Katelyn Hobson

Katelyn Hobson's voice is like a cold glass of lemonade on a hot Texas day: sweet and refreshing with a little bit of kick. But it's the ambition in her big blue eyes that sets this singer apart from all the other would-be famous country musicians out there.

"I've got a good track record of observing young people," said Johnnie High of Johnnie High's Country Music Revue in Arlington. "What separates LeAnn Rimes and others is their persistence and dedication ... and that's what Katelyn has."

Ms. Hobson has been performing for three years at Johnnie High's, where country music greats like Ms. Rimes, Lee Ann Womack, Steve Holy and Linda Davis got their start.

Mr. High is one of Ms. Hobson's biggest fans: "I think she's very special – I thought that the first time I saw her. And one heck of a singer."

In the past four years, this 20-year-old Grapevine singer and songwriter has performed in more than 600 shows across the country, including a performance for President Bush and his father. Singing, she says, is her gift from God and something she's been doing since she was 9.

Ms. Hobson describes her sound as traditional country with a bit of pop. It's what she liked to listen to when she was growing up, and what she tries to emulate in each song she writes and performs.

"I've just always tried to keep true to myself," Ms. Hobson said.

Her dream is to perform on stage every night.

"A Grammy wouldn't hurt either," she said with a laugh.

This month, she was one of 30 performers selected to compete in the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame Talent Showcase.

This fall could be her big break. She'll compete in the Kansas state finals of the Colgate Country Showdown in September and release her first full-length album, titled Get Lost with You. Ms. Hobson wrote most of the songs on the CD and says its title track is about escaping the bad parts of life and finding the good.

As a young female performer, Ms. Hobson is careful not to get lost in the superficial side of fame. She says she doesn't want her appearance to be more important than her music.

"I've always wanted to be a role model," she said. "Someone that a parent would feel good about buying their child my music. You've got to have your morals and let people know where you stand up front."

Music is Ms. Hobson's life. And she's working hard to make it her career.

And she says, "It's not a sacrifice when you love what you're doing."

"I know she's got what it takes to make it," Mr. High said.

You can see it in her eyes.


Sarah Angle is an Arlington-based freelance writer.

- Dallas Morning News