Jason Michael Carroll had little respect for the artists catapulted into fame by talent shows like American Idol — “I actually made fun of them,” Carroll sheepishly admitted. “I was working hard, touring and playing gigs to get my name out there, not waiting around for [record companies] to find me.” But as fate — and his determined mother — would have it, Carroll eventually became one of those artists himself.

“My mom entered me into [FOX 50’s Gimme the Mic] without telling me,” the Youngsville, N.C., native said. “Out of the blue, she told me I had to be at the mall at such-and-such time to audition.”

Carroll won FOX 50’s Gimme the Mic — Triangle-area singing competition modeled after American Idol — and in the process signed a recording contract with RCA Nashville. Carroll’s appearance on the show also caught the eye of manager Rusty Harmon, the N.C. State alumnus responsible for the fame of Hootie and the Blowfish, who recognized Carroll’s talent and decided to manage his career.

Now spending most days traveling between Nashville and Raleigh, Carroll is immersed in the recording process for his debut album. The first single should hit airwaves in February and Carroll anticipates the album to come out 10 to 12 weeks later.

The sandy hair that Carroll keeps swept back in a ponytail, his leather cuffs and modest row of earrings, however, conflict with the typical image of country music professionals. Despite Carroll’s Carolina twang, he looks much more comfortable in a faded Aerosmith T-shirt than in a cowboy hat.

But instead of forcing Carroll into the traditional country mold, RCA Nashville has encouraged his personal style and intends to market his music to not only the tried-and-true country fans, but also to a younger, more rock-tinged generation of listeners.

“They pretty much just said, ‘Hey, we like what you’re doing,’ and told me to go pick myself out some more clothes,” he said. On whether his rocker style might initiate a genre crossover, Carroll bemoaned, “I’ve tried to sing rock, but they tell me that everything that comes out still sounds country.”

Outside of recording, Carroll devotes a significant amount of his time in Nashville to songwriting, collaborating with such well-known names as Terry McBride, Kelly Lovelace and Radney Foster. “Working with these guys is such a great opportunity,” Carroll said. “There are so many artists trying to get their break who would love the chance to just sit down and write with them.”

“The songwriting process is really laid-back,” Carroll said. “We just kind of sit down and write down whatever we’re thinking. And someone will be picking on a guitar and we’ll stop him when we hear something good. Just add on to that.”

Although Carroll works closely with writers who churn out hits for country superstars like Brooks & Dunn, Reba McEntire and George Strait and has spent time touring with headliners Montgomery Gentry, Pat Green and Dierks Bentley, the singer still gets starstruck.

“You’re backstage,” Carroll said, “and all of the sudden you see someone famous and it’s like, ‘There’s Brad [Paisley]!'”

When he meets country stars on the road or in Nashville, “I try to ask them questions that I don’t think too many other people would ask,” he said. “And I think they appreciate that.”

Carroll is becoming quite a star himself since his appearance on FOX 50’s Gimme the Mic — he performed at First Night Raleigh, the Capital’s New Year’s Eve festival and boasts growing numbers in the Jason Michael Carroll online fan club.

Carroll’s biggest fans, however, are his four children: Gavin, 5, Savanna, 4, Stori, 3, and 3-month-old Jason, Jr. “They saw me perform for the first time at First Night Raleigh,” Carroll said. “They were pretty excited to see Daddy up on stage.”

Even though Carroll spends a lot of time on the road in preparation for his upcoming album, he schedules nothing work-related on Sundays — just time with his kids.

Getting in enough quality time to counteract a week’s absence can get exhausting for the young artist, especially when the demands of the music industry begin anew on Monday morning.

“Do I sleep? No.” Carroll laughed.

Carroll didn’t anticipate his success on Gimme the Mic, but he always knew that he wanted to sing. “I’ve been singing all my life,” he declared. Growing up as a pastor’s son, Carroll sang in church from the age of six and cites Gospel tunes as his earliest musical influence.

“I wasn’t allowed to listen to anything but Christian music growing up,” Carroll said. He remembers that one of the worst punishments of his teen years occurred because he forgot to tune the radio in the family car back to a Gospel station before he brought it home.

Life under a Southern Baptist father not only introduced Carroll to music, but it now helps him create music of his own.

“The songs I’ve written are definitely inspired by the strict childhood I had. They can be kind of dark,” Carroll said, “not like the pop-country that’s out now. It’s definitely traditional country, but with a harder edge.”

With a lower range that recalls the powerful voice of country artist Jeff Bates, Carroll takes great care to showcase his pure, deep tone in each song he writes. His ability to hit achingly low notes heightens the passion of his lyrics, but most importantly Carroll belts out his mournful, lovesick ballads while still sounding appropriately masculine.Once he realized his passion, Carroll refused to wait for fame to find him: he took his smooth, deep voice and self-penned country ballads on the road. “Touring, making music always felt right to me,” Carroll said. “The first band I sang with — Chasin’ Country of Durham — actually fired me because I was too serious about it. They just thought of [the group] as a hobby.”

He and several other musicians — two guitarists, a bassist and a drummer — had been playing gigs around North Carolina and in Texas under the band name Jason Michael Carroll for years before the singer appeared on Gimme the Mic.

Even once Carroll’s debut album drops, the rising star plans to keep touring, but not just to increase awareness of his music.

“I really have to think about my band,” Carroll said. “Touring is their bread and butter. If we don’t play shows, they don’t get paid.”

Scheduled to play several area shows in the next few months, Jason Michael Carroll looks forward to his promising career and the release of his first single. But even more, country fans anticipate Carroll’s introduction of a gritty, more personal face to traditional country music.