for everybody, but I was just wondering what it was like for you.

JoDell: Well, when I found myself not having time to write songs and do the things I want because I’m doing other things. I can’t do everything, I’m not knowledgeable about everything, so I felt in order to get to the next level I had to get management.

Lori: Absolutely.

JoDell: It helps if you have a creative team of people working with you.

Lori: You said you’ve written eight songs for the new project. Were you just writing more, or did you want to be more involved in the writing on this project?

JoDell: It just happened; I just started writing more.

Lori: When you write, is it strictly for you? Or do you ever think “Maybe someone else might want to sing this?”

JoDell: When I write—it’s really weird. All of a sudden something will come into my head and I’ll start singing it. Sometimes I don’t even know where it came from. So it doesn’t necessarily have to be about me or what I’m going through. I’ll see a sign or hear somebody say something and I’ll put it into a song. By the time the song is finished, it doesn’t necessarily represent what was said. You just go with the twist of the song and hope your fans like it.

Lori: The creative process is a funny thing, isn’t it?

JoDell: It really is. Sometimes when I start writing on paper—it’s not the song I end up with.

Lori: They do have a mind of their own, don’t they?

JoDell: They do.

Lori: You mentioned your job; do you still have the day gig at this point?

JoDell: Not at this point. I’m not longer doing that. My work is my music, 24/7.

Lori: That’s a good place to be.

JoDell: It really is, I enjoy it.

Lori: Are you planning to do any shows in Nashville anytime soon?

JoDell: I hope so; it would be awesome.

Lori: We’ll be watching for you. I’ll let you go; I know you’re sitting on the side of the road. This is a true musician interview, by the way, when you’ve pulled to the side of the road on the way to rehearsal!

JoDell: It really doesn’t!

Lori: Thank you so much for talking with me.

JoDell: Thank you.