Barbie Below on the cover of her new album, "Barbie Jo.'' |
Birnamwood native making a name for herself in the country music world Nov. 17, 2009 A Birnamwood native is making a name for herself in the country music world.
Barbie Below, daughter of Jeff and Mary Below of Birnamwood and granddaughter of Arlene and Dave Below of Antigo, has debuted her self-titled album, “Barbie Jo,” at the Brickhouse in Charlotte, N.C.
Below, a graduate of Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School and currently a senior at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, released her debut Windy Gale Records album in October.
"I love all genres of music," Below says. "My father loves classic rock and bluegrass, and we share that love.”
Growing up in the Birnamwood area, Below spent most of her time singing for church and family. She began performing at local talent shows and was selected for the state honors choir during her freshman year of high school.
"My mom grew up on a farm and her roots evolved around country music, which is what I truly love,” Below said. “My brother and I were both constantly involved in athletics, which had us listening to whatever happened to be favorites at the time for kids and teens at the gym. This lead to my fondness of hip hop, reggae, and pop music. To me, the most important part of singing is having the ability to positively influence people.”
She has been performing at venues across North Carolina over the past year and has also visited and performed multiple other cities including Nashville and Atlanta.
Below is in the process of recording a 12-song album, entitled “Everything and More,” with the expected release date to be in February, 2010.
“Music has an empowering force and it has allowed me to express myself so freely. I grew up helping on the farm and listening to a lot of the country classics, and it has stuck with me ever since,” Below said. “Anything that is important to me opens up so many ideas for songwriting. I love singing and songwriting and it is something that I cannot wait to pursue to my fullest for as long as I can>"
Fans may sample songs and purchase Below’s debut album directly from her website at www.barbiejo.com.
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