CMT News

Jennifer Day's first album won't be out until March 7, but already the petite, mighty-voiced 20-year-old is making lots of noise. Her first single, "The Fun of Your Love," appeared in the Kevin Costner movie For Love of the Game and has climbed into the Top 40 on Billboard's country singles chart. She has written and performed two radio jingles for Coca Cola. And she was the focal point of a Valentine's Day promotion for the Sunglass Hut/Watch Station chain.

In addition, two songs from Day's upcoming album -- also called The Fun of Your Love -- were used on the Fox TV series Get Real. And a third is slated for the soundtrack of the Ashley Judd movie, Where the Heart Is. (RCA will release a soundtrack album on this movie April 18.)

A native of McAlpin, Fla., Day has been working with BNA Records (a division of RCA) since 1997. BNA assigned Robert Byrne to produce her debut album, for which she co-wrote four of the 11 songs. Last year, Day asserted her importance as a songwriter by signing a co-publishing agreement with the respected and influential Almo Irving Music.

As is common with new artists, Day has been spending a great deal of time on the road -- six weeks so far -- visiting radio stations to stir up interest in her music. Few beginners, however, have as many other promotions working for them at such an early stage.

Day's first commercial for Coca Cola was broadcast between Thanksgiving and Christmas. "They liked that one so much," an RCA spokeswoman says, "that they're going to use her in their new ['Enjoy Coca Cola'] campaign, which is supposed to happen any day now." Although Day isn't identified in the commercials, they do serve as valuable showcases for her vocal stylings.

RCA's soundtrack-savvy A&R department took Day's "The Fun of Your Love" to the music supervisor of For Love of the Game, who, in turn, passed it on to Costner for approval. Since then, Day's "Completely" has been picked for the Where the Heart Is soundtrack. "Tell Me I'm the One" and "Somebody Else's Guy" aired on episodes of Get Real.

RCA/BNA created a special five-song CD for the Sunglass Hut/Watch Station promotion. It features Day's picture on the CD cover and includes two of her songs, "The Fun of Your Love" and "Gone By Dawn." Also on the mini-album are Alabama's "God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You," John Rich's "I Pray for You" and The Warren Brothers "The Enemy." The chain, which has nearly 2,000 locations worldwide, offers the CD free with purchases of $79.99 or more.

On Tuesday (Feb. 15) in Nashville, Day performed selections from her new album for entertainment reporters and other music industry tastemakers.