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Country music star Jo Dee Messina recently opened up about the difficult criticisms she encountered at the start of her career.
In an appearance on “The Bobby Bones Show,” the 55-year-old artist, known for hits like “Bye Bye,” revealed that a record label once rejected her due to her weight.
“I remember being turned down by a Nashville record label because they said I was too fat,” Messina shared. “They told my producer, ‘If she was 10 pounds lighter, we would have signed her.'”
Messina described feeling “devastated” by the comment. When asked if she had managed to move past it after achieving success in the music world, she confessed, “It’s 30 years later, and I’m still talking about it. I haven’t let it go.”
Despite feeling disheartened, Messina credited her sister, whom she described as her “greatest support,” with providing encouragement. Her sister advised her to persevere, saying, “They say you have to get passed on a thousand times before you get a deal.”
Messina went on to break through in 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 her first studio album in 12 years, “Bridges,” in the summer, releasing the album’s first single, “Some Bridges,” on Friday. She celebrated the song’s release on Instagram, and her fans could not help but share in her excitement.
“I’m about to be playing this song nonstop because it’s so gooooooood🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥,” one fan wrote in the comments section. Another added, “Ohh how I’ve missed your voice! The song is 🔥.”
Her last studio album, “Me,” was released in 2014 and featured songs such as “Peace Sign” and “A Woman’s Rant.”
Messina later announced in September 2017 that she had been diagnosed with cancer in an open letter posted to her Facebook account, signed by Team JDM rather than the artist herself.
“As many of you know, Jo Dee is a believer who feels blessed to be surrounded by the love of God — a love that has brought her the inner peace,” the letter read. “On her lowest of low days, she has been able to see God’s hand at work and feel His love as she continues her walk.”
The post continued, “It is because of our Father’s love that she has been able to find the beauty in the days that could have brought her the most fear, gratitude in moments that most would call unfair, and companionship during times she might feel the loneliest.”
After undergoing treatment that fall, Messina announced she was in remission and was back to performing by March 2018.
“I’m to the point where it’s once a year I go in and get checked with the blood work and scans if needed or whatever,” she said on “The Bobby Bones Show.”
Messina is currently on tour throughout America promoting her upcoming album, telling Bones and his co-host that her shows are “very active.”
“I don’t stand still. There’s two songs where I play a guitar on, and that’s about the stillest I get,” she said. “And then, other than that, I’m running around. I’m head-banging … You’ll see a lot of pictures, my hair flying. It’s not a beauty show by any means.”