A veteran country singer recently revealed that early in her career, a Nashville record label told her to hit the road, not the charts, because she was “too fat.”
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During a recent interview on The Bobby Bones Show, Jo Dee Messina revealed that a record label rejected her early in her career because of her weight.
“I remember I got turned down by a record label in Nashville. They said I was too fat,” the 55-year-old recalled. “They told my producer that, ‘Oh, if she was 10 pounds lighter, we’d have signed her.’”
The “Bring On the Rain” singer admitted she was “devastated” by the comment. When asked if she was able to move past the critique after making it big in the music industry, Messina revealed the words still affect her today.
“It’s 30 years later, I’m still talking about it,” she said. “I didn’t let it go.”
Although Messina was discouraged by the rejection, she said her sister, whom she called her “greatest support,” encouraged her to persevere. She told her to “just keep going,” adding, “They say you have to get passed on a thousand times before you get a deal.”
Jo Dee Messina Set to Release First Album in a Dozen Years
Messina broke into the country music world in 1996 with her self-titled debut album, which included one of her biggest hits, “Heads Carolina, Tails California.” Her success continued with her second album, I’m Alright, which went double platinum.
Messina is set to drop her first studio album in 12 years, Bridges, this summer. She released the album’s first single, “Some Bridges,” on March 13 and celebrated its debut on Instagram.
Of course, fans of the veteran country star took to the comments section, brimming with excitement for a new album after quite a dry spell.
“Wahoooooo!!! I’ve downloaded it from Apple and played it twice already!! Have a great night!! It’s amazing! And I’m so happy for you!” one fan gushed. “It’s been on repeat since I woke up!!! Love it!!!!!!” another enthused fan wrote. “Love every single bit of this,” a third fan chimed in.
While touring America to promote her upcoming album, Messina told Bones and his co-host that her shows are “very active.”
“I don’t stand still. There’s two songs where I play a guitar on, and that’s about the stillest I get,” she insisted. “And then, other than that, I’m running around. I’m head-banging … You’ll see a lot of pictures, my hair flying. It’s not a beauty show by any means.”