(bright music) Jam."

studios in Midtown Atlanta.

stories from a sampling incredibly talented musicians, who call the Peach State home.

(bright music) On this episode.

in the Athens Bar scene.

♪ Fallin' on my knee ♪ (gentle upbeat music) - [Narrator] A former contestant "American Idol."

on Kelly Clarkson's team.

And I finished in the top 24.

- [Narrator] And the boss lady who has many irons in the fire.

personification of inspiration and determination.

Jam."

(gentle upbeat music) ♪ Boss lady ♪ ♪ Handle my business ♪ huh ♪ ♪ About my paper ♪ ♪ But you don't get it ♪ sexy ♪ ♪ Do you feel me ♪ ♪ I, I rock with bosses ♪ ♪ Cliqued up ♪ ♪ Glowed out ♪ ♪ Dripped up ♪ ♪ Turn your party to a movie ♪ Benz ♪ ♪ Might have a chance ♪ (gentle upbeat music) what to do with this boss lady ♪ ♪ Treat myself to a drink ♪ ♪ Treat myself ♪ if I introduce myself do it?

the way you normally do it.

- Hey, what's up guys?

original ♪ Boss lady ♪ Jam."

and I sing R&B, gospel pop, and all genres of music.

I just don't discriminate.

- No, and that's fantastic.

personality.

personality.

- Thank you.

all things, Dene'Quia.

Georgia, from there, right?

from Hollywood, Florida.

- And what brought you up here?

- The music.

The music and also the military, the United States Marine Corps.

My husband was in the Marines.

- Okay.

Alright.

That's awesome.

- Yeah.

Georgia was attractive to you?

- Very attractive.

- [Jeremy] Okay.

California of the East Coast, Hollywood of the East Coast.

place where you can come, showcase your music, your talent, and just give it all you got.

There's so much opportunity, opportunities out here as well, so... you up, here, like, - Thank you.

of being an influencer, like you're a hustler almost.

- Like you're everywhere.

these things you're doing.

- So I am a Drink GLOW partner.

GLOW.

right now celebrity will be Kylie Jenner.

going, Ma.

with them, as I said.

I also have a company & More Party Rentals.

We're a bounce house company, houses, (laughs) - I love that.

(laughs) directing productions.

whole bunch of artists/actors.

they do comedy, whatever.

of skits for us to do.

course, put that on Tubi and Netflix real soon.

So stay tuned for us.

♪ I can buy anything ♪ ♪ I'm a real true queen ♪ ♪ Boss lady ♪ ♪ I got diamond rings ♪ ♪ I can buy anything ♪ ♪ I'm a real, true queen ♪ ♪ Boss lady, yeah ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Boss lady, yeah ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Boss lady, yeah ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Boss lady, yeah ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Boss lady, lady ♪ ♪ Boss lady, lady ♪ ♪ Boss lady, lady, lady ♪ lady ♪ ♪ Lady, lady ♪ ♪ ♪ Na, ra-ra-ra, ra, ra ♪ you gotta stay busy, to live.

fulfill all of my dreams.

in criminal justice.

that I can ever imagine myself to ever do.

oftentimes, gonna, Jeremy.

My dad died when I was 17. to really do everything that they ever wanna do.

So I'm doing that.

could ever wanna do.

(chuckles) ♪ me ♪ ♪ - [Kid] And sing!

♪ Oh, oh, oh, whoa ♪ ♪ Really tryna find a balance ♪ ♪ The balance ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ The balance ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ The balance ♪ - And sing!

(gentle upbeat music) ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ I love you, baby ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Oh, oh, oh, whoa, whoa ♪ away as early as he did, did you have to grind it out?

- I had to grind it out.

after my dad passed away, Civic for a couple of weeks before my friend, Wilfred Clark, mom, home.

this is not happening.

us and we'll figure the rest out."

Brenda 'cause if it wasn't for her, be honest 'cause I was really like, be my life for real."

Just can't be my life for real.

me of what it looked like of what happened.

there's a funeral and then what?

back and sitting there like, "Okay, what's next?"

know, where I'm gonna stay and who's gonna take me in.

members, and I love my family.

My dad's side and my mom's.

had their own kids and their own things going.

So I understand.

kid.

My grades were decent.

their lives they were living.

And so I just...

I'll just figure this out.

So I got a job.

BellSouth school.

school, until 8:00, you know.

BellSouth.

It's a phone company.

- Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

long distance or whatever.

(both laughing) - Yeah.

Sure.

do.

went out on my dad's car...

