Ada LeAnn

Ada LeAnn Makes Grand Ole Opry Debut
Ada posted photos looking at herself in the mirror of her “very own dressing room” at Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry, “where legends have stayed and gotten ready.” She wrote in the caption that she was “so honored,” calling the situation “unreal.”

The singer was there to attend the Josie Music Awards, where she won the trophy for Pop Single of the Year for her song “Natalie,” which she performed on American Song Contest earlier this year. Ada also took the stage at the Opry to perform the track.

Ada’s EP For the Sake of Pete was also nominated for Female EP of the Year at the ceremony. The singer released the five-song project last year. Since competing on American Song Contest, she’s released several more singles, including “sold out on my heart” and “IMMA WRECK.”

Ada Made It to the American Song Contest Semifinals
Ada represented her home state of Michigan on American Song Contest earlier this year with her song “Natalie.” She was the youngest contestant on the show to reach the Semifinals, earning comparisons to Taylor Swift.

The song’s lyrics are addressed to a girl named Natalie, warning her about a boy. She sings on the chorus, “‘Cause he said, ‘Forever, I’m yours’ / But he probably said it to me and to you and to her / It started off so good, with every word, he swore he wouldn’t / But I was never the only one / And I’m sure I could never be Natalie.”Ada didn’t end up winning the show — that honor went to AleXa, who represented Oklahoma with her song “Wonderland.” But at just 17, Ada is already on track to having a great career. - Talentrecap.com

A holy moly moment just happened on “American Song Contest.” Michigan’s Ada LeAnn, the youngest singer in the competition, just advanced into the semifinals after the jury shot her all the way up to number one at the end of the show.

The 17-year old Battle Creek native is a junior in high school and is the only minor on the show. She doesn’t have to wait for America’s vote next Monday to find out if she’s headed to the semifinals. She learned tonight on the show airing on Monday, April 18, thanks to the jury vote which sent her through.

LeAnn performed with the fifth and final group of 11 singers, which also included Sisqó of “Thong Song” fame. He’s representing Maryland.

This singing competition features one singer from all 50 states, five U.S. territories and the nation’s capital. Contestants range from undiscovered talent like LeAnn, to rising stars to music icons like Jewel, who is representing Alaska and Michael Bolton, who is representing Connecticut.“The song I’m performing is “Natalie,” LeAnn said in her introduction. “It’s about a girl who got cheated on. You know, teenagers, a lot of time they’re feelings are sort of pinned down. I like to try and be a voice for those young people. Being so young and representing my state, I definitely feel pressure to live up to what we stand for.”

After her performance at the end of the show, LeAnn saw her name appear to the top of the jury board, automatically advancing her into the semifinals which begin next Monday at 8:00 p.m. on NBC.

LeAnn was born and raised in Battle Creek where she attends Lakeview High School. She says she’s been singing ever since she can remember, but didn’t really start pursuing it professionally until about two years ago when she was 14.

“Michigan is known for creating great American songwriters. Stevie Wonder, I see how young he was and I see how young I am and I say, how do I continue that legacy. I write every single day. I draw a lot of inspiration from Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish.”

Following her performance, the hosts of the show briefly reacted. “That was so good,” said host Kelly Clarkson. “Beautiful record,” added co-host Snoop Dogg.“American Song Contest” is the U.S. version of the famous “Eurovision Song Contest.” Each singer will perform live, original music, competing to win the country’s vote for the best hit song. The finale is just a few weeks away. - MLive.com

"Natalie" was the big winner at the annual Josie Music Awards, which means Battle Creek's Ada LeAnn is an even bigger winner when it comes to her rising singing career.

LeAnn, a senior at Lakeview High School, was invited to perform at the 8th annual Josie Music Awards on Sunday at the iconic Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. She earned her invitation after being nominated for Single of the Year in the pop category for her song "Natalie". Her EP, "For the Sake of Pete", was also nominated for EP of the Year.

The Battle Creek 17-year-old heard her named called as the winner for Single of the Year and went onstage to receive the award. According to LeAnn, that was almost as cool as when she graced the boards of the historic building later in the night to sing in front of the top people in the independent music industry. "I was definitely thrilled to take the stage and win that award," LeAnn said. "It was exciting, because I went to these awards last year and was nominated and didn't win. So it was cool to go up there and give a little speech to say how grateful I am to win and for the people that have helped me get there. It was super awesome.
"But going up on that stage later in the show to sing, was the more surreal moment for me. That stage is so iconic, it is a dream for so many artists to go up there. So that was amazing. ... I was nervous to sing, but it was almost like I was confident. I knew it was a big stage. And I just said to myself, there is no way I was going to mess up at the Grand Ole Opry."
The Josie Music Awards is described as the "largest, most respected, revered award show" for the independent music industry. Last year, LeAnn was nominated in the Teen Division. This year, she was in the Open Division, competing with some of the best artists in the country.

