In a heartwarming interview with Willie Geist on the April 23 edition of Sunday Sitdown, Reba McEntire shared the uplifting advice her mother, Jacqueline, gave her when she was just six years old.
This advice laid the foundation for the singer's incredible journey from the "Singing McEntires" to her global success as a music and acting sensation.
Reba reminisced about her early days singing with her family, saying, "We didn’t have a radio in the car.
It was four kids in the backseat, rough-housin’ and, you know — Mama would get us to sing to pass the time. We were the Singing McEntires."
It was during these formative years that Jacqueline instilled in her daughter the importance of believing in oneself.
Reba recalled a turning point at a Christmas program at Kiowa High School in Oklahoma when she discovered the power of her voice. "I wanted attention," she shared.
"And I figured out the best kind of attention I could get was when I would sing. Not running barrels, not playing basketball, but singing. That’s when everybody kind of leaned forward and listened a little bit more."
It was then that Jacqueline offered the uplifting advice that would stay with Reba throughout her career.
"Well, Mama was encouraging me, saying, 'It’ll be fine. You can do it.' And so when you have that kind of help, you can just do about anything," Reba said.
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This encouragement from her mother didn't stop with music. Jacqueline's support also inspired Reba to explore acting, despite having little experience in the field. According to Reba, her mother used to say she "had the attention span of a 2-year-old."
"So, I have to have different things," Reba explained. "I do something so long, do the same thing, I get bored."
This led Reba to star in the sitcom "Reba," which lasted for six seasons, and she attributes her performance in "Annie Get Your Gun" as providing the "credentials" needed to land a sitcom.
"I didn't know anything about that business," she admitted.
When asked if she was "kinda faking" her way into acting, Reba candidly responded, "I did."
"Smoke and bells and whistles," she added with a chuckle.
In her recent performance at Madison Square Garden, Reba became emotional, but her mother's advice continued to guide her.
"The adoration or the acceptance — everybody wants to be loved and accepted, I’m no different," she confessed.
"I mean, we’re up there on the stage, razzle-dazzle, but we’re very insecure people on the inside. And after the second song, the applause went on for a long time."
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