I had to do.

(laughs) a taxi or whatever, you know.

was very hard for me.

kind of an emotional thing because now I own three homes.

I have three kids.

can go to if they need a home.

didn't have anywhere to go.

believe it or not, restrooms.

really shared with anybody.

kinda wiping up right quick and having then to go to school.

chorus teacher, Mr. Lampkin, up a collection in the class to be able to make sure pay my cell phone bill to eat for a couple days.

That's how bad it was.

- What kept you going?

live.

live.

live.

♪ Because of my meekness ♪ to those who speak less ♪ alone, know I belong ♪ man who don't know my truth ♪ the seasons I've been through ♪ ♪ And I'm grateful ♪ ♪ To you, I'm thankful ♪ of the ocean's floor ♪ (gentle guitar music) ♪ (gentle guitar music) I need ♪ ♪ To help me reach my destiny ♪ of the ocean's floor ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah, yeah ♪ (gentle guitar music) (bright music) - [Narrator] Coming up.

Kobanova.

(bright music) a country singer-songwriter from Cochran, Georgia.

(bright music) - I'm David Zelski.

the Road" on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Georgia's farmers, producers, makers and bakers.

podcast learn more and inspiring Georgians.

at gpb.org/forkintheroad.

(upbeat electronic music) Howell is on "Peach Jam."

(gentle upbeat music) ♪ Mm, mm ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ I got locked up last night ♪ ♪ photo ♪ fine ♪ ♪ the floor wasn't mine ♪ night ♪ while I'm serving my time ♪ woman ♪ ♪ ♪ night ♪ ♪ I cooked and I cleaned ♪ ♪ Did all the things ♪ ♪ And somehow he had the nerve ♪ night ♪ ♪ And he got what he deserved ♪ from Cochran, Georgia, music singer-songwriter.

- Where's Cochran?

hours south of Atlanta, 45 minutes south of Macon, Dublin, area.

- Mm.

like 3,000.

It's not super huge.

- [Jeremy] Okay.

people in my graduating class.

So not huge.

- What high school was that?

- Bleckley County High School.

be sorry ♪ ♪ But that's where ya lost me ♪ (gentle upbeat music) woman ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I cooked and I cleaned ♪ ♪ Did all the things ♪ ♪ And somehow he had the nerve ♪ night ♪ ♪ And he got what he deserved ♪ ♪ (gentle upbeat music) and where do you live now?

Tennessee.

for a little over two years.

thing, you know, I can.

I got married in May of 2021.

- Mm-hmm.

we just quit our jobs and moved to Nashville.

We literally gave it two weeks.

and moved to Nashville.

up, work and never looked back, experience ever since.

decision?

Like how do you decide, town, I am gonna go and go for it."

different in that time period.

"The Voice" back in 2019 and was on the show.

and I finished in the top 24.

And so I had... going for a little while.

Macon, Warner Robins area in between then.

for "American Idol."

in LA, I met so many people, any of my stuff on TV, which was totally fine.

people and they were just like, Nashville?

Like, what is stopping you?"

know."

while I was out in LA filming think?"

And he's like, "Hey, why not?

Let's do it."

went, found an apartment moved, and it's been great ever since.

- Holy moly.

Like that... scary.

everything and say, "We're going for it."

when you came home and said, little bit should move out of this town."

you can expect that it went.

(both laughing) were a little upset and sad, always been very supportive of music.

They know how much I love it.

always wanted more for me.

parents want.

kids than what they had.

it and wants me to be happy.

been really supportive with me every step of the way.

I call 'em every day thing I got going on, about it.

crying ♪ ♪ Tears in my eyes ♪ enough ♪ charming ♪ ♪ When you're in his arms ♪ on top of the world ♪ don't wanna love that man ♪ ♪ Yeah, I promise you, girl ♪ ♪ If you do, you'll understand ♪ ♪ I know first hand ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Yeah, I know first hand ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ connection to Reba McEntire.

(laughs) put out this challenge, I think back in October, hundred million streams on her song "Fancy," saying, you singing the song."

it I'll duet the video reaction to seeing you sing it."

it."

I have been singing that song for a really long time.

stuff earlier, I had pretty much sang that song them.

named Fancy uptown.

(Jeremy laughing) song.

that out, to do it."

- Well, we have to, song, what's it sound like?

- Oh, okay, well.

Fancy, don't let me down ♪ Fancy, don't let me down ♪ That's it.

(laughs) video, I put it out there, she'll probably never see it, it out there anyway."

