Mickie James discusses her new music career
Posted by: Admin	03/06/2010	JOIN THE FORUMS
MICKIE JAMES INTERVIEW By Scott Fishman of MiamiHerald.com For more than a year, World Wrestling Entertainment diva Mickie James has spent her off days preparing her debut music album Strangers & Angels. The hard work is starting to show for the determined entertainer as her first single Are You With Me? is receiving airplay on country radio in a number of markets after its Feb. 16 release. The multi-time women's champion shows the same passion for music as she does wrestling. A Richmond, Va. native, Mickie James, the wrestler, is an extension of who she is, just turned up a few notches. Mickie James, the country artist, is a side fans have never seen. ``I feel like it gives a different part of me and a part of my soul,'' said James, who recently had her first live performance at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. She took the same stage as big name acts Rascal Flatts, Kellie Pickler and Little Big Town. Days later, she sang a few songs for a charity event for diabetes awareness during Country Radio Seminar Week. ``In the ring, fans see this kick-butt girl who is full of energy and full of life, someone who is ready to kick butt and take names,'' she said. ``This is like a whole other side of me that fans and people in general necessarily wouldn't know. ``I am grateful to have this opportunity. I was Blessed to work with the best people from my manager, publicist and my producer, who is amazing. Everyone has been very loving and nurturing, which is great because I'm very new to this. We poured a lot of love into it. So hopefully it comes across that way.'' Traveling around the world, the WWE diva always enjoyed writing poetry, short stories or whatever random thoughts came to mind. Driving to the gym one day, song lyrics filled her head. She pulled over and wrote a song in five minutes. This was the start of her voyage into country music. James, 30, is following in a similar path like John Cena, Chris Jericho and Lillian Garcia who parlayed their wrestling/sports entertainment success into the music industry. Stigmas are sometimes stamped on sports entertainers looking to branch out. For example, Jericho and his bandmates spent the better part of 10 years making Fozzy a force in the rock world in spite of a few harsh critics. James says she has been met with open arms. ``If anything, people are thinking it's kind of cool,'' James said. ``I think it's human nature to say, `You're a wrestler. That is what you do.' I think it can be hard sometimes for people to understand that you can have more than one thing you like to do. ``It's really crazy for the most part that everyone has been really cool about it. Some people who aren't even wrestling fans have no idea who I am. It's a whole new journey for me.'' The title track from Strangers & Angels is the closest one James can attribute to pro wrestling. However, the message it sends is universal. ``It's one of those things, when you reach a certain type of stardom, people try to surround you or get close to you,'' she said. ``You become where you are still nice to everyone, but you are guarded as far as who you let in your inner circle. I think it rings true to anyone of us who has............. CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL INTERVIEW