Music Artist Jamie Grace Steps into Acting on 'The Beverlys'

Grammy nominee and Dove Award winner Jamie Grace continues to make music while she takes a bold step in the direction of an acting career. Jamie stars, along with comedian Tommy Blaze, in the PureFlix series The Beverlys.

The series follows the story of three orphaned girls who dream of starting a music career. They live in the Hollywood mansion of a failed record executive, while Jamie’s character serves as a mentor and wrangler of sorts as hijinks ensue in this family comedy. The Beverlys is in a limited run at one season but could continue. Episodes focus on such topics as embracing your unique and creative self, kindness, and humility, with a special emphasis on adopted and foster care children.

Adoption has always been close to Jamie’s heart. While her parents served as pastors in a small town in Georgia, they often welcomed kids into their home, acting as foster parents as situations arose within local families. Jamie tells me that fostering isn’t easy, as different personalities take time to blend together. But, the end goal makes it worth it.

“The goal of foster care is reunification with the children's biological parents, but that doesn't always happen. And sometimes the cases move toward adoption. But my parents were the home for the children while their parents were in rehab or incarcerated. And then my parents would also work with that family to help them prepare to be reunited. To see the joy on their faces as they begin to rebuild with their biological families - it just made it all worth it because you knew that you were making the difference.”

As a child, Jamie remembers thumbing through catalogs which featured children available for adoption and asking her parents for siblings. She said she knows that God is going to call her to adopt someday.

“I'm not exactly sure when, but being a part of this show was so cool because even though my character isn't a foster parent, she's still making a difference in the children's lives. And so it's really cool to get to do that on screen, but also to know that it's hopefully making a difference off-screen as well.”

Jamie and her husband, Aaron, welcomed baby Isabella just a few months ago in April 2019. It’s been a busy few years for the two. In 2018, footage from their wedding day was featured in the video for Jamie’s single “Wait It Out,” a song she said she’d been sitting on for four years while waiting for the perfect time to release it. Everything came together for the couple, the song single, and their wedding day.

“It felt really natural. One, because he and I were just so, not to be all sappy, but we're just so in love. And so it didn't seem weird at all. We just knew that God had done something with our love story that we wanted to share. But then also the videographer was a young kid that I mentored for a while. He started out as a fan in an autograph line and stayed with our family a little bit as he was really finding an interest in music and media. It also felt really natural because literally every person that did something in the wedding was a very integral part of our lives.”

As Jamie and I talk, she is getting ready to go to a counseling appointment. Jamie has never been shy about discussing therapy and says she has always been proud that she’s been able to ask for help when needed. In addition to her faith in Christ, music is also a source of healing.

“I've gotten to the point where I've chosen to be really honest about what it looks like to get help, what it looks like to reach out when you know you need it or even when you don't think you need it [but] people around you are telling you that you do.

Therapy is really helpful and also music is really helpful, [but] I don't want to live a life where I'm just like, ‘Oh, music makes me happy.’ It’s more than that. Writing these honest and vulnerable lyrics has been a part of my healing. You need the confidence that you can overcome these things. It's not about, ‘Oh, life's going to be perfect in 20 or 30 days or for the next 5-10 years.’ But it's taking it day by day. And this song today is going to help me in writing this today. It's going to help me today. That’s just been pretty serious part of my healing for sure.”

Exciting creative projects are on the horizon for Jamie. Just last week, she made a big announcement about a shift in how she’ll deliver music. Her career started on YouTube, and she wants to return to those roots. Starting in December and for every month in 2020, she’ll be releasing new music in what some might consider a non-traditional way. 

Rather than the usual album project cycle of working on a dozen or so songs for years leading up to a release, fans will be treated to one new musical selection(s) per month. There will be EPs, singles, and even some duets.

As she shakes off the expectations of the past and forms new channels for her music, Jamie will be taking us along on a journey as she explores new creative avenues. Armed with rooted faith and acumen for the industry, it’s guaranteed to be a great adventure.

Check out the trailer for The Beverlys here!