A hit Diva
As Jillian Hall's self-sung entrance theme "Sliced Bread" plays in arenas throughout the world, the sultry songstress watches two of her childhood dreams — singing and wrestling — intertwine into one reality.
Before age 8, Hall knew that wrestling was the right path for her. Her uncle, a devoted fan of the craft, encouraged Jillian and made sure sports-entertainment was part of her life. It was from this encouragement Jillian discovered Miss Elizabeth.
"I wanted to be just like her and dress like her," Hall recalled of the woman who inspired her. "I just thought she was the coolest person ever."
Jillian grew up in a small town in Kentucky. Her days, when not spent watching sports-entertainment in her uncle's basement, were spent four-wheeling and swimming with her cousins. The community was close-knit, and the houses were less than a mile from each other.
In high school, the blonde bombshell was an active cheerleader. As a team, the squad won regional, state and national championships, an accomplishment and memory Jillian will never forget.
Jillian gave college a try, but decided to leave after one semester in order to focus on her childhood dreams. Fortunate enough to have conveniently grown up in Kentucky, Jillian joined nearby Ohio Valley Wrestling in 2003. By 2004, she had a WWE contract and in the summer of 2005, Jillian debuted on SmackDown.
Her penchant for singing began at early age too, as she recorded her first album at 13. The CD featured mostly covers of Whitney Houston songs, which her mother "loved." Looking to make even more of a splash in the music business, Jillian formed a band — the Icicle Popsicles — with her cousin, Misty, performing for family and friends.
Jillian debuted her WWE singing career at No Way Out 2007, belting out one of her originals. But the idea of singing for our fans had been brewing in the singer's head for a long time.
"The crowd at No Way Out was huge. I had never sung in front of so many people! But I felt like I was in front of my family or my friends," said Jillian. "It's just natural to me. I love the reaction of the fans realizing how great my singing is, that's what you look for."
Now, she is strongly committed to her singing career, and wants to be a mainstay in the industry. But you won't find her taking in concerts for other artists.
"I like my own singing better. With a voice like mine, why would I go and see anyone else?"
And her lyrics are one-of-a-kind as well.
"Where do you think ‘Sliced Bread' came from?" the tone-deaf Diva said, rolling her eyes at the question. "Heck yeah, I write my own songs. That is my favorite song ever, by anyone."
The songstress wants to be multi-dimensional as well. Instead of just one genre, Jillian sees herself stepping into the world of hip-hop, channeling rappers like Lil' Kim. "I'm a really good singer already, so I know I could pull that off pretty well," she added with a smirk.
The Diva's first major album was released in December 2007 exclusively on iTunes to celebrate the holiday season. A Jingle with Jillian featured the songs "I'll be Home for Christmas," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," "Jingle Bell Rock," "The Christmas Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." The album reached No. 20 in the UK Holidays Top 100 shortly after its release before climbing onto the Top 50 albums on iTunes.
"It was inevitable that my first album would be a huge success," she said as she fixed her hair for the next photo shoot. "And it's inevitable that the follow-up will be a hit, too."
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