Heather grew up in Pope County, Illinois thirty miles out from any resemblance of a town. To be refreshingly blunt, Heather says of her surroundings, "We lived out in the middle of the woods." During that Midwest upbringing, she listened to her heroes on the radio with her father who had become disabled when she was three. It was the sounds of Garth Brooks, Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Janis Joplin that shaped Heathers' taste and musical style. Growing up, Heather split her time honing her craft between performances in her hometown and in the country music Mecca-Nashville. Biding her time through high school while the other kids searched for direction, Heather always knew confidently that her home and future were on the stage. Determined she graduated a year early from high school and went to cosmetology school in order to have a back up while pursuing her musical passion. At 18, this fall, she is making the move to Nashville and plans to dig her heels in and get to work right away. With a determination well beyond her years, she plans to cut her debut album in October followed by a promotional Texas tour to launch in November.

  What sets Heather apart from the sea of aspiring country ingénues is her distinct voice. She can be described as nothing less than a country Janis Joplin. Talk to Thompson for a few minutes and her speaking voice alone will hint at the raw, raspy growl that she can turn on to deliver her vocals like no one else in the business. Her voice is so outstanding that at this years' Country Radio Seminar she passed out copies of her single, "Love Me Like It Matters" and in the months since the song has taken on a life of its own. Radio stations have been spinning the song from Florida to California and regionally in Tennessee, Illinois, and Kentucky. Wes Bennett of 107.3 WDDD FM in Marion, Illinois raves, "Heather has a very powerful presence . . .a voice blessed of God . . .and the star quality to take her far. If you want to hear music with great vocals and witness an awesome stage presence, Heather is the lady. Country has reclaimed the blues, and the voice to prove it is Heather Nicole Thompson." , another DJ spinning the record from Wickliffe, Kentucky¹s WGKY 96 Classic Country said: "Her 'Love Me Like It Matters¹ is a great song sung with Heather's sultry style." These same smoky, bluesy vocals have twice garnered Heather the winner of the Patsy Cline contest held in Camden, Tennessee all before her eighteenth birthday. Camden, Tennessee is the site of the plane crash that took the life of Patsy Cline. Each year they honor her with a talent contest.

  Every artist has a pinnacle envisioned long before stardom hits. It¹s that moment when they know their dreams have come true. Heather is no different. She has played her moment out in her head a thousand times. "I'm on the stage and I've got that CMA Award in my hand that Garth Brooks has just handed to me." Until Heather gets to that moment, she is willing to pay her dues.

  With a tiring schedule of over 200 dates a year, she relies on reinventing her performances to keep it fresh, and of course, sleeping in the car a lot to sustain her amped up live show. Heather explains that it¹s essential to be a double threat in order to deliver a memorable live show: "You gotta act to entertain."

  And entertain she does, with a bluesy country sound with a timeless vintage appeal that has been earning the praises of some of the industry greats. Little Jimmy Dickens said, "Little lady you have an outstanding voice," and "absolutely awesome" after watching one of her sets at Tootsies Orchid Lounge. With this kind of buzz building around just a handful of sporadic Tootsies performances, Heather's move to Music City should bring a flood of accolades and commendations from the Nashville community. With determined focus and an experienced team of Nashville veterans supporting Heathers¹ project, Garth better dust off the ole¹ cowboy hat because he¹s going to have some award presenting to do.

visit Heather Nicole Thompson's official website