“You’re going to Hollywood.”
Standing in front of “American Idol” judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, 18-year-old Starkville singer-songwriter Jennifer Jeffries could barely believe she was hearing those words.
But on Sunday, Jeffries’ performance aired as a part of an episode from the 22nd season of the singing competition show on ABC. She received three “yeses” after performing her original song “Change My Ways,” which she wrote from her hometown bedroom.
“I couldn’t really believe it,” Jeffries said on Friday. “I got three yeses, but as they were saying it, in my head, I was like ‘Is this actually happening? Is this real?’ I was in shock. But it felt amazing, those … dreams actually coming true.”
The Hollywood Week episodes of “American Idol” were filmed last year but haven’t yet aired. While fans will have to wait to know the next part of Jeffries’ “American Idol” journey until new episodes air, she told The Dispatch the story of how she got to Hollywood.
‘She’s always written songs’
Jeffries said she started playing and songwriting when she was about 9 years old. But her mother, Sheila Jeffries, remembers her daughter creating music in her house even earlier, before she could even write the songs down.
“Even when she was just a little bitty thing, she would get pencils or wooden spoons, and she would beat on the couch like it was a drum, and she would sing,” Sheila said. “… She’s always written songs.”
Over the years, Jennifer’s songwriting improved and grew into her current style. She started channeling her emotions into her music, calling songwriting “therapeutic.” She said she often goes out to the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge to write her music.
“It’s just lakes and the woods and just beautiful scenery,” Jennifer said. “And I’ll go out there, and I’ll bring my guitar. And I’ll just play guitar, write some songs, and it’s just very therapeutic. It’s one of my favorite spots.”
But the song Jennifer performed in her audition for the American Idol judges, “Change My Ways,” she said she wrote as a “testimony song.”
“I was struggling with how to live for God when you sometimes want to live in the world, you know?” Jennifer said. “I just started writing.”
She said “American Idol” was always in the back of her mind, as family and friends encouraged her to go on the show over the years. But last summer, she finally decided to take the leap after going on a mission trip to Virginia.
“We were singing in the congregation, and the lady in front of me turned around and she said, ‘I don’t know who you are, but you need to go on ‘American Idol,’” she said. “… I took that as my sign.”
Auditions
Jennifer auditioned virtually, sending in a video of her singing to the show. After a week or two of waiting, she got a call asking if she would sing in front of some of the show’s producers and executives.
“I didn’t think my video would get seen because so many people send in videos,” Jennifer said. “But I was overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude for the opportunity I was given.
When Jennifer was asked if she wanted to sing for the judges, she said she was “out of this world” excited.
Soon, she was standing in front of Richie, Perry and Bryan in Tuskegee, Alabama.
“It was kind of hard for me to believe it was real and I was actually there, but they were as nice as could be, which made it a lot better and calmed my nerves a little bit,” she said.
‘Crazy big city’
Jennifer said after she got her ticket, she focused on writing new songs and learning covers for the competition. She said music is what she wants to do for the rest of her life, which means “American Idol” is a “huge” priority.
She’s also had to make other adjustments. Jennifer said she had never been to a “crazy big city” before the show, but she was “excited for the change.”
After her audition episode aired, Jennifer said she received a ton of support from friends and family about the show. Sheila said she spent a day or two responding to all of the supportive messages she got from local people.
Sheila also called the whole experience surreal but said she is not surprised.
“We’ve seen this coming,” Sheila said. “She just has a way with writing songs and a beautiful voice. A voice that – to us – was always just Jennifer’s voice. We’ve always heard it. But to the rest of the country, we keep hearing ‘her voice is so unique.’”
Episodes of American Idol Season 22 air at 7 p.m. Sundays on ABC. For more information on the show’s next episodes, go to abc.com.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 38 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
