'DWTS': Jimmie Allen used to 'live in a car' before becoming country singer
Jimmie Allen is one of the brightest young talents in country music and he is slowly and steadily making a name for himself. After achieving a lot of success in the recent past, the country music star will be entering the highly popular dance reality competition ‘Dancing with The Stars’ on ABC.
A lot of musicians like Nelly, Ally Brooke, Tinashe, Lindsey Stirling, Normani, and more have previously entered the show in order to win the biggest prize. However, none of them could win the finale. Allen has the perfect opportunity to win the prestigious trophy.
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Allen has the experience of being on a reality TV show as he began his career by being a contestant on American Idol. However, ‘DWTS’ is different and here, he won’t have to show his singing skills to win hearts, instead, he has to shake his body to mesmerize everyone. Let’s take a look at why he is nervous to be a part of the show.
Jimmie Allen and American Idol
Born on June 18, 1985, Allen had a rough childhood and lived in poverty for the most part of it. Even though he did not have money to pursue a career in music, he took a chance and gave an audition for ‘America’s Got Talent’. But, he could not go past the preliminary rounds. After a lot of effort, he also went on to audition for the tenth season of ‘American Idol’. Even though the judges were highly impressed by his voice, he could not get past the live voting rounds.
In an interview, Allen revealed that he became fond of listening to country music when he was small as his dad used to hear a lot of country music. He also revealed that he used to live in a car before he made it big in the field of music. Allen said, “I went a day or two without food. I remember a guy gave me a dollar and I literally got a McChicken from McDonald's, it was a Wednesday. I ate half on Wednesday and the other half on Thursday.”
The singer also noted that he had only $21 in his pocket before starting to work in a gym.
Allen’s entry to country music
After a lot of struggle, Allen finally signed a publishing deal with Wide Open Music, a song-writing imprint formed by former singer-songwriter Ash Bowers. However, his moment of glory came in 2017 when he performed for the representatives of Broken Bow Records in early 2017 and was signed by the label for his self-titled debut EP. His first single, ‘Best Shot’ was released in 2018 and garnered a lot of success. The song went on to reach number one on the US Country Airplay chart. By reaching the top of the Billboard chart, he became the first Black artist to have his debut single on the top of the Country Airplay chart.
The single gave Allen his first-ever nomination at the CMT Music Awards in the Breakthrough Video of the Year category.
Meanwhile, he was nominated for the New Male Artist of the Year accolade at the Academy of Country Music Awards. The singer later revealed that his grandmother and his son were the inspiration behind the song. Allen would continue his golden run with the second single, ‘Make Me Want To’, as well. The song also topped the Billboard chart and was certified Platinum by the Recording Academy.
Speaking about his achievement, Allen noted, “Hopefully a few years from now, a black guy comes into country music, it’s not ‘the first black guy to do this.’ It’s just, ‘Cool, you’re another country artist.'”
Earlier this year, he was nominated at the Academy of Country Music Awards in the New Male Artist of the Year category and became the first Black solo performer to win the award in the history of ACM Awards. While giving his acceptance speech, Allen revealed that he wanted to “win this award” since he “was a kid”. He further stated, “I remember watching the ACMs growing up. I would start on the couch and when the winner won the category, I had to walk up and stand by the TV and give my acceptance speech. This is something I've wanted for a while and it's pretty cool that it's here.”
‘Nervous’ for being a part of ‘DWTS’
The rising country star revealed on Instagram that he is “nervous as heck” to be a part of the ‘Dancing with the Stars’. He stated, “Looking forward to this season of @dancingabc it’s gonna be fun. I'm nervous as heck but we're ready.”
‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 2 will be premiering exclusively on ABC on Monday, September 20, at 8 pm EST.
