Born A Musician and Never Giving Up

MG_2583 I am a singer/songwriter guitarist from Santa Cruz, CA striving to become successful in the music industry.

I started singing Blue Bayou by Linda Rondstadt age 3 and heard a Heart song called “Crazy On you” that made we really want to pick up the guitar at age 9. I immediately started writing songs. I was a very strong story writer in elementary school with a vivid imagination, so it transferred easily to music for me. Sometimes I can’t even practice guitar without stopping to write a song. It’s something I just can’t help. I feel that I was destined to be a musician. It’s all I can ever remember doing or thinking about.

At age 12, I wrote a song, called “Rock On”, that became popular in my neighborhood and at the local elementary schools. Students were performing the song and dancing to it at their talent show- even a second grade class got up and performed it for Open House! The song was about my hometown, Santa Cruz, and it was very inspiring for the students and teachers. To this day, I am still asked to come back to one of the local elementary schools to speak to the children about writing and poetry.

The children loved me, however my own peers loved the song at first and then ended up teasing me about it and made fun of it. But that’s when I realized I had the making of a hit song- my peers couldn’t get it out of their head and resented me for it. I then challenged myself to write different styles of songs that my peers would like, such as punk and metal songs.

Then people, mostly guys, teased me about how I played the guitar, which made me stronger; though I didn’t have the money for all the fancy lesson that they had. I took some lessons to help me until I couldn’t afford them anymore, then I started learning how to play by ear and started writing more intricate songs. After that, I started to play equally as good as they did, if not better. Looking at the shock on their faces was a very powerful feeling for me.

My peers would also at times say that I’d never make it in the music business, which only forced me to work harder. As they were playing local small venues, I ventured out and started to perform in other cities. Two of my original songs even won a contest through Seventeen Magazine and they flew me out to Philadelphia to perform. My songs have also had air play on college radio, such as UC Berkley, Santa Clara University, San Jose State & UCI Chicago. I’ve also played as many shows as possible and one thing led to anther and I had the privilege of performing for the San Francisco 49ers thee times. I also got a Guitar Sponsorship, which led me to performance at Winter NAMM 2011.

No matter what, no show was too small for me and because of that, I was playing at a local Middle School and someone saw me and recommended me to Laura Karpman- a four time Emmy Award Winning composer who asked me if I’d like to perform guitar for the “Hidden World of Girls” with a world famous female conductor named Marin Alsop and a live orchestra. Just recently I was fortunate enough to be found on youtube by Prisoner Productions, who picked me to be featured as one of the top young female musicians in the country on a new online show called “You Play Like a Girl”, airing on vevo.com. I will always cherish my experience in filming for the episode and I am eternally grateful for having been a part of it.

Find me at: jackierocks.com

4 comments

  • Rick Jay

    I know what it is to eat your dream and sleep with it I have been trying to 67 years to make it and I’m still trying. but in the past it was money if you didn’t have it you didn’t get there and it is still that way but now we have the net but that sets another road of probs. I’m going to give Born a musician a go because I have nothing to loose. it is my life and dream and i’ll live it till the end. so I know what it means to never give up. I play keys a 6 and 12 string guitar sing and write. and I have my own home studio. thanks I hope it helps some one with there dream NEVER GIVE UP it’s you life and your dream thank you

  • Yay! You go girl! =)

  • Thank you so much!!! I’d love to jam! Just e-mail me sometime.

  • A

    Jackie – that was some rocking footage! As a drummer who digs rock and heavy metal, I would love to jam with you sometime! I have a feeling we will be hearing a lot more from you in the near future!

    And “Crazy on you” would make anyone want to be a rock star. That is an awesome song!

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