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Feature article
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Singing sensation J4 set to release two singles
By Kevin Castle
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| Jessi, 15; Jedidiah, 13; Josiah, 8; and Josephine, 7, are scheduled to perform once again on “The Early Show” on Tuesday, Sept. 29. |
‘Don’t Stop’ and ‘I Think I Love You’ will be available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon.com
BLUFF CITY — CBS Records is set to officially release the first singles by J4 — the tween foursome from the Tri-Cities — within the next few weeks, a management spokesperson said.
The group shot to stardom when they were selected from hundreds of entries to be part of CBS’ “The Early Show” Singing Family Face Off and won the competition in early April. Their prize included a recording contract with the CBS record label.
J4 management spokesperson Tracy Taylor said the two singles — a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” and what has become their signature song “I Think I Love You” — will be available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon.com.
The future of a complete compact disc or download file of work depends on the initial sales of these two singles.
“I think (CBS Records) is going to take a look at how the songs do and then decide if they will go forward with a full project, and that is why we need another grassroots effort to get these songs off the ground,” Taylor said.
An official release date has not been announced, but Taylor recommends that people visit the group’s Web site, j4fans.com, and click on the “Join the Team” icon.
“Once things are set in stone, people who subscribe in that section will get an e-mail letting them know when they can go and purchase the singles,” Taylor said.
The group has also decided to promote education as part of their rise to stardom, thanks in part to a program available to area school teachers and students on the Web site developed by the siblings’ mother, Lori Smith.
Smith, who is home schooling her children, came up with a curriculum based on the year the Fleetwood Mac single the band is covering came out.
“They can learn about who was president, what historic events took place that year, and other fun things that also get everyone involved in the process,” Taylor said. “(Lori) knew that this would be an opportunity to help people, and she chose to develop this program for schools.”
Since their winning performance in the spring, J4 has been at several local events promoting their skills including the Appalachian Fair and Bristol Motor Speedway.
The foursome are the children of Lori and Mark Smith of Bluff City. All are active at Bunker Hill Christian Church where Mark is pastor.
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