Former SWC child prodigy shines at album release show

Jessica Lerner’s crystalline voice rang through the tiny hallways of Fashion Valley mall, a musical harbinger of the dawn of a most promising career. Rich ladies trying on diamond tennis bracelets, teenage boys with their skateboards under their arms and thirty-somethings gripping their young children’s hands were all muttering the same message—“she’s really good!”

South Bay’s one-time child prodigy is a child no more. Lerner, 22, was the star of Valentine’s Day weekend and the slender brunette with the powerful voice was telling the world a formidable musical talent had arrived. Her new album, “Jessica Lerner,” debuted with 13 tracks of original music written and performed on the piano and her favorite red guitar.

Lerner was an eight-year-old Southwestern College piano student who started performing in musicals at nine. At the ripe age of 10 she was touring as a singer. As a student at the Coronado School of the Arts she blossomed as a singer/song writer and guitarist. She has performed the national anthem at Petco Park and has headlined benefit concerts before she was old enough to vote. Lerner has been the featured singer in “La Pastorela” at the Old Globe Theater and the San Diego Repertory Theater.

A crowd of about 200 ringed the stage where Lerner performed with a small band. After she finished one of her songs, 17-year-old Ken Luu walked up to the stage and handed her a rose. Lerner received it with a huge smile on her face. Luu said Lerner has a lovely voice and that she reminds him of Taylor Swift. A prominent music industry pro took the comparison a step further.

“Jessica is Taylor Swift on steroids,” he said.

Anthony Dean accompanied Lerner on saxophone as she sang “Hey Mason,” a moving tribute to a young friend diagnosed with juvenile dermatomyositis. Dean said it was a personal experience for him.

“It was the one that touched my heart the most,” said Dean. “When we rehearsed it, it brought me to tears.”

Brian Disney, 21, said it was his first time coming to see Lerner and that she “was really good.” One fan, 13-year-old Ivette Duenas, began to cry as she hugged Lerner after the show.

“I’ve known Jessica for a couple of years,” she said. “I follow her on Twitter and Facebook. My favorite songs are ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Miracle.’ This was really fun. I won a bead necklace, poster, CD, and one of Jessica’s handmade bracelets.”

Lerner’s mother and manager, Pamela Lerner, said this is a big accomplishment for her daughter.

“Jessica feels like she has reached a milestone in her career,” she said. “Like when you have a dream and it lands in your hand.”

Pamela Lerner said the family has a motivational quote that helps them through the hard times.

“If you are not living on the edge, then you’re taking up too much space,” she said.

Mrs. Lerner, the “mom-ager” as Jessica calls her, said she was very happy with the turnout.

“Everything went together exactly how we wanted it to be,” she said. “It was more than we wanted.”

Lerner said she wanted the album to be perfect so her fans could really enjoy it.

“I want them to listen to it knowing that I did it with love and care,” she said. “This is absolutely the highlight of my life.”

Her fans respectfully disagreed, predicting more and bigger highlights to come.

Catch Jessica Lerner’s performance in the Racket Room, an acoustic performance series recorded at Southwestern College.