WWE Superstar Mickie James On Her Growing Musical Career, Future Plans, Motherhood & More
As a professional wrestler, Mickie James practically needs no introduction. A two-time “Woman Of The Year” via Pro Wrestling Illustrated, James is the only wrestler to have held the WWE Women’s, WWE Divas and TNA Knockouts Championships. She also holds the distinction of having 20+ years of in-ring wrestling experience, and most of that signed to companies with weekly television broadcasts.
Yet for a decade Mickie James has also kept very active as a musician. Her first full-length studio album was 2010’s country-tinged Strangers & Angels, as produced by Kent Wells (Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Reba McEntire). The same year also brought the release of the single “Hardcore Country,” which became a part of James’ wrestling ring entrances for the next few years.
2013 saw the release of her album Somebody’s Gonna Pay, which reached #15 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. James has since released a variety of singles, including last year’s “Christmas Presence,” and toured alongside Montgomery Gentry, Randy Houser, Gretchen Wilson and Rascal Flatts. She also became an inducee into the Native American Music Awards Hall Of Fame in 2017, also winning a “Best Single Recording” from the Native American Music Awards in 2018.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Mickie James by phone on February 26, 2020 about her musical journey, how wrestling inspired her musical path, future career plans, motherhood and more. The full interview is embedded below — and will also appear on a future edition of the Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz podcast — while part of the chat has been exclusively transcribed for Sportskeeda.
More on Mickie James can be found online at www.mickiejames.com.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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