I don’t listen to the radio very much, though I occasionally switch on K-Hits 98.5, the Valley’s ’60s, ’70s and ’80s rock station. (Where else can I rock out to Cat Stevens, The Who and Eddie Money all within the space of 10 minutes?)
See, I don’t have the patience for radio. Most of the playlists are programmed in some office a gazillion miles away and my tastes are a little too eclectic for what those programmers think everyone wants to hear. I mostly rely upon word-of-mouth and my own discovery to find new music.
It happened tonight while I was watching “So You Think You Can Dance.” A young woman from Lexington, Ky., performed a so-so number to a haunting, lyrical ballad. The performer’s voice was powerful and evocative and, though I heard only a snippet of the song, I quickly committed it to memory and went to my computer to find the artist.
The song, “Painted Red,” is performed by JJ Heller, an indie/Christian artist who is gaining a devoted following. From there, it was on to YouTube to sample some of her songs. And wow … she knocked me out. Now she’s on my must-buy list and, judging from the speed of her Web site, I’m guessing a lot of other people feel the same way. Within 30 minutes of the end of “So You Think You Can Dance,” her site seemed near to crashing. I suspect we’ll next hear her voice in the background of a Grey’s Anatomy episode and from there to the Billboard Top 10.
This is not a new phenomenon for “Dance,” which two years ago featured an Emmy-winning dance set to “Bleeding Love,” and Leona Lewis’ career took off.
That’s the way the music business works these days and artists who can catch the TV/YouTube/Video connection often see their careers soar.
Take a listen to JJ Heller and see what you think.
