Jessica Jordan won the Ole Miss Student Activities Association’s annual singing competition, Ole Miss Idol, on Wednesday.
Jordan’s performance of Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” won her the $500 prize.
“I chose this song because I wanted to show a little versatility with a more upbeat tempo,” Jordan said. “Not to mention, I absolutely love Jennifer Hudson’s voice and her rendition of the song.”
Jordan, a first-year law student from Jackson, Mississippi, has a bachelor’s degree in music with an emphasis in vocal performance, but Jordan’s victory was more than just a one-person job.
“I had a lot of help from the love of my life, Paul Anders, singer, songwriter, manager, producer,” she said. “Together, we searched for the right song to fit my voice. We also enlisted Marcus Singleton, who is a well-known music producer in Jackson to produce the track.”
The stage is no stranger for Jordan. She has been singing for as long as she can remember and has even auditioned for “American Idol.” She grew up singing in church, school and at home.
“My parents used to tell me stories of how I would perform in front of company when I was a toddler,” Jordan said. “One of the most memorable stories was when I would sing the theme song from the show ‘Cops.’”
Jordan is putting the $500 toward her GoFundMe account to raise money to pay for her upcoming study abroad program in Cape Town, South Africa.
“In the future, I would love to see what other doors this could lead to and continue to rise above all the opposition that may stand in my way,” Jordan said.
By Trevor Davis
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