Jaime French: From Beauty Influencer to Reinvention, Comedy, Music & Mental Health

Tony Mantor's : Almost Live..... Nashville

In this episode of Almost Live Nashville, host Tony Mantor sits down with Jamie French, a multifaceted entertainer who transitioned from bea

Key takeaways

• Authenticity and vulnerability are more powerful than perfection in building audience connection.
• Creative reinvention is possible at any stage of life with courage and self-awareness.

Main topics

• Career reinvention from beauty influencer to comedian and musician
• Overcoming imposter syndrome and anxiety in creative fields

Notable quotes

"You're doing people a service. Look at the reaction of the crowd and how happy they are."

Conclusion

Jamie French's story illustrates that reinvention is not only possible but essential for

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) Hi, I'm Tony Mantour. Thanks for joining us today. Welcome to Almost Live Nashville, where music, entertainment, and great conversations come together. If you haven't already, tap follow. This way you stay up to date, never missing the great conversation and guests coming your way. What happens when the career you thought would define your life becomes the stepping stone to the one you were truly meant to live? Jamie French knows exactly what that journey feels like. She began as a hairstylist and makeup artist, built a massive online following through beauty content, then discovered that what truly connected with people wasn't just makeup. It was her ability to make them laugh, think, Speaker 1 (0:41) and feel less alone. Today, she is one of YouTube's most recognizable comedy voices, a stand-up comedian selling out theaters, a singer-songwriter pursuing her passion in Nashville, and someone who openly shares the battles with self-doubt, anxiety, and imposter syndrome that so many creative people quietly face. In this conversation, we talk about taking risks, changing careers, finding your authentic voice, performing in front of thousands, the healing power of creativity, why laughter can be one of life's greatest forms of therapy, and how connecting with others has become her greatest purpose. Whether you're chasing a dream, reinventing yourself, or simply looking for a little inspiration to keep moving forward, this conversation is for you. So join me in welcoming Jamie French. Thanks for joining us today. Oh, it's my pleasure. Thanks for having me. Speaker 1 (1:34) Let's kick it off with, we'll do a little backstory about you. You first started out in makeup and the beauty industry, right? Yeah, yeah. I was a hairstylist and makeup artist like in real life. And so that was how I started on YouTube. I just, I kind of thought like if you wanted to make videos, you needed some sort of skill. Sure. I didn't realize you could just get on camera and do whatever you wanted. You'd be stupid or whatever. Right. Or sing or just talk. And so that was my skill. When did you realize that you had to do more? Because evidently you was kind of moving towards the YouTube content creation. When did you realize you had to do more? And how did it go from beauty, makeup to comedy? Speaker 1 (2:20) I kind of always knew I wanted to do more. I like from a very young age, you know, I was I got this video camera at 12 years old and I was making funny videos and just doing theater in high school. And I always thought I would do something in entertainment. But I kind of the beauty thing was like a detour. Sure. So when I heard about YouTube, I was like, well, I want to do that. That's right up my alley. What's my, you know, stepping stone? And I started with my skill. But as I got better with editing and realized. Speaker 1 (2:47) My comedic timing was pretty good and, you know, I had some comedy chops that made my videos stand out amongst other beauty videos. Okay. I was like, oh, maybe, you know, I should lean into the comedy a little more. And I did a couple funny videos that were still beauty related. I did a makeup tutorial using these little tiny plastic hands and just goofy stuff that was kind of still in the beauty realm. And the funnier those videos were. Speaker 1 (3:12) Those were the videos that went super viral and massively grew my audience. And so I started to realize I was a little bit stronger in comedy than I was an actual makeup artist. For those that might not know you, how would you describe your comedy? My comedy is very above the belt, pretty clean. You know, I take liberties. I toe the line, but I'm not real dirty or raunchy. I also like to, you know, roast things while complimenting them at the same time. Okay, sure. Speaker 1 (3:40) That can be fun. I have a whole bit in my current tour and the current show I'm doing about just loving and appreciating men. And even though it's not negative, it's somehow super funny. So I try and put a bit of a positive spin on things, even though I roast them. That's good. What does your tour look like? I mean, you're based in Nashville now. So is it all over the U.S. or just southern U.S.? What's your tour look like? It's been all over. And I really just go where my booking agent tells me. Okay. Speaker 1 (4:07) You know, they'll say, hey, this club wants to host you. Do you want to do it? And if I have enough time to promote it and sell tickets, I say, yes, I'll go anywhere. It was just what, recently that you went to Zany's here in Nashville? Yeah, April 7th was my Zany show. How did that feel like, okay, you're here in Nashville now. Nashville is Music City, USA. And Zany's is well known for comedians that come in, big time people. So how did it feel? Speaker 1 (4:35) that you had a spot at Zany's? I felt a little unworthy and a little intimidated. I like, you know, you get a little bit of imposter syndrome. You're like, did I really earn this? Yeah, yeah. What's happening? And then especially when it sold out, I was like, oh, OK, the pressure is even more intense. But I mean, I was super honored and I would perform there again in a heartbeat. How do you approach that? I mean, I completely understand the humble pie that you just served. Speaker 1 (5:02) I do. I get it completely. Because there's many times that people will say things about what I'm doing, what I've produced or whatever. And it's like, man, I'm just doing my job. Yeah. So how do you get past that so that you can play that part, get on stage, be larger than life. And then when you finish, you come back and you're back to normal again. My manager gave me a really good tip. She was like, you're doing a service. Because I struggled with this in the beginning. I mean, it'll always be a struggle, but I've really struggled with like the imposter syndrome thing. And she was like, you're doing people a service. Like, look at the reaction of the crowd and how happy they are. Right. As soon as she said that, I was like, it clicked because I'm like, this is actually the thing that motivates me is bonding with my fans in this way. Sure. Speaker 1 (5:51) Stand-up is my favorite way to connect. It's the most connected I've ever felt to my audience. And so I try and focus on that and it outweighs, you know, all of the weird imposter syndrome feelings. Okay. So now you've highlighted your comedy, you've done all these different things, and now you've made another move and that's into music. Yeah. How'd that all come about? Well, I've always been a singer. I mean, I was singing before I could talk and... Speaker 1 (6:18) It was another thing that I always thought I would do growing up. Uh-huh. Just didn't really know how I was going to get there. Okay. Nor did I really believe that I could. So the beauty thing was kind of like a detour. Sure. I got to have a day job. You know, I got to make money. Right. But it was always there. And so when I started making YouTube videos, you know, I'd be randomly spontaneously bursting into song throughout my videos. And my viewers were always like, hey, you have a really good voice. Why aren't you doing anything with that? Speaker 1 (6:47) So I was kind of like, I don't know.