BY BRITTANY DANIELLE for WEEKLY VOLCANO 11/21/25 |
Jimmie Herrod grew up in Tacoma. Exposed to music from a young age, Jimmie has always felt that music was “very natural and approachable.” He began playing clarinet in elementary school, which undoubtedly prepared his lungs for what came next. He started to sing in middle school, and if you have heard him live, I think you will agree there are simply some individuals who are destined to end up on stage because their talent is undeniable.
After graduating from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, where he studied jazz voice and composition and performance, Jimmie broke out into the Seattle scene, playing consistently at the Seamonster, with Seattle Rock Orchestra, and at the 5th Avenue Theatre. He was everywhere.
Jimmie shared, “Since 2014 I have been singing with symphonies, starting with Seattle Rock Orchestra, 2019 getting to perform for the first time with the National Symphony Orchestra in DC, and by 2025 I have performed with symphonies across the country, Canada.” Next stop, European symphonies.
“With a voice like a beacon of hope,” the Seattle Times wrote, “vocalist Jimmie Herrod brings singular power and expressivity to his globe-trotting career as a singer, songwriter, and entertainer on stage and screen.”
From our small pond, Jimmie grew in many ways by touring with the band Pink Martini from late 2017 across the US, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and Europe according to his website biography.
In 2021 Jimmie was a contestant on America’s Got Talent, where he received the Golden Buzzer from Sofia Vergara and would return later to the show for the All Stars season.
He has said that it has shown him that he is a “very malleable person,” reflecting the “eclectic spaces he is drawn toward, from opera to musicals to dancing in short shorts with a yacht rock band to performing with symphonies.” He reflects that “flexibility can be a positive, but it is important that all the back-bending effort is funneled in an artistic direction you are comfortable showcasing, particularly on larger stages.”
After all these years performing and being on the road, Jimmie has come home to share his music with us once again.
Earlier this month he played with the Tacoma Symphony, stating that he has “surprisingly not done much in Tacoma over the years, so it was great to be there and with the Symphony.” After building a relationship and “keeping in touch with director Wesley Schulz, they stayed in touch and found an occasion to work together again.”
Jimmie will be playing with the Auburn Symphony December 8, a must see. This surrounds the big news of him releasing his first full-length album, Pretty Is What Changes, coming to your ears and heart November 21.
Vocalist, arranger, composer, multilingual. Where will he go next as he releases his full-length album?
Weekly Volcano: You have been with the touring band Pink Martini since 2017, seeing the world. What have you learned over the past seven years with them?
Jimmie Herrod: Most of us will not be gifted with the opportunity of joining such an established group. I have been extremely lucky in that sense. Being a young artist in my own right, it has been amazing to see the results of their 30 plus years of work, relationships, and compromises. Art is not easy, and traveling with 18 plus people does not make it any easier, but there is a lot of understanding required of each person both artistically and interpersonally, sometimes dysfunctional but also fully capable of coming to the table and starting over and growing anew. Any job is relationship oriented, and I have learned most of all how important it is to value the people around you and what you add to each other’s lives.
WV: How did your experience with America’s Got Talent change the way you looked at the industry and how you moved through it?
JH: There are many elements to TV and entertainment that go unnoticed. The performances themselves were a bit of a challenge. The setup is curated around capturing great visuals due to the TV element. The majority of people who reach that level of success are likely very hardworking, dedicated individuals, with the ability to make a lot happen in a short amount of time. I think the ultimate takeaway from the whole thing is to be ready when opportunity presents itself.
WV: Has your TV success and international travel changed the way you have been received at all?
JH: TV opened a door of visibility that we all need to advance. I wish it were something more accessible to people in general, like Seattle’s Art Zone does for local artists or Oregon’s Art Beat. Being able to mention you have had experience like that goes a long way in how promoters see you as an artist, and I can say without a doubt I would not be where I am in my career without AGT.
WV: November 21 is the day you drop your first full-length album Pretty Is What Changes. Let us in on your story behind this collection of songs.
JH: Pretty Is What Changes is a collection of songs composed by Stephen Sondheim. There are selections from some of his most famous shows like Into the Woods and Sweeney Todd, as well as some gems from less performed shows like Pacific Overtures. For me, this album is a great practice in song selection and what it means to put your own stamp on something. I arranged each song at the piano with a trio in mind and had the chance to collaborate with people from all stages of my professional life, college in Seattle, developing community in Portland where I currently live, and people I have met only in the past year. John Beasley came on toward the end of the album to add his expertise and perspective to the project. One of my favorites of that exchange opens the album.
WV: What is a message that you hope your listeners walk away with?
JH: I hope though that ultimately when people hear this album they receive permission to do whatever they please with art, to be honest, to be themselves, to find joy and excitement in places true to themselves.
WV: “Wait” is one of my favorite songs on the album. What is a song or songs on the album that feel the most personal to you?
JH: “‘Bowler Hat’ expresses the journey one person goes on and their experience with assimilation and in ways forgetting one’s origins. My personal journey with this idea is very different than within the show’s context, but I think we have all tried to be something other than ourselves at different points in life. I cannot say I agree with the decisions made by the character, but I can understand them.”
WV: Finally, is there anything you want to say to Tacoma?
JH: Thank you for always being a place I love returning to. No matter where I go in the world there is nothing like returning to the greenery that lives in the NW, and I think so much of my nature is due to the rainy introspective part of the world I am from.
