Country singer Jo Dee Messina blasts Nashville label for 'too fat' rejection

Country singer Jo Dee Messina is sharing the harsh criticisms she faced early on in her career.

During a recent interview on "The Bobby Bones Show," the 55-year-old "Bye Bye" singer shared that she had been turned down by a record label when first starting out because of her weight.

"I remember I got turned down by a record label in Nashville. They said I was too fat," she said. "They told my producer that, 'Oh, if she was 10 pounds lighter, we'd have signed her.'"

She said she was "devastated" after hearing that, and when asked later whether she was able to let go of the critique after making it big in the music industry, Messina said that she hadn't, noting, "It's 30 years later, I'm still talking about it. I didn't let it go."

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While Messina recalled feeling discouraged, she said her sister, who she called her "greatest support," encouraged her to "just keep going," telling her, "They say you have to get passed on a thousand times before you get a deal."

Messina went on to break through in the music world in 1996 with her debut self-titled album, which featured one of the biggest hits of her career, "Heads Carolina, Tails California." Her success continued with her second album, "I'm Alright," which went double platinum.

The singer is set to release her first studio album in 12 years, "Bridges," in the summer, releasing the album's first single, "Some Bridges," on Friday. She celebrated the song's release on Instagram, and her fans could not help but share in her excitement.

"I'm about to be playing this song nonstop because it's so gooooooood