"It is easy to get discouraged when you are a small artist and you think no one is listening to your music, then something like this happens and it is very validating," LeAnn said.
Getting the nomination and a spot in the event came, in part, from her standout performance on NBC's singing show, "Great American Song Contest" in the spring. As the only teenager in the competition, and representing Michigan, LeAnn advanced to the semifinals. As part of her experience last week, LeAnn also appeared as the closing act at the Josie Music Awards Festival on Saturday night at the Nashville Palace.

And it has all come because of her breakthough song, "Natalie".

"I am really grateful for that song," LeAnn said. "That song has given me a lot of opportunities and opened a lot of doors."

LeAnn has delayed her return to high school life in Lakeview, having an extended stay in Nashville this week for some writing sessions. Earlier this month, she released her latest two songs − "I'm A Wreck" and "Sold Out On My Heart". Both are available on Spotify, with more information on her website www.adaleann.com. All of LeAnn's songs are available on all platforms, including Amazon, Pandora, iHeart Radio.

"Doing a lot of writing and recording this week, working with my producer here in Nashville," LeAnn said. "Excited about what we are doing and excited to share. I think it will be some of my best stuff yet." - Battle Creek Enquirer

When she was in sixth grade, Battle Creek’s Ada LeAnn wrote her first song –– a rather melancholy tune.

“It was sad,” conceded LeAnn, now 17 and a senior at Lakeview High School. “It was about getting bullied at school.”

Everything stemmed from a love of writing: “I just decided to pick up piano one day and try to put my poem to a song.”

From then on, LeAnn was hooked and her career has taken a whirlwind path ever since.
n 2019, she released her first single, “Hallelujah,” eventually followed by her first original song, “What Heaven’s Like.”

LeAnn has released a steady stream of music ever since.

And at the tender age of 16, LeAnn was chosen to represent the state of Michigan in NBC’s “American Song Contest,” often described as an American version of Eurovision. Her original song “Natalie,” a Taylor Swift-esque country tune, reached the semifinals and garnered national attention. (Scroll down for the “American Song Contest” video.)

“I started out being really country,” she said. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, so I just defaulted to that.”

Since then, LeAnn has grown as a songwriter and musician.
“I’ll spend hours dissecting songs and researching new music that’s coming out –– almost studying sonically how they sound,” she said. She told Local Spins that her typical songwriting process begins with getting “inspired by the sounds,” while the lyrics come later.

Now, LeAnn is ready to move in a whole new direction: dark pop. She named artists such as The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Tate McRae and Post Malone as major influences.

In that vein, LeAnn released a new single, “i’m not in the m00d!,” on Jan. 6 — a track she described as her “first switch into this sort of (dark pop) genre.”
The song is “all about not taking –– for lack of a better term –– bullshit,” LeAnn said. “Don’t let them run back to you after they decided to leave you.”

EMBRACING HER NEW DIRECTION WHILE EYEING A MOVE TO NASHVILLE

LeAnn remains staunchly proud of her sonic evolution.

“I started in country, and it was like, ‘Oh, well, other people like it, so I should keep doing it,’” LeAnn said. “I’m really proud of how far I’ve come with putting out the type of content that I want to put out.”

But not everyone has embraced LeAnn’s musical transition.

“I’ve had some people say, ‘Your creative direction is totally skewed –– so different from what you did on the show. I think you’re gonna blend in with everybody else now,’” LeAnn said.
Luckily, she’s learned to not take it personally.

“I don’t take offense to it anymore,” LeAnn said. “When I was on the TV show and I did the more Taylor Swift-y song, I had so many people coming at me saying that it’s unoriginal, and it’s too Taylor Swift. I’ve honestly found that you’re not going to really win with everybody.

“Even on Instagram, I’ve received some [unkind] comments about the new song, and I’ve just been able to laugh about it.”

With this newfound confidence, LeAnn plans to continue writing music in the “darker pop lane.”

In February, she plans to begin writing with a record label in Nashville, a city where she’s spent time in the past and even performed on the Grand Ole Opry stage in October.

“I want to move to Nashville pretty much as soon as possible,” she said although she acknowledged that her parents are slightly more cautious about that.

LeAnn will also headline a major show Feb. 25 at the Franke Center for the Arts in Marshall, Mich., touted as her first big concert since appearing last year on “The American Song Contest.”

“It’s gonna be my first show that’s solely for me, which is awesome,” she said. “I’ve had little shows like that, but this is a big stage. I’m gonna be playing (the new single). I’m gonna be playing a lot of unreleased stuff. It’s gonna be a good night.”

Rae of Light will open the show at 7 p.m. Feb. 25. Tickets are $22-$27 and available online here.

In an ideal world, LeAnn said, her goal would be to become “a household name.”

“Ultimately, I’m gonna be happy wherever I land with this,” she said, “but I think it would be cool [to develop into] somebody like Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande.” - Local Spin