Artist to Watch: The JaneDear Girls

The JaneDear girls owe a big debt of gratitude to John Rich who has been instrumental in helping the duo find its way to Music Row and to their record deal with Warner Music Nashville. John first became an advocate for the duo ,which is made up of Texan Danelle Leverett and Utah native Susie Brown, after seeing the pair perform at one of the Muzik Mafia events and proceeded to guide them through the sometimes treacherous waters of making it in the music business.

Before Danelle and Susie joined forces as a twosome, they both were on the road to solo careers until one of Danelle’s friends suggest she see Susie’s show at a club in town. The two hit it off and began writing together and a bond was formed to pursue music as a duo. Now, the JaneDear girls are watching their dreams come true with their debut single “Wildflower,” a high-energy, spunky ode to growing up in the country.

For Susie, music had always been in her blood. She began playing the violin at the young age of four and proceeded to win the Utah State Fiddle Contest six years later at the age of 10. As one of seven children in her family, Susie was actively involved in her family’s band while growing up. Upon moving to Nashville, she landed gigs as a backup singer and musician for popular artists like Trisha Yearwood.

Meanwhile, Danelle’s passions growing up in Texas were mostly sports related as she was a competitive gymnast, but after she was injured, she immersed herself in learning how to play the guitar and the world of songwriting. Soon, Danelle had won a regional songwriting competition which encouraged her and by the time she was in college, she had signed a record deal with an indie label. After graduation, she packed up and moved to Music City where her connections soon lead her to Susie.

For more about the JaneDear girls, check out their official website.

Nikita Palmer for Citadel Digital © 2010

Check out more Artist to Watch

Advertisement