Every now and then, Jessie Clark Funk looks at Britney Spears and the like and thinks, "that could have been me."
At age 15, Jessie signed a contract with a big pop-music developer and went off to seek her fame and fortune.
But even before Britney's latest round of troubles, Jessie looked at her with relief, not regret.
Jessie learned quickly that the life of a pop star was not for her. After leaving it behind, she was chosen at age 17 for a Broadway touring production of "Footloose." While that was a good experience, she also realized it was not what she wanted to do with her life.
But she has found her niche now — wife, mother, inspirational singer and speaker.
"I totally love what I'm doing," she says.
Jessie has recently released her third solo CD, "Everything Speaks His Name," on the Inspirational Music Showcase/Sounds of Zion label. It was produced by her husband, Jim.
"Think how fun it will be when we are 80 to look back and say we did this together," she says.
Jessie will be singing a lot of those songs when she teams up with Alex Boye for a concert on Saturday at Wood Cross High School. The concert will feature R&B, country, Motown, inspirational and love songs, she says.
Jessie will also be part of an upcoming production of "Power in His Touch," a religious musical produced by Colette Call. She has been speaking at LDS firesides and youth conferences around the country, places such as Texas, Kentucky, Seattle and Boston.
Jessie loves working with youths and has also done everything from girls camps to teaching dance at scholarship/beauty pageants. She's also going back to finish her degree at Utah Valley State College. Not to mention that she's the mother of an energetic 2 1/2-year-old, Janessa.
So life is busy and full, and Jessie is right in the place where she wants to be.
That doesn't mean there hasn't been some hardship in her life. One of the songs on her CD, "Calling All Angels," is a tribute to a stillborn child, Jordyn Haley.
"I feel so honored that I have been chosen to have an actual angel as my own daughter," she writes in the liner notes.
The song was written by Jim, and at first Jessie wasn't sure it should be part of the CD.
"He wrote it to comfort me, which it does," she says. "But I didn't want it to look like I'm saying, 'poor me; I've had this great trial.' But I thought maybe it would bring comfort to anyone who has experienced stillbirth."
She hopes it will also send a message of how precious motherhood is.
"Before that I had two miscarriages," Jessie says. "I've found out that it is a lot more common than I had thought. I was devastated because I was not emotionally prepared for something like that. I think as women we need to share experiences, to prepare our minds."
The experience deepened her appreciation of Janessa, she says.
"I always loved the time I spend with Janessa," she says. "But she was my medicine. She was the rock that helped make it better."
And it taught her another lesson: "It's easy to get busy, to be ambitious." And that is good, she says, "but that's not everything. You also need to appreciate the simple pleasures of life."
The CD contains other songs that contain that message and help put our lives into perspective.
"I think we've chosen really great songs that will appeal to everyone," she says. "I hope it will take people on a journey where they will be inspired, edified and encouraged."
Working with her husband was a special experience, she says: "Luckily, he functions well in chaos. We usually have Janessa here while we're working, so it can get crazy."
For Jim, too, it has been a fun project.
"She's easy to produce," he says. "She knows how to sing so that makes my job easier. And we've gathered an 'A' list of arrangers, which makes the work less stressful."
Jim knows what makes a good song (after all, he co-wrote "Buy Me A Rose," a huge hit for country singer Kenny Rogers), and he's pleased with this collection.
Another favorite on the CD is a duet with Don Beck of "The Prayer," the David Frost, Carol Bayer Sager song.
That's a beautiful song, says Doyl Peck, executive producer for the album and owner of Sounds of Zion, who has worked with Jessie for six years now. "She's a great talent. She's great to work with. She's passionate about music, but she's focused in other areas of her life as well."
It's been fun to watch Jessie develop, adds Earl Madsen, who works with artistic development and album coordination at Sounds of Zion. "She's really found a sense of who she is and what she wants to say."
And that message is about as far away from Britney Spears as you can get.
If you go . . .
What: Jessie Clark Funk and Alex Boye
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where: Woods Cross High School
How much: $11 in advance; $15 at the door
E-mail: carma@desnews.com