Jennifer Nettles

A talented singer-songwriter with a powerful voice, Jennifer Nettles became a superstar as one-half of the country music sensation, Sugarland. Along with Kristian Bush, the twosome released hit albums like 2004's Twice the Speed of Life, 2006's Enjoy the Ride, 2007's Love on the Inside and 2010's The Incredible Machine, and notching hits like "Baby Girl," "Something More," "Want To," "Already Gone" and "Stay." Crossing over into mainstream stardom, Nettles dueted with Bon Jovi on the No. 1 country hit "Who Says You Can't Go Home" and, as part of Sugarland, won a slew of awards, including Grammys, CMT and AMA Awards. Their runaway success and shining image were dulled slightly by the tragic stage collapse before their 2011 Indiana State Fair performance that killed seven people and inspired a flood of lawsuits against the band, but Nettles rebounded, with the singer landing a coveted judge's slot on the singing competition "Duets" (ABC, 2012). Beloved both in the country music community and on the larger music scene in general, first-rate talent Jennifer Nettles was poised to ascend even higher as both a member of Sugarland and a solo artist, beloved by fans around the world.

Born Sept. 12, 1974 in Douglas, GA, Jennifer Odessa Nettles grew up loving music, due in large part to frequent sing-alongs with her grandmother. Inspired by her family to follow her love of performing, Nettles sang in her church's children's musical, catching the ear and eye of several musicians who advised her parents to give the young girl lessons. After her parents bought a piano, Nettles took lessons and began writing her own songs in the country vein she had grown up loving. Quickly becoming a local celebrity who performed at every community event, Nettles successfully auditioned for a touring artistic group, Clovers and Company, and spent the next seven years gaining valuable performance experience on the road.

While attending Agnes Scott College, Nettles teamed up with guitarist Cory Jones to form the folky duo Soul Miner's Daughter, releasing 1996's The Sacred and Profane and 1998's Hallelujah as well as playing on the highly influential Lilith Fair tour. Encouraged by her professional success, the singer-songwriter then formed a new act, the Jennifer Nettles Band, which won the 2000 grand prize in Mars Music's "The Big Deal $100,000 Music Search," netting the group a $50,000 recording contract. Continued to ascend professionally, she released three studio albums - 2000's Story of Your Bones, 2002's Gravity: Drag Me Down and 2002's Rewind -- and two live albums: 2003's An Acoustic Evening with Jennifer Nettles and 2004's An Acoustic Evening with Jennifer Nettles II. She broke through to mainstream superstardom, however, when she teamed with fellow Georgian musicians Kristen Hall and Kristian Bush to form the country act Sugarland. Sparked in great part by Nettles's powerful voice, their debut album, 2004's Twice the Speed of Life became a smash hit, spinning off the No. 2 singles "Baby Girl" and "Something More" as well as Top Ten hit "Just Might (Make Me Believe)" and the Top Twenty hit "Down in Mississippi (Up to No Good)." Buoyed by their impeccable musicianship, the trio became popular beyond their country fanbase, and after performing with Bon Jovi on "Crossroads" (CMT, 2002- ), Nettles scored a country No. 1 with "Who Says You Can't Go Home," a duet with Bon Jovi. Although Kristen Hall left the group in 2005, the duo capped off their meteoric rise with wins at the American Music Awards for Favorite Breakthrough Artist, CMT Awards for Collaborative Video of the Year, and the Grammys for Best Collaboration. Sugarland also received a nomination for Best New Artist, and while they did not win, Nettles and Bush impressed viewers and critics with a performance of "Something More."

Their second album, 2006's Enjoy the Ride build on their commercial and critical success. They earned two additional country music No. 1 hits with "Settlin'" and "Want To" and two Top Ten hits, "Everyday America" and "Stay," with the latter song achieving crossover success, highlighted by the emotional vocals of Nettles. With their professional momentum only increasing, they began a long-running string of wins for Vocal Duo of the Year from the Country Music Association Awards, as well as winning Song of the Year from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association Awards, as well as two Grammys for "Stay."

The duo's rise continued with their next album, 2007's Love on the Inside, which earned them three additional country No. 1 hits: "All I Want to Do," "Already Gone" and "It Happens." Embarking on successful tours and earning multiple awards, Sugarland and especially Nettles herself, continued to connect with listeners who might not have considered themselves country music fans. Among their many far-ranging projects and performances was an appearance on the historic "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti" fundraising single. They released 2010's successful The Incredible Machine, which included the endearing hit "Stuck Like Glue." Tragedy struck, however, the following year when Sugarland was set to play the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. Before the band came on stage, high winds from an approaching storm caused the duo's outdoor stage to collapse, killing seven and injuring more than six times that number. Although they quickly responded to the tragedy and later held a benefit concert for the victims' families, Sugarland was hit with 44 lawsuits and saw their reputation take a hit. Also impacting their reputation negatively was a $14 million lawsuit brought by ex-band member Kristen Hall against Nettles and Bush, which was settled out of court.

Regardless of the tragic events in Indiana - made all the more graphic due to the collapse being recorded on cell phones by the horror-stricken audience and uploaded to the Internet - Sugarland continued to win awards and perform sold-out shows around the world, including a performance at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway. As Sugarland planned their next professional move, Nettles nabbed an impressive solo gig as one of the four main judges alongside Kelly Clarkson, Robin Thicke and John Legend on the musical competition "Duets" (ABC, 2012), in which all four music stars would mentor and perform with their respective contestants, all in an effort to help them land a recording contract.

By Jonathan Riggs