Singer. Songwriter. Actress. Advocate. These are just a few of the roles that Pop/Folk star Jamie Grace embodies. Grammy nominee and winner of Best New Artist at the 2012 Dove Awards, Jamie Grace uses her many gifts to encourage those whom she describes as fighters—people who are “facing life-altering challenges but have chosen to stay strong.”
“[S]he was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at age 11,” Beverly English reported for AXS.com.
“She said that Tourette Syndrome caused her to fall behind in school and that one of the medications she took to control the tics made her hair fall out, causing it to sit lopsided on her head, but her mom cut her hair to make it look normal and even cut her own hair really short so Jamie Grace would not feel so bad about it.
“At age 14 she started to become depressed. To cheer her up, her grandfather brought a new guitar and a drum set to the house and even though she did not know how to play drums, she said she felt the life coming back to her as she played them.”
This developed into a serious love for music, and, eventually, using singing and songwriting as a ministry to others through YouTube.
When she performed a medley of TobyMac songs on YouTube, she caught the attention of TobyMac himself, which led to her being signed to Gotee Records.
Her hit song, “Hold Me,” features TobyMac on vocals.
She also founded Imafighter.org as a platform for “fighters” to share their stories and encourage each other.
Dealing with Tourette Syndrome is an ongoing challenge, but performing helps, according to Beverly English. “When she performs on stage, the Tourette Syndrome almost completely goes away, though if she gets really nervous she may twitch and may even stutter but is learning to control it to a degree with deep breathing.
“She is very much aware that her singing is a ministry, not just entertainment. Her success came with a lot of hard work and did not happen overnight. She continues to try to learn new instruments and write new songs. She also tries to keep it real and reminds herself to pray first, practice second so she knows where her focus lies.”
At 24, she is young but already an influential role model for young women. The second book in her devotional series, God Girls Club, will be released September 1, 2016. She recently posted her testimony on Facebook.
Nothing is holding Jamie Grace back, and she’s not afraid to create opportunities for herself. She recently flew to LA for an Adele concert.
Relevant reported, “Adele had no idea that Jamie Grace was a Grammy-nominated singer, but Grace boldly asked Adele if she could join her on stage.”
Watch how Jamie Grace’s voice shocked Adele.
