10 Things You May Not Know About Jimmie Allen
Jimmie Allen exploded onto the country music scene with his 2018 single, “Best Shot.” Since then, he has released multiple albums and EPs and won many awards, including New Artist trophies from the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association. Allen’s fame has also expanded out of the country realm, as he was a contestant on Dancing With the Stars in 2021 and has appeared on many other television shows and specials. Although Allen is rising to fame at lightning speed, there still may be some things fans don’t know about him. Here are 10 things you may not know about Jimmie Allen.
- He has a big family.
Allen was born in Milton, Delaware to parents James and Angela, and he has a lot of siblings. Altogether, Allen has six siblings — four sisters and two brothers — and a few of them live near him in Nashville. The family unfortunately suffered the loss of their father in 2019, who passed away at the age of 65.
2. He was temporarily homeless while chasing his musical dream.
Allen moved to Nashville in 2007 with reportedly $21 in his bank account, and he worked for many years before breaking through into country music fame. The singer was even homeless for a span of time, living in his car while working various jobs to make ends meet and send money home to his family. While those days were hard, the singer still looks back on them, and he especially remembers the generosity of one stranger who gave him a dollar, which allowed him to buy a fast food sandwich. He now always carries a couple dollars in his wallet in case he comes across someone in need.
“I know how a dollar can change someone’s week, something that we throw away so frivolously,” Allen once told The Tennessean. “It’s so important to remember that in the click of a button our bank accounts could be erased and what you’re left with is character.”
3. He had an early collaboration with Taylor Swift.
Before Allen shot to country fame, one of his early gigs was appearing in a Diet Coke commercial that also featured Taylor Swift. Swift and Allen did not appear in the same scene, but clips of Allen driving a car and singing along to her 2012 single “22” are sandwiched between clips of Swift singing the song and drinking a Diet Coke. At this point, Allen still had four years ahead of him before signing his first publishing deal.
4. He auditioned for and appeared on multiple singing competition shows.
During his journey to country music success, Allen joined the long list of now-famous artists who tried to find their path to stardom by way of singing competition shows. Allen auditioned for America’s Got Talent, but he did not make it past the first round. He did, however, make it onto season 10 of American Idol, but he was eliminated after Hollywood week. In a full-circle moment, Allen made it back to the Idol stage in 2021 to perform on the show.
5. He knew Scotty McCreery prior to becoming famous.
Although Allen wasn’t on Idol for very long, he starred on the show long enough to meet and become friends with season 10 winner and fellow country star, Scotty McCreery. The two artists reunited in 2018 when they toured together.
6. He had a heart attack.
Allen once shared with Taste of Country that heart problems run in his family, particularly among the men, and he had a heart attack at the age of 21. His father and his grandfather also suffered attacks around the same age.
“My dad had a heart attack at 22, and has had to have a couple bypass surgeries—and his dad had a heart attack at 23,” he shared. “So yeah, the heart condition is something that we were born with. It’s kinda like once the heart attack happens, then the doctors know how to treat you and move forward.”
7. He’s an author.
In addition to being a Platinum-selling artist, Allen added the title of children’s book author to his résumé in 2021 with the release of his book, My Voice Is A Trumpet. The book features colorful illustrations and encourages children to stand up for what they believe in and use their voice.
“I think it’s so important to teach them at a young age; that way they grow up to be adults that still have that same confidence to speak up for themselves and speak up for other people,” Allen said of the book on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
8. He and wife Alexis had a “secret” wedding.
Jimmie Allen and his wife Alexis were married in a beautiful ceremony in May 2021. The couple shared many photos and videos from the memorable event, but in an interview with People, Alexis admitted that they were actually married one year before their ceremony. Alexis added that she has enjoyed being able to publicly be Mrs. Allen and that having their ceremony one year later gave them a “new honeymoon phase.”
9. His career came together after he had his son.
Allen says he was “broke” when he had his first son Aadyn, and he admits that the birth of his first child scared him a bit. However, things started to change for the better after he welcomed his son, and his career soon started taking off.
“I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t excited at first. I was nervous, I was scared and I was sick. I didn’t leave the house for, like, two days. I just laid on the bed,” Allen told People. “The crazy thing is, after I had my son, that next year, I got a publishing deal. The next year, I got a record deal.”
10. He’s a great dad.
Allen is now the dad to three children — Aadyn, Naomi, and the most recent addition of their daughter Zara — and the singer often posts photos and videos of his family on social media. Like any good parent, Allen also fights for his kids’ wellbeing, and he recently did so after Zara was rushed to the ER for a bad case of RSV. When Zara was initially brought to the hospital, the doctors sent them home, and Allen had a response to the doctors on social media.
“Attention Doctors, if the parent of your one month old patient tells you the child having a hard time breathing and the only thing your lazy self wants to do is check heart and temperature find another career,” he wrote. “Your job is to save lives so do it.”
Zara was soon brought back to the hospital after she had a coughing fit and lost her color. She recovered after she was given a treatment that included oxygen.
