Meet Jackson Snelling

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackson Snelling.

Hi Jackson, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My story begins with my brother & I being fostered to adopt kids and were adopted at a very early age. So I started singing when I was only 2 years old. in sign language to My older brother who has autism. He wasn’t able to speak until he was 7 years old so up until that point, our whole family learned sign language to communicate with my brother. But it wasn’t until I was about 4 years old that I actually started singing.

And you know at that age it was nursery rhymes and little sign songs. And my dad would always tell my mom that I was gonna be a singer someday. Well, a few years later when I was 7 years old my dad passed away in his sleep. Leaving me my mom and my brother behind. After his passing, we did end up moving from Upton Ky to Austin In because of the school system for my brother they had amazing classes for kids with autism. I have a different kind of autism than my brother his is more developmental whereas mine was behavioral. So the school system was a perfect fit for both of us.

Well when we got to Austin it wasn’t until middle school that I started singing I sang my first solo in my sixth-grade year and after that is when I and my mom decided to take the music seriously and actually make a career out of it. So I’d post videos on YouTube and Facebook but it wouldn’t be until my freshman year three years later that I would get my first gig. So I spent the summer of my freshman year gigging around town and near where I lived and at the end of summer my mom convinced me to audition for American idol. Which I didn’t make that year. So I’d auditioned for American idol since I was 15 and I didn’t get on until I was 18 in 2020.

And American idol changed everything for me I went from just gigging around where I lived to travel to different states to perform. Needless to say, even though I didn’t get a golden ticket they aired my whole audition, and just from that my career was moving faster than it ever was. In 2020 my video for “If I Only Knew”, was submitted to the Josie Music Awards, I won video of the year in 2020. Last year I was able to perform “If I Only Knew”, during the 2021 JMA’S which was amazing. I won the Entertainer of the Year fan choice award in 2021, This year I’m up for 7 seven nominations which are being held at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Being involved with the JMA family has helped my music career tremendously, I was one of six chosen to perform at the Wilson County/Tennessee State Fair from the JMA family. With my music career advancing and regularly performing at the Commodore Grill I am currently searching for a place to live here in Nashville. This is where I need to be.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Struggles, what is life without struggles (laughing)? In the beginning, I was only fifteen years old and my mom had her hands full with trying to get by on social security. Somehow she managed to get me what I needed to succeed (my mom is amazing).

Within my five years of performing, I have faced the challenges of not having a band which causes some to not respect me as an artist, which can be very disheartening when there are quite a few successful artists who are soloists.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
So I am a singer-songwriter and currently I pretty much do that full time. I would have to say I specialize in writing songs that come from a personal place and are relatable to your average person. And as for something that I am most proud of it would have to be how many people my music has helped over the years. I’ve had so many messages about one of my songs (If I Only Knew) which is a song that I wrote to bring more attention to suicide awareness.

And these messages span from people explaining how my song has either stopped them from taking their own life or how the song has helped them cope with the loss of someone close to them who took their own life. And just knowing that my music can save someone or touch someone so deeply help the get through a hard time and makes me so proud of what I do. And as for something that sets me apart from others I would have to say it’s how I write my music. And the realness of it all.

What makes you happy?
What makes me happy is when I’m performing on stage and the crowd starts singing along with me. Crowd participation is the best gift. I also enjoy letting people young & old come up and sing a song with me.

It’s wonderful to see them overcome their shyness and sing like a rockstar, with hopes of giving them the courage that they can achieve their dreams no matter what.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jacksonsnelling.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snellingjackson/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/JacksonSnelling02
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tW55mXjxUJA

Image Credits
American Idol, ABC.com, Fremantle productions, and Joel Jackson