And I kept checking back really have that many views on the video when I posted it.

evening, on my phone favorites.

be like a fake account.

McEntire.

There's no way."

was like, the real Reba McEntire."

up that she posted a video, like, "she actually saw it."

the video, attack.

days to date of my life.

chance."

♪ ♪ "Fancy, don't let me down."

♪ ♪ Don't let me down ♪ chance."

♪ ♪ "Fancy, don't let me down."

♪ - Ow!

down.

of her?

This is like... (gentle upbeat music) y'all could make this happen.

working ♪ ♪ And it's only half past two ♪ ♪ And outside it's getting hot ♪ you ♪ early ♪ ♪ You can make up an excuse ♪ ♪ do ♪ babe ♪ babe ♪ ♪ ♪ I know you're a simple man ♪ saying ♪ ♪ I can make you understand ♪ alternative southern rock.

This is Kobanova on "Peach Jam."

(gentle guitar music) open ♪ (gentle guitar music) stone ♪ (gentle guitar music) tavern ♪ (gentle guitar music) would know ♪ (gentle guitar music) ♪ It was cold in that December ♪ (gentle guitar music) ♪ Worst I remember since '09 ♪ (gentle guitar music) - My name's Chris.

I'm Jimmy.

I'm Wes.

And together we're Kobanova.

in Atlanta, Georgia.

rock.

room for interpretation.

(Chris laughing) - Where did it start?

- It started in Athens, Georgia.

was a year older than I. than myself.

- I was still... - Yeah.

(laughs) playing that first summer, we started... fraternity.

And then that following summer, we... Chris along, in high school, so... the bar gigs in Athens a little bit.

(group laughing) mean I was, yeah, 18.

Senior in high school.

college was playing, you know, for 500 people.

And with these guys, "Oh, I love doing this."

senior in high school, and you're in a bar in Athens.

18-year-old in... - I think I probably was.

- Because you're not allowed - The piano will get... - Yeah.

- The piano will get him a lot of places.

- That's right.

Yeah.

- You carry the keyboard - He just walked in with a keyboard.

Yeah, they'll let you in anyway.

(gentle upbeat music) (gentle upbeat music continues) (gentle upbeat music continues) (gentle upbeat music continues) - I think the magic of Athens bands at different levels trying music, that are residents there.

know, at liberty to try.

not...

They're not pretty, and... know, encouraged to get out there listen take a few beers for them, but they'll get into it do it again and go practice some more.

and months of that decent enough to keep going.

more thing to that too, it, the community there too that's so special, mentioned earlier, there's...

Even when we were there, this legacy of great, huge, historic bands, like R.E.M and Widespread Panic, that have come out of there.

we were there as well, at a global level in Athens, well.

You know, there's a space there, before, Nuci's Space, of our practicing sessions.

- Late night practices.

practices affordable for musicians.

spaces like that in Athens around it that all support each other.

There's not as much, you know... thing at all in Athens.

And in our experience, at least, - And thankfully, as warm and embracing, opportunities to play.

It was, you know, not to segue, know, landing place for us, there are countless venues and opportunities.

great transition so far.

♪ Heard it shouted at me ♪ affairs ♪ (gentle piano music) now ♪ ♪ That I am aware ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Check your intentions ♪ stake ♪ (gentle upbeat music) eyes ♪ ♪ It was all a hair too late ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Sitting stuck in waiting ♪ ♪ For this life to pass me by ♪ ♪ Pass me by ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Chase the feeling ♪ ♪ Time cannot erase ♪ place ♪ you finally make it out ♪ doubt ♪ how you know it's gold ♪ told ♪ (gentle upbeat music) there's a lot of hustle.

- [Chris] Definitely.

- It's all hustle.

(laughs) Yep.

It's, you know... of raised us pretty well to deal with that.

scene's gonna be competitive good bands all across the country.

- That's true.

specifically, right before COVID happened, of shows.

every weekend of a semester straight, which was awesome for us.

- Mm-hmm.

point.

kind of where we learned hungry.

know, really discovered of people.

to chase that down.

- Mm-hmm.

♪ I can't believe ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ I can finally breathe ♪ (gentle upbeat music) (gentle upbeat music continues) (gentle upbeat music) you still ♪ ♪ Knock me off my feet ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Breathe oh I want to see ♪ ♪ If your still ♪ hear more songs and stories?

gpb.org/peachjam.

♪ Wanna see ♪ ♪ Fallin' on my knees ♪ (gentle upbeat music) believe that it is... ♪ watching.

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