On June 6 and June 7 Nashville Crush with special guest Jessica Kenney spent hours meeting fans. The group also performed live at Tequila Cowboy on Broadway in downtown Nashville on Wednesday night.
“We had a charter bus full of fans from Ohio who made the trip to Nashville with us,” Kenney said. “Each person received a T-shirt and a Nashville Crush koozie. On Thursday and Friday nights, we had activities planned with the fans because we are so appreciative of them supporting us.”
Kenney said she has been to CMA Music Festival in the past, but this year offered her a new experience to interact with more fans, one-on-one.
“I love the people. I feel like country music has the best fans, because none of us may know each other, but when we are in a place like LP Field watching all of the different artists perform, it’s like we’ve known each other forever. We have met so many great people.”
Kenney said she took her first voice lesson at age 10. She started singing with a band when she was 14. Most recently, she has been performing alongside the Ohio-based band, Nashville Crush.
“With Nashville Crush, everything feels so perfect. It’s not forced or anything. The connection and energy are amazing. The audience feels it, too,” Kenney said.
In addition to Kenney's musical endeavors, she has also launched a non-profit organization called "I Believe in Me" or the IBIM Team (www.ibimteam.com) to encourage teens to believe in themselves in the midst of today's challenges and peer pressure.
“It helps to build self-confidence in young girls and teens, so that they don’t let other people determine who they are as a person,” Kenney said.
“In high school, people get jealous and can be really mean. It’s important to know that there’s more outside of high school and to be able to say to yourself, ‘I am beautiful,’ ‘I am talented,’ ‘I am smart,’ ‘I am worthy’ and whenever you look in the mirror, instead of saying, ‘Ugh, look at my hair,’ say, ‘I am blessed to actually have hair.’ I think it’s important to know who you are and honestly believe in yourself.”
In the fall, Kenney plans to attend Belmont University in Nashville to pursue a Music Business degree.
“I see myself pursuing music as a career because when I’m on stage, it feels like home and there’s no other place I would rather be,” Kenney said.
The 2013 four-day CMA Music Festival broke attendance records with more than 80,000 in attendance. Fans came from all 50 states and more than 27 countries. The event has sold out for the past four years. Fan Fair X debuted this year and was held inside Music City Center, a space devoted to autographs, photo ops, special events and intimate, live music settings. With the new center, the space tripled in size over 2012’s attendance.
Tickets are now on sale for CMA Music Festival 2014, which will be held on Thursday, June 5 through Sunday, June 8 at www.ticketmaster.com. For more information, go to www.cmaworld.com. Also, visit www.nashvillecrush.com and www.jessicakenney.com for the latest news and upcoming tour dates.
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