Jacy Dawn Valeras
Candy and Jacy Dawn Valeras
Jacy Dawn says she remembers the date like it was yesterday: December 9, 1999. She was 15 years old and on her way to sing the National Anthem. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Crystal Gayle’s tour bus parked behind the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. She convinced her mother to stop, got out, knocked on the tour bus door, and asked if she could meet her idol. The tour manager invited her back after the show, and just before she left, Jacy reached into her purse and handed him her demo tape. Later that night, the teenager stood in the wings with Crystal Gayle, who posed for a picture and signed her autograph. About 5 years later, Jacy Dawn would stand in the same spot after her own sold-out show, greeting fans, posing for pictures, and signing autographs.
Some people call this a full-circle moment, but as you’ll soon find out, Jacy Dawn Valeras has had a lot of those. I met her six years ago, and her rise in the entertainment business is a tutorial in perseverance and the art of the pivot.
It’s hard to describe this media superstar, but looking back at her career trajectory will shed some light on what it took for a girl from Chelmsford, Massachusetts, to make it in Nashville, Tennessee.
Jacy was 5 years old when she became fascinated by Nickelodeon’s “The Elephant Show” starring Canadian singing trio Sharon, Lois & Bram. Her hazel eyes landed on the singer in the middle and Lois Lilienstein became her first role model. She begged her parents to take her to their concerts and memorized their songs, envisioning herself singing on stage someday. Always shy and introverted, the ability to sing became Jacy’s greatest source of confidence. She started making money as a singer at only 13, performing at weddings, town events, and political rallies. A student at Chelmsford High School, she wore black dresses to school, not because goth was in style, but because she was being excused to sing at someone’s funeral.
Jacy’s vocal coach hand-picked her to be a part of the vocal group Angels Among Us. The four teenage girls performed at high-profile events and venues, including Madison Square Garden. This experience taught Jacy about marketing, branding, promotions, developing a fan base, and what it takes to bring the “wow factor” to an ensemble performance. When the group was offered a record deal as a Christian group, they declined. For Jacy, there were no regrets. At 18, it was time for her to step out as a solo country artist.
Billed as “Jacy Dawn,” the singer gave herself a crash course in building a career in country music by reading books and articles on the entertainment industry and liner notes on the backs of CDs. She taught herself graphic design to create her own album art and publicity posters for concerts. Jacy binge-watched episodes of VH-1’s “Behind the Music” to hear the stories of her musical heroes and manifested her goals on vision boards.
Says Jacy, “I have always cut out pictures of things that I want to have happen in my career and, believe it or not, 75% of the artists I wanted to meet as a young singer, I have pictures of myself with today.”
The work Jacy Dawn put into her solo career fed her success like rocket fuel. She checked “yes” to every opportunity, whether it was paid or not. Backed by drums, bass, two guitarists, keyboards and a backup singer, Jacy Dawn developed a solid reputation and opened for countless A-listers including Willie Nelson, Reba McIntyre, Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes, Tanya Tucker, and Darius Rucker.
Standing on the stage at Jellystone Park in New Hampshire, singing the Righteous Brothers classic “Unchained Melody,” Jacy reached for the high note and her voice stopped. “It was as if someone had taken a knife to my throat,” says Jacy. It was the worst pain. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. That moment was the beginning of the end of my singing career. My voice never fully came back.”
For the next couple of years, Jacy looked for answers from the best doctors and did everything she could to build back her voice, but her vocal range and power were never the same. Feeling lost, Jacy started writing in her journal and those words became songs. Before she knew it, Jacy had written hundreds of songs, unleashing a new way to connect herself to the music she loved. There’s only one place for a country music songwriter and that place is Nashville, so Jacy decided it was time to make the move. At her side was her gifted guitarist and future husband, Mike Valeras, who became her anchor, sharing her dream of finding success in Music City.
And so, on a warm, sunny morning in June of 2009, Jacy and Mike pulled out of his parent’s driveway in a U-Haul truck bound for Nashville. Folded up in the palm of her hand was an old dollar bill her father gave her when he kissed her goodbye. He said, “If you keep this dollar bill and never spend it, you’ll never be broke.”
“It was as if someone had taken a knife to my throat,” says Jacy. It was the worst pain. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. That moment was the beginning of the end of my singing career. My voice never fully came back.”
