Country Idol Finalist Returns to Music Roots

By Uriah Kiser

Stafford County, Va. — Jacquie Damm wowed the judges at a singing completion Saturday.

The 25-year-old belted out “Down,” by Miranda Lambert, a tune about a woman who breaks hearts and feels the pain of lost loves. Her rendition of that song was enough for the judges at a Country Idol competition held by a Fredericksburg radio station to advance her to the final round to compete with 10 other finalists on Feb. 18.

“I chose that song because it starts out slow with a deep voice, but then it speeds up and the voice reaches higher into what I call my ‘sweet spot.’ There I can add more character to what I’m singing because it’s in the top part of my range where I’m more comfortable,” said Damm.

It’s been a few years since Damm has sung. This competition served as a reminder her just how much she missed it.

She loves anything with a folksy blues sound, and said country music is a genre that incorporates much of her favorite sounds.

“It speaks to my heart,” said Damm.

After singing in high school choir, in musical theatre, and in an afterschool choir that met just for fun, in college she decided music was her calling. But hard economic times set in and she opted for a more stable career that would “pay the bills.”

Damm is now enrolled in nursing school because she’s been told she has a caring heart. But encouragement from family and friends, as well as the competition’s top prize of $1,000 and a chance to record a three-track demo CD, was enough to get her to sing again.

“My brother told me that god gave me a gift and that I should share it with others. I guess that’s why I’m doing this,” said Damm.

The Country Idol finals take place at 8 p.m. Saturday Feb. 18 at Brock’s Riverside Grill in Fredericksburg.