Jana Kramer Biography

Jana Rae Kramer (born December 2, 1983) is an American actress and country music singer. She is best known for her role as Alex Dupre on the television series One Tree Hill. Kramer began a country music career in 2012 with the single "Why Ya Wanna", from her self-titled debut album for Elektra Records.

Early life

Kramer was born in Rochester, Michigan, to Nora and Martin Kramer. Jana has one brother Steve who is a police officer. Jana attended Rochester Adams High School. She speaks some German.

Career

2002-11: Acting career and record deal

In 2002, Kramer made her acting debut in the low-budget independent horror film Dead/Undead. The following year Kramer guest appeared on All My Children which marked Kramer's television debut. Kramer has since continued to appear in a number of television shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and CSI: NY. She has also had small supporting roles in films such as Click, Prom Night and Spring Breakdown.

In 2007, Kramer appeared in a recurring role on the NBC sports drama television series Friday Night Lights. She played the role of Noelle Davenport in the series second season. In 2008 Kramer appeared in The CW teen drama series 90210, a reboot of the 1990s teen drama television series Beverly Hills 90210. Kramer played the role of high school student Portia Ranson and made her debut in the first season's second episode "The Jet Set". Her role went on for six episodes and Kramer made her final appearance in "The Party's Over" which aired May 5, 2009.

In 2009, Kramer appeared on the HBO dramedy television series Entourage. Kramer played the role of a sorority girl who seduces the character Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and appeared in four episodes.

In June 2009, it was announced Kramer would star in the CW drama television series seventh season of One Tree Hill. Kramer played the role of Alex Dupre, an actress and tabloid darling who becomes the new face of Brooke Davis's fashion line "Clothes Over Bros" and creates havoc for the residents of Tree Hill. Kramer made her first appearance in the season's first episode. Initially Kramer's appearance on the show was meant to be in a recurring form but Kramer's role was upgraded as a series regular by the premiere of the season's fourteenth episode "Family Affair". In March 2012, Kramer announced she would not return in a regular form for the show's ninth and final season to pursue her music career. Kramer made her final appearance in the second episode of the ninth season, "In the Room Where You Sleep", which aired on January 18, 2012.

In February 2011, Kramer signed a recording contract with Elektra Records. That same month she premiered her promo track, "I Won't Give Up", which premiered in the One Tree Hill episode "Holding Out for a Hero", and was released the following day exclusively on iTunes and Amazon. The song reached number 75 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The following month Kramer began work on her debut album. Country music producer Scott Hendricks produced the majority of the record. In April 2011, Kramer released another promo track, titled "Whiskey", which she also performed on One Tree Hill. The song reached number 99 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on digital sales alone.

2012-present: Continued acting and Jana Kramer

In February 2012, Kramer was cast as the protagonist in the independent drama film Heart of the Country. Kramer will play the role of a privileged young woman Faith Carraday, a young woman who is following her show-biz dreams who leaves her life behind to rural North Carolina after her husband is jailed for Wall Street fraud. Kramer is also attached to a horror film named The Gatekeeper.

On January 16, 2012, Kramer released her official debut single, "Why Ya Wanna". Kramer premiered the official music video, directed by Kristin Barlowe, on February 6, 2012. The song peaked at number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 3 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. "Whiskey" is the album's second official single.

On June 1, 2012, Kramer made her first televised live performance on Fox & Friends to promote her debut album. She performed "Why Ya Wanna" in front of a crowd of fans in New York City. On June 5, 2012, Kramer released her self-titled debut album Jana Kramer. The record received positive reviews from critics with many praising Kramer's vocal performance.

On June 5, 2013, Nationwide Insurance released the first of a series of commercials in its "Join the Nation" campaign featuring Kramer as a stealthy woman dressed in black leather, who follows a team of burglars and replaces the items they steal with newer versions, to promote Nationwide's "Brand New Belongings" initiative. Nationwide had signed Kramer to sing the Nationwide jingle in August 2012. A second commercial, released in April 2014, featured Kramer's character replacing items in a fire-blackened apartment to promote Nationwide's renters' insurance.In November 2014, Jana reprised her Nationwide role, this time as a sexy Santa Claus-like figure replacing items during christmas season.

