Country singer Jo Dee Messina has spoken out about the harsh criticism she faced early in her career.
In a recent interview on “The Bobby Bones Show,” the 55-year-old “Bye Bye” singer admitted that he was turned down by record companies when he first debuted because of his weight.
“I remember being turned down by a record label in Nashville. They told me I was too fat,” she said. “They told my producer, ‘Oh, if she was 10 pounds lighter, we would have signed her.'”
Messina said he was “devastated” to hear that, and when asked if he was able to let go of the criticism after his huge success in the music industry, he said he hadn’t, saying, “Thirty years later, I’m still talking about it. I couldn’t let it go.”
Messina recalled being disappointed, but said her sister, whom she calls her “biggest support,” encouraged her to “just keep going,” adding, “They say you have to pass a thousand exams before you get a contract.”
Messina broke into the music world in 1996 with her debut self-titled album, which featured one of the biggest hits of her career, “Heads Carolina, Tails California.” Her success continued with her second album, “I’m Alright,” which went double platinum.
The singer is set to release his first studio album in 12 years, Bridges, in the summer, and will release the album’s first single, “Sam Bridges,” on Friday. She celebrated the song’s release on Instagram, and fans couldn’t help but share her excitement.
One fan wrote in the comments section: “I keep playing this song nonstop because it’s so awesome🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥.” Another added: “Oh I missed your voice! That song is 🔥.”
Her last studio album, Me, was released in 2014 and included songs such as “Peace Sign” and “Female Rant.”
Messina then announced in September 2017 that he had been diagnosed with cancer in an open letter posted to his Facebook account, but the letter was signed by Team JDM, not the artist himself.
“As many of you know, Jo Dee is a believer who is blessed to be surrounded by God’s love, a love that has brought her peace of mind,” the letter said. “Even in her lowest days, she could see God’s hand at work and feel God’s love as she continued to walk.”
The post continued, “It was because of her father’s love that she was able to find beauty in the days when she might have felt the most fear, gratitude in the moments that many would have called injustice, and companionship when she might have felt the most alone.”
After receiving treatment that fall, Messina announced that he was in remission and had returned to performing by March 2018.
“I started going to the hospital once a year and getting blood tests and scans as needed,” she said on “The Bobby Bones Show.”
Messina is currently touring across America to promote her upcoming album, and told Bones and co-hosts that her show is “very active.”
“I don’t stay still. There are two songs where I play guitar, and those are the songs where I’m the most still,” she said. “Other than that, I’m running around, banging my head… there’ll be a lot of pictures of my hair flying around. It’s not a pretty show.”
