Voted "Most Likely To Be Famous" by her San Dimas High School classmates, singer/actress Keeira Lyn Ford has made great strides toward fulfilling that prediction.
The 24-year-old entertainer appeared in numerous television sitcoms and commercials as a youngster, and now is on her way to stardom as a country music recording artist.
Her latest opportunity for fame came when she was chosen from among thousands of singers to compete in CMT's TV talent contest "Can You Duet?" The show is produced by "American Idol's" production company, Freemantle Media. "I tried out for ..American Idol' and auditioned in front of Simon, Paula and Randy," said Ford, who also is a songwriter.
"I sang a country song and they didn't put me through because they said I didn't look like a country singer. I was hurt, but I turned it into a positive by writing a song about my experience.
"My dad, who plays saxophone in Little Richard's band, really loved the song and started helping me with my career. He's the one who told me about the auditions for ..Can You Duet?' and took me to Nashville to try out. It was brutal, but fun."
Ford's journey in show business began when she was a child with roles in TV commercials and sitcoms. Along with recurring guest spots on "Hanging With Mr. Cooper," "My Wife And Kids" and "Living Single," she appeared in a McDonald's commercial with country singer Garth Brooks, amongst many others.
Ford said she put pressure on herself to become familiar with Brooks' music in the event he would ask a question about it. So she went out and purchased all of his albums and began listening to them intensely. Ford said between the fiddles, steel guitars and stories, she became hooked on country music.
Soon, she was traveling to country music competitions, such as the nation's largest and longest-running country music talent search, the Colgate Country Showdown.
"Performing and writing country music has always come so naturally for me," said Ford. "It's what's in my heart. For a short time, I was being managed by Michael Jackson's father Joe Jackson. He wanted me to sing pop, but I just wasn't feeling it, so we parted ways."
Win or lose on "Can You Duet?" Ford said nothing will stand in the way of her musical dreams. She remains focused on her goals and looks forward to walking in the footsteps of her idols: Patsy Cline, Martina McBride and Reba McEntire. Just recently, Lawton Jiles, Pasty Cline's multi-platinum songwriter, has teamed up with Keeira to create some more hit songs.
"On an album, I would like the songs to be meaningful and timeless," said Ford. "Musically, I want to find a nice balance between the traditional and modern sounds, yet bring something to the table that's unique and unexpected. For me, it's all about the surprise factor."Myspace Layouts
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