Jamie Lono's Dad: 'We Never Even Knew He Could Sing'

Although Jamie Lono performs without hesitation on stage, his relatives rarely get a private show.

“When we’re gone, he’ll sing, but when we’re around, he doesn’t like us to hear him sing,” his dad, Vernon Hills resident Bob Thompson said. “It’s so much fun to watch him sing. For a shy kid, he has no problem getting on stage.”

“I’m really nervous about sharing my music with my family. I get really self-conscious,” explained Jamie, who performed for millions of viewers last year as a contestant on “The Voice.” 

But back home, he’s so private about his music that he didn’t even tell his family that he had arranged to shoot a music video of his new single, “Reject,” at Vernon Hills High School.

His dad, who coaches lacrosse at the school, said he learned of his son’s plans from a story on Vernon Hills Patch. So his family gathered July 9 to watch Jamie’s performance, which will also include dozens of Vernon Hills High School students who volunteered to be extras in the video. Jamie described their support as “amazing.”

Jamie began his journey as a musician as a freshman at Vernon Hills High School, when he teamed up with some classmates to form a band called “The Dial,” for which he played guitar. 

“And then all of a sudden he decided he wanted to sing, and he went from that screaming music to the kind of music you can understand,” Thompson said. 

“We never even knew he could sing,” Thompson said. “We really don’t know where he got it from. It definitely skips a generation.”

He began to spend even more time honing his musical skills five years ago, when a house fire forced his family to relocate to a hotel for about three months, his dad said.

“He would leave his hotel room and we wouldn’t see him for hours,” Thompson said, recalling that his son would spend the time alone, working on his music.

Jamie said it was while watching American Idol that he realized his talent was on par with some of the contestants. 

“I was like, ‘I can do that,’ he said. 

Instead, he would up competing on “The Voice.” And while he didn’t win the 2012 competition, he gained national recognition from the show. 

After wiping the sweat from his face following hours of recording at Vernon Hills High School, he expressed gratitude to the students who contributed to his video and to the fans who stuck around afterward to request his autograph.

“It’s amazing. Everybody here was really cool,” he said. “This wouldn’t have happened two years ago. This is really cool.”

Related: Jamie Lono Shoots Music Video at Vernon Hills High School