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The story is practically a show biz legend already: How Jamie-Lynn Sigler auditioned for The Sopranos because she thought she might get to exercise her vocal chops. “It’s true-I thought the show was about singing,” she admits. Now, four years later, Jamie-Lynn’s kicking off her recording career in earnest with her debut album Here to Heaven. Equal parts spunky, sweet and spicy-that describes Jamie-Lynn Sigler and her sound.
Dancefloor dynamite meets in-charge lyrics on “Bada Bing” and “Cry Baby,” tunes that show off Jamie’s girl power gutsiness. Emotive ballads like the lush “He Didn’t Listen To My Dreams,” the R&B-flavored “Little Mister Heartbreak” and the acoustic “Giving Up On You” play to her sensitive nature.
And her album couldn’t be complete without songs like “Ole” and “Tu Eres,” which reflect her Latin heritage. “My mother is Cuban so I heard a lot of the Buena Vista Social Club and Celia Cruz growing up, and my dad is a rocker-a huge Jimi Hendrix fan,” the 20-year-old songbird says. “Then one of my older brothers is into rap and the other is into pop. So that explains my musical taste-I like everything.”
Obviously, Here to Heaven is an album Jamie-Lynn Sigler was born to make-and she’s basically been working her way up to it since she was a little girl. A native of Long Island, New York, Jamie started in dance while still technically a toddler, but at age 8 took a musical theater class-and was instantly hooked. “Our first recital, we were going to do Annie, and I remember I wanted to be Sandy, the dog,” she recalls, laughing. “But the teacher made me Annie.”
Soon, Jamie-Lynn went semi-pro, passionately devoting virtually all her after school time to community theater. “If it came down to a party or a play on the weekends, it was no contest,” she says. By her early teens she was checking out all kinds of opportunities, including trying out for TV, which led her to land the role of Meadow Soprano on the megahit HBO series. The show about very bad guys was very good for our girl! It gave her a chance to do some serious acting-but don’t think for a second she gave up her musical goals. “I never thought of putting singing on hold-music is too important,” she says.
In fact, Jamie-Lynn jumped at the chance to sing on screen. “The creators of the show looked at my resume and knew I could,” she says. One episode featured Meadow in her school choir. Then came the fateful grilled cheese scene: “I was making sandwiches in the kitchen, singing TLC’s ‘No Scrubs,’” Jamie-Lynn says. “A talent scout heard it and called my manager. I was so naive, I had no idea what a big deal it was; I just said, ‘Sure, I’ll go into the studio…’” A couple of demo tracks later, she had her record deal.
Making Here to Heaven was an incredible experience for Jamie. In addition to working with such renown producers as TK and Desmond Child, she also got to write for her album. “I didn’t think I’d be good at it,” she confesses, “but they locked me in a room one day and said ‘write!’” Is she ever glad: “It means so much to sing your own words.” Jamie-Lynn describes the first tune she wrote, “Come With Me,” as “straight-up salsa and a lot of fun-it’s not about a guy, it’s like saying to your friend, ‘C’mon, let’s dance!’” The rock-tinged “Pressure,” however, is more serious. “People my age have so much going on, so I wanted to write about that,” she explains.
In choosing songs for Here to Heaven, Jamie-Lynn purposely sought out stuff she and her peers would relate to. “Some people thought I should make something for the ‘adult audience,’ but I was like, ‘No-this is what I like!’” she reveals, “I didn’t want to do an album that wasn’t my age. I mean, I’m only 20; I still like to call my friends and gossip about who’s dating who.” By the same token, Jamie hopes to develop her sound and really show what she’s made of musically. “I play classical piano and I’m learning guitar,” she says. “Everything I’m singing about on this album I’ve gone through-in maybe one year or less. Things change every minute and I want my music to grow with me.”
With that kind of dedication - not to mention talent - Jamie-Lynn Sigler will grow… from Here to Heaven.
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