Heart S
HER
N G I N G
OUT
by Steve Gamel | photos courtesy of Jessica McVey
J
essica McVey was 26 when she went to an Illinois bar with a few friends and entered into a karaoke contest. One by one, contestants were eliminated by a lively but tough crowd with high standards. That is, except for McVey.
McVey made it to the finals that night, and as a treat, she got to sing with a live band. “I performed Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar, and I ended up winning the competition,”
said McVey. An Illinois native, she moved to Flower Mound in 2014. “I knew the
owner, and they came up to me and said, ‘Hey, so … we had no idea that you could sing like that. Do you think you can get a
band together so that we can book you?’” The rest, as they say, is history. For the last 12 years, McVey has been
selling out shows in venues ranging from Piranha Killer Sushi in Flower Mound to
House of Blues in Dallas and Lava Cantina in The Colony. She labels herself as a
country music singer and songwriter; she
does killer renditions of Miranda Lambert
and Carrie Underwood that you absolutely must hear. But to be honest, McVey loves
all music genres and can pretty much belt out anything. She’s continually booking sold-out shows locally, giving us a true
music sensation right in our own backyard. “It’s been so much fun,” McVey said. “I’ve
always been a very social person, so music is a great way for me to connect with 40 | LANTANA LIVING | DECEMBER 2020
people. We’ve played in small venues and big ones, but it doesn’t matter how many people I am playing in front of. It’s the
energy you get from those people. Music
takes them away from regular life — even if just for a moment.”
Having an escape — especially in the
form of music — is very important in this
day and age as we continue to fight as a nation against the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, singers and musicians like
McVey have continued booking shows at local venues near and far. In fact, McVey
said she performs roughly 200 shows per year, including a few house parties and
private events, and is quickly developing a following for tunes such as Haunting
Melody and John Deere in the Headlights. McVey said music truly is an escape for people, and she takes a lot of pride in what she does.
“I’ve been blessed with every event I’ve been able to have this year,” she said.
“This is when we need music the most,
and being able to sing in front of so many people means the world to me. I have a
hard time relaxing when I get home after www.LantanaLiving.com
