MANSFIELD — Jori Hollenbeck’s passion for performing has been revived after participating in Rising Stars.
Held at Bucks Bar and Grill in Lexington, Rising Stars is a musical competition that gives local talent a platform to showcase their skills to a live audience.
The competition’s third season wrapped up Monday, May 2 with performances by the final three contestants: Hollenbeck, Luke Watson and Jason Swank. At the end of the night, Hollenbeck walked away victoriously.
Hollenbeck entered the competition at the encouragement of her fiancé, Brian Skowronski.
“I didn’t think I’d win, but you had faith in me,” Hollenbeck said to Skowronski.
“I did all along,” he replied. “I’ve heard you sing — you’re awesome.”
Hollenbeck started singing at the age of 5.
“Singing was always a big part of my life,” she said.
When she was 18, she began touring with The Great Race — an antique, vintage, and collector car competitive controlled-speed endurance road rally on public highways. She sang the national anthem and performed 30- to 45- minute shows at the event over a two-week time period for three years.
“That’s what really helped me break out of my shell with singing,” she said.
After touring with The Great Race, she was contacted by some managers in Nashville, where she spent some time performing and growing more familiar with the music industry.
She later moved to Mansfield, taking an eight-year break from performing until she auditioned for Rising Stars.
“Getting back into it at the beginning was a bit nerve-racking, but after the first couple shows I was like, ‘I’ve got this,'” she said.
The competition lasted 10 weeks and forced contestants to step outside of their comfort zone by singing songs of different genres and styles. They even had to come up with an original song.
For Hollenbeck’s original piece, “Wicked Ways,” she sang with The Handsome Cool Guys, a local band made up of guitar players Grayson Murray and Cody Maye, with Skowronski on drums.
“It was an awesome competition and I’d do it again if I could,” Hollenbeck said.
As part of her victory, Hollenbeck received $750, as well as a chance to sing the national anthem at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, perform at the Blueberry Festival and record a five-track demo at a professional music studio in Columbus.
She’d like to incorporate both cover songs and originals in the demo, she said.
When asked about what genre of music she enjoys singing, she responded, “Definitely country.”
The 30-year-old mother of two draws inspiration from artists like Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Linda Ronstadt, Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert.
Hollenbeck said she’s excited to get into the studio to start recording. Her dream is to tour across the country, and maybe even star in Broadway theater productions.
Until then, she’s looking forward to performing at various local events and providing good entertainment for the community, she said.
“That’s what I grew up on — I grew up doing community events,” she said.
