Jennifer Nettles Biography

Jennifer Odessa Nettles (born September 12, 1974) is an American country music artist. She is known primarily for her role as lead vocalist of the duo Sugarland alongside Kristian Bush. Before Sugarland's inception, she also fronted Atlanta, Georgia-based bands called Soul Miner's Daughter and Jennifer Nettles Band. She also charted as a duet partner on the country version of rock band Bon Jovi's 2006 single "Who Says You Can't Go Home", a Number One hit on the Billboard country charts.

Nettles was a judge/mentor/performer on ABC's Duets, which premiered on May 24, 2012.

Musical beginnings

Nettles began performing at school assemblies, her Southern Baptist church, and in community theater. She was also a member of Georgia 4-H's Clovers & Company performing arts group from 1986 to 1993.

Nettles studied Sociology and Anthropology at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia and graduated in 1997. While a student there, Nettles and Cory Jones (who at the time was studying classical guitar at the University of Georgia) formed the group Soul Miner's Daughter. Performing as both an acoustic duo and with a band, they released two albums: The Sacred and Profane in 1996 and Hallelujah in 1998, both of which were composed of songs written collaboratively by Jones and Nettles. Soul Miner's Daughter was invited to perform at the Atlanta installment of Lilith Fair in 1999.

In 1999, she formed the Jennifer Nettles Band, with which she released three studio albums and two live albums. The band, which in addition to Nettles included Brad Sikes (drums), Scott Nicholson (piano), Wesley Lupold (bass), and Mike Cebulski (percussion), was selected the grand prize winner from more than 2000 bands in "The Big Deal $100,000 Music Search" presented by Mars Music.

Sugarland

In 2003, Nettles teamed up with Kristen Hall and Kristian Bush to form Sugarland. Regarding the trio's collaboration, she said:

"We really wanted to get out of where we had all been as artists and move beyond that to something bigger. Consequently all the songs reflect that; 'Fly Away,' 'Baby Girl,' all of those songs - you speak to the human condition and write what you know in your life."

Sugarland was nominated for a Grammy award in the Best New Artist category in 2006. Although they did not win the award, Nettles and Bush performed for the awards show and Nettles presented both a Lifetime Achievement Award to Merle Haggard and the award for Best Country Group.

A duet performance with rock band Bon Jovi, "Who Says You Can't Go Home", reached No. 7 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. The video for the song won a CMT Music Award in 2006 for Collaborative Video Of The Year. In February 2007, Nettles and Bon Jovi won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Collaboration. In 2006, Kristen Hall left the group and Nettles and Bush continued on as a duo releasing Enjoy the Ride in November 2006. Their third album, titled Love on the Inside, was released on July 22, 2008.

In an interview on Fox News with Martha MacCullum, Nettles expressed interest in appearing in a Broadway play, stating in particular that she would like to play the role of Elphaba in Wicked.

In early December 2008, Sugarland received three Grammy Award nominations and performed on the 51st Annual Grammy Awards show on February 8, 2009. They won awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group.

On Sunday, January 18, 2009, Nettles performed at the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, singing James Taylor's "Shower the People" with James Taylor and John Legend.

On February 11, 2009, Sugarland received two nominations from the Academy of Country Music for Top Vocal Duo and Vocal Event of the Year for "Life in a Northern Town". During the broadcast of the April 5, 2009 awards show, Sugarland was presented with the Vocal Duo of the Year award, ending Brooks & Dunn's nine-year run. Nettles also received a Milestone award, presented to her by Reba McEntire.

ABC-TV broadcast the first CMA Country Christmas, hosted by Nettles, on November 29, 2010. Nettles and Sugarland partner Kristian Bush kicked off the evening with their rendition of "Winter Wonderland," backed by the Southern harmonies of Little Big Town. The pair returned to the stage later in the program to perform the hymn "Come, O Come Emmanuel," just before the "Jingle Bell Rock" group grande finale of the 90-minute special.

Nettles announced in May 2013 that she would begin working on a solo album.

