"At home prepping food to take on road. Doing special cleanse meal plan for 2 wks. Chris is helping w cooking. Having a blast . . . " she wrote Thursday afternoon.
That road trip Messina references will bring her here to Washington as the Thursday night, Aug. 6, main stage entertainment at the Washington Town and Country Fair. Messina's show will get under way at 9 p.m.
The concert will include a mix of old and new music, Messina told The Missourian. "Catchy" and "inspiring" is how she describes her new music.
"I'll introduce some of my new stuff," she said. "I can't believe how well it's going over with the crowds . . . it's exciting for me."
Messina promises her show here, like all of her shows, will be lively and engaging.
"I grew up performing in clubs and I know, the people are not necessarily there to see you, they're there to hang out, so you have to get their attention," she said. "I like to keep things exciting, keep it rolling."
Messina said she sometimes takes requests (anything except "Freebird"). It depends on the vibe and how long she's allowed to play.
"If there's no curfew and the crowd is into it, I might do an hour encore," she said.
"My band is a great group of guys who love so much what they do," added Messina. "They're not, 'Hey, look at me. I'm a superstar.' We're all here to have a good time."
When Messina arrives in Washington, she'll have a very special someone with her - her 6-month-old son, Noah. He travels with her as often as possible.
He didn't go on a recent trip to France because the flight is long and he doesn't have all of his immunizations yet. But he did make the trip to Canada by tour bus.
"He has his own passport," Messina remarked.
Award-Winning, Multi-Platinum Artist
Messina is an award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist who has given her heart and soul to find success. She's had nine No. 1 singles, has been honored by The Country Music Association, The Academy of Country Music and The Grammy Awards and was the first female country artist to score three multiple-week No. 1 songs from the same album.
But success aside, Messina has faced more than her fair share of adversity. She's battled some demons along the way and experienced the twists and turns that define all of our lives. If anything these life experiences have reinvigorated her and given her a new perspective, which in turn has produced, in her words, her truest recording to date.
Born in Holliston, Mass., Messina was first attracted to country music after hearing the recordings of Alabama and Hank Williams Jr. As for her love for country music, it grew as fast as her respect for its heroes. Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, the strong women of country, that wrote and sang from the heart, and Reba McEntire, the hard-working, blue-collar girl whom Messina related to best.
At 6, Messina had her first public performance and from there on she was hooked. Thirteen brought a band that she had formed and more experience performing throughout clubs in the Northeast. Messina did what she had to, to perform - booking and marketing her own shows, lugging gear and keeping the books.
At 19, she made the difficult decision to move to Nashville. She didn't know a soul, had no grand plan, but what she did know, was that she wanted to sing. It was there that Messina would lay down roots and chase her dream.
In 1996, she released her self-titled debut, produced by Byron Gallimore and Tim McGraw. The album gave Messina two Top 10 hits and set the stage for her breakthrough, I'm Alright. Released in 1998, the first three single releases from the album all went to No. 1 - "Bye Bye," "I'm Alright" and "Stand Beside Me," as well as a fourth single, "Lesson in Leavin'," which peaked and stayed at No. 2 for seven consecutive weeks.
In 1999, Messina released Burn, her first No. 1 album. The multi-platinum effort, contributed two more No. 1 hits to Messina's collection, the huge crossover hit "Bring On the Rain" and "That's the Way," as well as two other Top 10 hits - "Burn" and "Downtime."
Messina went on to release her favorite Christmas songs on A Joyful Noise, released in 2002, and later a Greatest Hits collection that debuted at No. 1 on the charts, her second No. 1 album.
"My greatest hope is that somewhere, somebody will hear this record, and find in it what I've found in music my entire life," said Messina. "Reassurance, understanding, inspiration, strength and compassion."
Messina released Delicious Surprise in 2005. It captured the true essence of her soul. On this album, Messina put together a group of songs meant to convey a musical message of optimism, strength and hope.
Her new album, Unmistakable (the release date has not been announced), displays all the range, versatility and exuberance that have made Messina a fan favorite.
"In the midst of your creativity is when you're most in tune with God," said Messina. "There is a creative rebirth on this record, and it came so effortlessly.
"I can't wait for people to finally hear it."
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