DIAMOND BAR – Marty Wereski, head of a local music publishing company, has heard the aspiring singer routine many times before.
So after he heard the then-12-year- old Jamie Beeman sing for the first time, he gave her a challenge: come back ready to sing "Angel" by artist Sarah McLachlan in the studio.
Jamie hit the notes of the song – traditionally hard for young singers – so well that Wereski was stunned.
"I was sitting there listening to `Angel' and I was almost in tears," said Wereski, president of South Pasadena- based Mar-Tune Music.
From then, Jamie's solo recording career took off with Wereski's help. Now, two years later, Jamie released her first album on Feb. 14. The 12-song self-titled record is available on iTunes and CDBaby.com.
Jamie started at four years old in a singing group. Then she started performing solo at 10, mostly locally.
Now, as a high school freshman, Jamie has to juggle her budding musical career with the life of a regular kid. Jamie studies at home as part of an independent study program at Diamond Bar High.
But she also budgets time for working out, weekly guitar lessons and twice-weekly vocal classes.
She co-wrote eight of the songs on her album, her mother, Joy Beeman, said.
The common theme isn't unexpected: "Boys, phones, drama," Jamie said.
To record her first record, Jamie traveled back and forth between home and her producer Tommy Marolda's Las Vegas studio, her mom said.
Now that the album is out, Joy Beeman and her family is doing all they can to get Jamie ahead. From paying for Jamie's musical career to trying to convince local stores to sell her album, the goal is to land a record deal.
Phyllis Cooprider, Jamie's preschool teacher, speaks glowingly about Jamie.
At 14 years old, she opened Dodger Stadium with the national anthem, she said.
"She's got a talent, for as young as is," she said.
And if she gets signed and grabs attention, Jamie said she hopes to become an inspiration for others.