Personal life

Nettles was born and raised in the small town of Douglas, Georgia. Nettles married Todd Van Sickle in 1998 and divorced in 2007. On Saturday, November 26, 2011, Jennifer married her boyfriend of two years, Justin Miller, in a sunset ceremony at Blackberry Farms in East Tennessee. On June 18, 2012, Nettles and her husband announced they were expecting their first child in November. Their son, Magnus Hamilton Miller, was born on December 6, 2012."We are so thankful for all the prayers and support and are excited to take some time together as a new family," the couple said in a statement.

Activism

Nettles has lent her time and talent to support various non-profit organizations. In 2007, one dollar from every ticket sold during Sugarland's CMT Change For Change tour was donated to the Shalom Foundation. More than $120,000 was raised in 2007.

In 2008 she launched Common Thread, a series of musical events enabling artists to come together to share music and raise money for their favorite charities. The first three Common Thread concerts included performances by Nettles, Sugarland partner Kristian Bush, Emily Saliers, and Amos Lee and raised funds for the American Cancer Society, American Liver Foundation, Honor the Earth, and Intercultural Family Services.

Following the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Nettles and Sugarland partner Bush sang on the remake of We Are the World as part of Artists for Haiti.

In February 2012, she was one of a group of celebrities who walked down a catwalk in red dresses for the 'Heart Truth Red Dress Collection' show, part of New York Fashion Week.She wore a David Meister dress.

Discography

Studio demos

As Jennifer Nettles

Year	Album
1991	For Your Love / You're The One 2-song Demo Cassette on Timme Records label.

Studio albums

As Soul Miner's Daughter

Year	Album
1996	The Sacred And Profane
1998	Hallelujah

As Jennifer Nettles Band

Year	Album
2000	Story Of Your Bones
2002	Gravity: Drag Me Down
2002	Rewind

As Jennifer Nettles

Year	Album
2003	An Acoustic Evening with Jennifer Nettles Live CD recording
2004	An Acoustic Evening with Jennifer Nettles II Live CD Recording

Solo singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions		Album
		US Country	US Country Airplay
2013	"That Girl"A	37	41	TBD

• ^ACurrent single.

Guest singles

Year	Single	Artist	Peak chart positions								Album
			US Country	US	CAN	NOR	IRE	NZ	SWE	SPA
2006	"Who Says You Can't Go Home"	Bon Jovi	1	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	Have a Nice Day
2010	"We Are the World 25 for Haiti"	USA for Haiti	"?	2	7	1	9	8	5	15	Non-album song
""?" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

Year	Title	Director
2006	"Who Says You Can't Go Home" (with Bon Jovi)	Anthony M. Bongiovi
2010	"We Are the World 25 for Haiti" (as USA for Haiti)	Paul Haggis

Awards

• 1999 Lilith Fair Acoustic Talent Search winner, Soul Miner's Daughter
• 2001 Independent Music Awards Regional Poll in Atlanta for "Bad Girl's Lament"
• 2005 American Music Awards, Sugarland wins Favorite Breakthrough Artist
• 2006 CMT Collaborative Video of the Year, "Who Says You Can't Go Home"
• 2007 Grammy Award Best Collaboration, "Who Says You Can't Go Home"
• 2007 Country Music Association Awards, Sugarland wins Vocal Duo Of the Year
• 2008 Country Music Association Awards, Sugarland wins Vocal Duo Of the Year
• 2008 Academy of Country Music, Song of the Year, "Stay" (songwriter)
• 2008 Country Music Association Awards Song of the Year, "Stay" (songwriter)
• 2009 Grammy Award Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group for "Stay"
• 2009 Grammy Award Best Country Song for "Stay" (songwriter)
• 2009 Academy of Country Music, Milestone award; Sugarland wins Vocal Duo of the Year
• 2009 Country Music Association Awards, Sugarland wins Vocal Duo Of the Year
• 2010 Country Music Association Awards, Sugarland wins Vocal Duo Of the Year
• 2011 Country Music Association Awards, Sugarland wins Vocal Duo Of the Year