Nashville, Tennessee, is a friendly city, but it takes a while to be accepted into the tight-knit entertainment community there. Undeterred, Jacy continued writing songs, learned how to play the guitar, and worked for a record label. She networked and forged friendships with country music legends that last to this day, including TG Sheppard and his wife, Kelly Lang, Ricky Skaggs, Pam Tillis, Lorrie Morgan, Crystal Gayle, and the late Naomi Judd and her husband, Larry Stickland, just to name a few. With 30 songs placed on multiple country albums, Jacy offers this advice to budding songwriters:
“Find where your weakness is and fill that hole. Don’t enter a Nashville writer’s room without a notebook filled with hooks, phrases, verses, and melodies. Understand the rich history of the city, especially the role of the Grand Ole Opry and never forget to show respect for the heroes and legends of country music.”
Of course, “everybody plays and everybody sings” in Nashville, but Jacy figured out what many artists need and do not have: media marketing support. Always looking for new ways to connect herself to country music, Jacy founded Platinum Circle Media and has a long list of artists who rely on her for web development, social media strategy, and graphic design. Platinumcirclemedia.com.
In 2019, Jacy sent me an email, saying she had listened to me on Magic 106.7 when she was growing up and wondered if we might meet in person the next time she was in Boston. On the day we met, I knew I was in the presence of someone whose true power came from doing what she loves the best way she knows how. I featured her on my series, “The Story Behind Her Success,” and as our friendship bloomed, we hatched an idea to launch our Nashville-based podcast “Country Music Success Stories.” Timing is everything, and although the pandemic shut down the world for a while, we persevered through three seasons and 46 episodes, winning international awards for our unique content.
What made the show memorable was where we did our interviews. Jacy and I sat down for long-form interviews in the living rooms, back porches, and at the kitchen tables of country music superstars, giving them an extra layer of comfort which resulted in a heightened sense of trust and unforgettable interviews. What I noticed about Jacy was her ability to create a connection with the artist, rooted in a mutual love for the music. Her reputation as an interviewer in Nashville quickly grew and she was hired as the host of “CountryLine TV,” doing short-form on-camera interviews. Perhaps Jacy’s secret ingredient is that she understands the heart of an artist, because, deep down inside, she will always be one. Says Jacy, “Anybody can sit down and ask someone questions, but if my history and my background in entertainment give me an edge, I’m grateful for it.”
Jacy is now at the helm of Nashville Entertainment TV. Launched in the summer of 2024 on Canyon Star TV, the 30-minute, magazine-style show includes long form interviews with a wide variety of entertainers, including Lucie Arnaz and, most recently, Ringo Starr. Buoyed by her popular podcast, “FAMOUS,” and her new podcast, “Becoming FAMOUS,” Jacy keeps opening new chapters in a life story that’s so interesting you just can’t put it down.
“Find where your weakness is and fill that hole. Don’t enter a Nashville writer’s room without a notebook filled with hooks, phrases, verses, and melodies. Understand the rich history of the city, especially the role of the Grand Ole Opry and never forget to show respect for the heroes and legends of country music.”
Reflecting on her career journey, Jacy told me, “Losing my voice was the worst thing that ever happened to me, but it was also a gift because it taught me to adjust and pivot. Getting to talk to people about the thing that I’ve loved since I was a kid? That’s a childhood dream come true.”
Does manifesting your success work? I think you’ll agree, Jacy’s story is pretty compelling. Remember how she loved “The Elephant Show” as a child and idolized Lois Lilienstein in the group, Sharon, Lois & Bram? Well, hanging in Jacy’s office is Lois’ gold record, and in her living room is Lois’ piano, both are gifts from the late singer’s grateful family. Why? Because Jacy is Sharon, Lois & Bram’s creative director and the co-producer of their latest albums. She has a saved voicemail from Naomi Judd reminding her that “she’s unique and special” and a note from Crystal Gayle that reads:
I remember the young girl I met in Lowell, Massachusetts, and I am very proud of the beautiful woman she has become.
And that dollar bill Jacy’s father gave her as the U-Haul pulled out of the driveway, bound for Nashville? It is safely tucked away in a memory box. Trust me, she’ll never spend it.
There are so many life lessons here. Finding new ways to accomplish our goals often requires reinvention, because things don’t always turn out as we had planned. Jacy’s advice?
“Remember why you started. Remember what you loved as a child. Visualize your success and keep that spark alive inside of you.”
That’s where your power is.
