MITS to host award-winning artist
Published 8:24 pm Saturday, July 13, 2013
The notes rang out over the Washington waterfront on the Fourth of July: the National Anthem sung by an up and coming diva. Two days later, her talent would sweep through Carolina Music Awards, winning her a first-place spot in the youth division.
Fresh off her state victory, 14-year-old JoceLien Danee Whitehead, known simply as JoceLien, will be back for a repeat performance at Friday night’s Music in the Streets, according to LaVon Drake. Drake pulls in acts from near and far to play at the monthly mini-music festival. This time, she’s putting JoceLien on the Main Stage at the corner of Main and Respess streets.
“She’s listed as R&B but she does pop, R&B, some country — she does a variety of styles,” Drake said.
And her versatility has drawn the notice of Nashville-based Bar Lowe Studios, with whom JoceLien created a five song EP available on iTunes. Bar Lowe is the recording studio of Carolina-raised Cary and Nathan Barlowe, whose words and music can be found in recordings by major movers in the music world: Nathan Barlowe wrote “Untouchable” by Taylor Swift and Cary Barlowe co-wrote “American Honey” by Lady Antebellum.
Drake and JoceLien crossed paths after her guitarist son, Nathan, auditioned for JoceLien’s band. Since, Drake has become a supporter of the young talent, setting up her coming MITS performance, as well as a Sept. 1 Harmony on the Harbor show. Harmony on the Harbor are free concerts from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. one Sunday a month—the brainchild of the Washington Harbor District Alliance but sponsored by many other organizations. Then, JoceLien, who is from Greenville, will perform with opening band Last Serenade, whose members all hail from eastern North Carolina: guitarist Hayden Drake is from Washington; bassist Allen Foster, from Pamlico Beach; drummer Morgan Windom, from Greenville; and lead singer Jordan Futrell Manning, who lives in Winterville, has Beaufort County roots.