Jackson Michelson Wants to Be Fans’ Life Soundtrack

Jackson Michelson grew up with a love of music. The singer-songwriter, who tells The Boot that he's been writing songs "from the day I learned three chords," began his career by performing in his tiny hometown, Corvallis, Ore., before growing his fan base across the West Coast.

"I really learned to play on Sunday mornings, and then I started writing my own songs and started playing Saturday nights," Michelson recalls. "And then I realized I was playing to the same people Saturday nights and Sunday mornings."

Michelson's older brother, Paul Wright, began are career as a Christian artist in the early 2000s, and his success inspired Michelson to pursue his own musical dreams.

"[He] had a record deal. So I grew up loving it," Michelson says. "It wasn’t an idea for me that I would play and sing other people’s songs, because I watched my brother play his own songs."

When Michelson decided to make the move to Nashville, he didn't have a record deal, but he was becoming known for his energetic live show.

"My mom told me at a young age, ‘Hey, it’s called playing music, and if you’re not playing, you’re doing it wrong. So if you’re not having fun, then why are you doing it?'" explains Michelson. "Some artists make the show about the artist, and my whole thing is, we’re going to make [the fans] see something that might only happen once tonight; we’re going to give them the best show we can, and connect with the audience and bring everything we have every night ... We have a lot of fun."

Michelson knows the importance that music can play in a listener's life -- "It can be the soundtrack to your highs and to your lows," he notes -- and wants to play that role.

"I would say, if I’m speaking in third person," Michelson adds, "Jackson Michelson is an artist who wants to be the soundtrack to people’s lives that, when you’re feeling good, you can listen to me, and I’m there with you, and in hard times, I’m there with you also."

Michelson is currently signed to Curb Records. His self-titled EP is available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes.

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