Jana Kramer is keeping very busy these days. She just competed as a finalist on Dancing With the Stars, balancing her career and being a mom, and she wants to be a role model to show women that they can do anything.
The country singer has formed unexpected friendships with fellow DWTS competitors Terra and Laurie this season, but she didn’t join the show solely for the kinship. Instead, she wants to empower moms like her.
“I really wanted to show women out there that it can be done. That you can be an amazing mom, be a career-driven woman and also do something that you love and that you want to make time for yourself as well,” she tells Taste of Country. “It’s been a lot but I’ve been very fortunate.”
After she’s done dancing each week, Kramer gets back to feeding and taking care of her young daughter, Jolie. The singer and actor has a new partnership with Colgate Optic White, and she’s excited to show off her pearly whites on the red carpet.
“I really wanted them to partner with me because everyone’s always said, ‘Your smile, your smile is your best feature.’ I think a smile is the most important thing because it shows confidence. It shows grace,” Kramer says, adding that she hopes to “look strong and confident and classy and fierce.”
"I want to show women that they are strong and they are good enough."
Looking strong will be easy for the “Circles” singer, who recently showed just how strong she is by opening up about her abusive first marriage. Although it wasn’t easy for her to talk about, it was important and fans are showing her why.
“Last night at a show a girl wrote on her phone, ‘You saved me,’ and I literally got so choked up that I almost started sobbing,” Kramer discloses. “In that moment I felt so much at peace knowing that what I’ve done has already started to affect other women. It’s a very powerful moment. It’s not a very talked-about subject and I want to show women that they are strong and they are good enough.”
Kramer held it down for more than just women on DWTS; she held it down for country music, getting more impressive and sexier with each passing week. The 32-year-old country singer enjoyed dancing with her partner, Gleb Savchenko, but enjoyed the dances that were “just about the emotion” more than anything. The toughest part? Combating her nerves.
“It’s very nerve-wracking to go out there and do something you’ve never done, especially on live television having millions of people watching you,” Kramer tells us. “That’s been hard for me, but it’s fun just going out there and trying to have the confidence and trying to enjoy the moment.”
Kramer danced all the way to a fourth place finish on Dancing With the Stars before being eliminated on the first night of the finals.
Watch Jana's freestyle performance here.
By Coti Howell