Jake Hoot has lived a lot of life in his 37 years. Growing up as a missionary in the Dominican Republic, Hoot relocated to Cookeville to play football. But it didn’t take long for music to call. Hoot was discovered by the producers of The Voice, after seeing videos of him singing to his little girl Macy, who was two at the time.
Hoot went from being known in his small town to becoming a household name, winning Season 17 in 2019. But even with his sudden success, Hoot admits there were challenges, as he navigated life as a full-time singer after coming off of the reality TV talent show.
“I tell people the story of how I opened for Darius Rucker in Knoxville to 10,000 people and walked off the stage to a standing ovation,” Hoot recalls to Cookeville Lifestyle. “We felt like rock and roll stars. Then, our next show was a two-day drive to a casino in South Dakota, and there were nine people in the seats. Those are the mental hurdles that nobody tells you about. You think of all these things that you could face, but when you go from extreme highs to extreme lows, those are the big mental hurdles that you’ve got to deal with.”
Hoot can laugh about the experience now, but he acknowledges that nothing about his career in the music industry has been linear. Instead, Hoot has learned how to cope with the ups and downs, as he continues to expand his own career.
“I’ve had way more of those highs and lows than I care to admit,” Hoot concedes. “But every one of them I’ve looked at as a learning experience, and as something that’s an important part of my journey. I laugh about that casino show now. At the time, playing with nine people was a challenge, with my hat literally rubbing on the drop ceiling in that room in South Dakota. But, looking back, and laughing about it while playing three songs on the Opry stage, I see it as a reminder of how this industry is wild and God has a sense of humor. For anybody in any industry, when you’re able to push through a mental block and push through the uncomfortable and the disappointing, that’s what makes you who you are.”
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Hoot’s life got exponentially better when he fell in love with his now-wife, Brittney. The two, who wed in 2021, have added two more girls to their family. It’s Brittney, a nurse by trade and a talented singer as well, who serves as Hoot’s biggest source of encouragement.
“When you have the right person lifting you up, championing you, encouraging you, cheering you on in more ways than just with words, it changes everything,” Hoot says. “When Brittney came into the picture, I lacked a lot of self-confidence. I was very negative about the way I talked about myself. If anybody gave me a compliment, I would instantly deflect and tell them, ‘Oh, you’re just being nice.’ When she came into my life, it wasn’t an immediate change. It was a process, but she shifted the whole way I viewed myself. She had this ‘Five Things’ rule. Anytime I’d say something negative about myself or anytime I deflected a compliment, I would have to say five nice things about myself, and I hated it.”
Hoot might have hated it, but it worked. Now, a leaner version of himself, Hoot also learned to trust himself more, thanks to his supportive spouse.
“When I changed the words that I was speaking over myself, it changed the way I thought,” Hoot admits. “In any industry, a lot of times, you have people who build you up for their benefit. But when you have people who build you up because they truly believe in you and they truly see the greatness in you that you don’t see, that also changes the way you view yourself. … I’m very thankful and I absolutely know I would not be where I am today in my career or in my personal life if it wasn’t for her.”
Hoot is also more excited than ever to continue his country music career, while also finding contentment with the life he has right now.
“I think I’m in a place mentally and emotionally where I am just very content, while also very hungry for the next thing,” Hoot reflects. “Hungry for the arena shows, and hungry for being on tour with a big name and all the next steps that are possible. We’re just in a really good place where we’re just like, ‘You know what? We’ve been very blessed and we’ve had so many opportunities that a lot of people don’t get to have.’ So we appreciate that while also going, ‘Let’s get this next thing.’”
Hoot is also working on new music. Keep track of updates at JakeHoot.com.