In July 2013, Kramer opened for Blake Shelton on his Ten Times Crazier Tour, in Virginia Beach, VA.

In August 2013, the independent film Approaching Midnight starring Kramer had its world premiere at the Emagine Royal Oak in Michigan.

She began recording her second album in September 2013. She has been performing new songs on her current tour, including "That's Hot," "Deal Breaker," and "Hey Hey Kiss Kiss," "Pop That Bottle," and "Don't Touch My Radio."

Personal life

Kramer's first marriage was to Michael Gambino in Las Vegas, NV in 2004. They divorced several months later.

On December 22, 2009, Kramer became engaged to actor Johnathon Schaech. The couple met on the set of Prom Night and appeared as a couple in the film Laid to Rest. They were married on July 4, 2010, in Glen Arbor, Michigan. However, the marriage lasted a little over a month before the couple separated. Their divorce was finalized in June 2011.

It was announced in September 2012 that Kramer was dating country music singer Brantley Gilbert. They had kept their relationship quiet for about eight months before the announcement. The couple got engaged on January 20, 2013, which was also his 28th birthday. They split in August 2013.

In August 2014, Kramer began dating Washington Redskins tight end Mike Caussin.They became engaged in December 2014

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	Dead/Undead	Alice St. James
2003	All My Children	Unknown	TV series (unknown episodes); uncredited
2003	The Passage	Bartender at Alvin's
2003	Blood Games	Mistress Tiamat	Credited as Jana Rae
2005	Blue Demon	Carrie
2005	Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis	Katie Williams	Kramer could not finish filming
2006	Click	Julie
2006	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Rae	TV series (1 episode: "Post Mortem"); uncredited
2006	CSI: NY	Paige Rowand	TV series (1 episode: "Sweet 16")
2007	Boxboarders!	Victoria
2007	Friday Night Lights	Noelle Davenport	TV series (6 episodes)
2008	Prom Night	April
2008	Approaching Midnight	Aspen
2008	Can You Duet	Herself	TV series (2 episodes)
2008	Bar Starz	Ryann
2008	Grey's Anatomy	Lola	TV series (2 episodes)
2008	The Poker Club	Trudy Todaro
2008-2009	90210	Portia Ranson	TV series (6 episodes)
2009	Private Practice	Lyla	TV series (1 episode: "What Women Want")
2009	Laid to Rest	Jamie
2009	Spring Breakdown	Seven #2
2009	Entourage	Brooke Manning	TV series (4 episodes)
2009	One Tree Hill	Alex Dupre (Alice Whitehead)	TV series (38 episodes)
2012	Heart of The Country	Faith Carraday
2013	"Dance Moms"	Herself	TV Series (1episode: "Welcome Back... Now Don't Get Too Comfy")

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions		Sales
		US Country	US
Jana Kramer	Release date: June 5, 2012 Label: Elektra Nashville	5	19	US: 116,000

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions					Certifications (sales threshold)	Album
		US Country	US Country Airplay	US	CAN Country	CAN
2012	"Why Ya Wanna"	3	3	50	"?	100	US: Gold	Jana Kramer
	"Whiskey"	27	25	94	47	88
2013	"I Hope It Rains"	"?	42	"?	"?	"?
2014	"Love"A	37	32	"?	"?	"?		TBD
""?" denotes releases that did not chart

• ^ACurrent single.

Other charted songs

Year	Single	Peak positions		Album
		US Country Digital	US
2011	"I Won't Give Up"	6	75	Jana Kramer
2012	"What I Love About Your Love"	30	"?
""?" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

Year	Video	Director
2012	"Why Ya Wanna"	Kristin Barlowe
	"Goodbye California"
	"Whiskey"
	"One of the Boys"
	"I Hope It Rains"
	"What I Love About Your Love"
2013	"Whiskey"	Mason Dixon
	"I Hope It Rains"	Kristin Barlowe
2014	"Love"	Ryan Lassan

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Result
2012	American Country Awards	Artist of the Year: New Artist
		Single of the Year: New Artist- "Why You Wanna"
		Music Video of the Year: New Artist- "Why You Wanna"
2013	ACM Awards	Top New Female Artist
		Top New Artist
	CMT Music Awards	Female Video of the Year : "Why Ya Wanna"
		Breakthrough Video of the Year : "Why Ya Wanna"