Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Jana Kramer’s Journey From One Tree Hill to Country Music Stardom

Jana Kramer’s Journey From One Tree Hill to Award Winning Songwriter
Arden Lambert
by
  • Arden Lambert covers breaking country music news for Country Thang Daily.
  • His beat includes today’s biggest stars, award shows, new music, tours, and the headlines fans are talking about.
  • If it just happened in country music, Arden is on it.
Get Country Thang Daily first on GoogleGet CTD first on GoogleAdd us as a preferred source in Top StoriesAdd us as a preferred sourceAdd

Can you believe it’s been twelve years since country star Jana Kramer first appeared on the beloved CW teen drama, One Tree Hill? Well, who could ever forget her role as Alex Dupre, who rocked and created havoc for the residents of Tree Hill during the series’ seventh season?

Kramer’s appearance on the show was only meant to be in a recurring form, but with Dupre’s confident yet shameless behavior that very much captured viewers’ attention, her role was upgraded to a series regular.

RELATED: Know the Difference Between These Country Music Awards: ACM, CMA, and CMT

However, during the show’s last two seasons, Kramer announced that she would no longer appear regularly on the small screen to pursue her music career.

Here’s How Jana Kramer’s Love For Country Music Launched Her To Fame

Jana Kramer was born on December 2, 1983, in Rochester Hills, Michigan, to parents Nora and Martin Kramer. As a little girl, Kramer fell in love with country music while listening to Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and June Carter at her grandmother’s kitchen.

And indeed, after signing a contract with the very popular Elektra Records in 2011, she quickly became a country star. 

Her debut single, “Why Ya Wanna,” reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart – making it the highest-ranking song by a new female Nashville artist since Taylor Swift’s debut. Her first four singles were also featured on the One Tree Hill series soundtrack. 

Moreover, Kramer has also bagged various nominations within her decade-long career, taking home the Top New Female Artist during the 2013 ACM Award.

The actress turned country music sensation went on with a pretty busy career. In 2016, she joined Dancing with the Stars. Though she scored tens several times during the season, she failed to enter the season 23 finale after her partner, Gleb Savchenko, caught the flu and could not rehearse with her as much as he’d wanted.

Her Personal Life Made Headlines Everywhere, Too

In April 2021, Jana Kramer announced in an emotional Instagram post that she had filed for divorce from her husband, former professional football player Michael Caussin, after six years of marriage. According to some sources, Caussin’s alleged cheating sparked the split, which was also why the couple had previously separated five years ago.

Kramer and Caussin have two kids together, son Jace Joseph, 2, and daughter Jolie Rae, 5.

Kramer was previously married twice before she met Caussin. The “I’ve Done Love” songstress was first married to Michael Gambino when she was 19, and it, unfortunately, turned out to be an abusive marriage. Several years later, Kramer married actor Johnathon Schaech – a marriage that lasted less than a month. 

Now, She’s Ready To Move On

Jana Kramer and her then-husband offered honest conversations with their fans in Whine Down with Jana Kramer – where they dish out advice about love, marriage, and parenthood on the weekly show.

But after filing for divorce from Caussin, Kramer will now lead the podcast by herself.

Kramer has spent the last year focusing on her career and family. And with the speed bumps in the road of life that she recently encountered, her creative wheels were set in motion. The country star revealed that she pulled from her real-life experiences to write her recently released songs “Voices” and “You Deserve the Perfect Family.”

Jana Kramer’s Journey From One Tree Hill to Country Music Stardom

Know someone who loves Jana Kramer?

Pass this story along to your friends and family on Facebook.

Share on Facebook

Latest Stories

Kid Rock Felt Called to Record His First Christian Album and He Went All In on Jesus

The song came to him in the middle of the night. Everything else followed from there. Kid Rock announced Halfway 2 Jesus, the first Christian album of his career, arriving ...

Kid Rock and Eminem Chose Friendship Over Politics and Reunited on His Christian Album

Kid Rock dropped the tracklist for his first Christian album on Thursday, October 1, and one name on it stopped people cold. Track three is called “7 Sins,” and it ...

Dolly Parton Day Is Here With Book Drives, Sparkle, and a Lot of Giving Across the Country

Somewhere in Ohio, a small charity asked people for 925 donations of $9.25 each. They blew past it and funded free books for 1,110 kids. That is what September 25 ...

Dolly Parton’s Nephew Who Announced Her Death Was Reportedly Fired From Guarding Her Properties

Three weeks after Bryan Seaver stood in front of a camera to tell the world his aunt had died, he was reportedly told to hand over the keys. Seaver, the ...

The CMA Will Honor Dolly Parton With a Two-Hour Live Special on October 21

Dolly Parton wrote the most famous goodbye song in American music. Now, country music is using it to say goodbye to her. The Country Music Association announced it will honor ...

Reba Wore Dolly Parton’s Rhinestone Earrings and Butterfly Ring During Her Emmys Tribute

The first time Reba McEntire ever saw Dolly Parton in person, Dolly was covered in rhinestone butterflies. McEntire has told the story more than once. She was backing up against ...

Sally Field Called Dolly Parton an Angel on Earth in Her Emmys Tribute Speech

Sally Field worked with Dolly Parton on one movie in 1989. She spent the next thirty-seven years loving her anyway. Field introduced the Dolly Parton tribute at the 78th Primetime ...

Reba McEntire Sang “Appalachian Memories” for Dolly at the Emmys and Got Emotional at the End

Forty-three years ago, Dolly Parton stood on the Emmy stage and sang a song she wrote about her daddy and the mountains that raised her. On Monday night, her friend ...

A Massive Dolly Parton Mural Went Up on a Fort Worth Honky-Tonk and People Keep Pulling Over

His daughter took the news hard, so he went and found a wall. Juan Velazquez saw how Dolly Parton’s death hit his daughter and decided he wanted to honor her. ...

Jennifer Nettles Honored the 9/11 Victims With Vince Gill’s Go Rest High on That Mountain

Vince Gill wrote that song for his own dead. On Friday, Jennifer Nettles sang it for nearly three thousand of them. Nettles performed “Go Rest High on That Mountain” at ...