Mickie James, formerly a 5x WWE women’s champion, currently wrestles for TNA Impact and is in the midst of a rising country career. Her debut studio album “Strangers and Angels” was released in 2010, with her second “Somebody’s Gonna Pay” album dropping in 2013. Throughout her years in the entertainment industry she has seemingly non-stop traveled the world for sport and now for music.

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Chris Remmers: Coming from Montpelier, Virginia, where would you recommend someone to go when visiting the state for the first time?

Mickie James: Oh wow, it depends on what you’re into. The cool thing about being a native here in Virginia is that it has a little bit of everything. I’m kind of centrally located so in two hours I could be in Virginia Beach, Washington, D.C. or in the mountains. If you’re more of a city-type person then I would definitely recommend going to downtown Richmond. It has a lot of stores and stuff — Monument Avenue, Edgar Allen Poe Museum, the canal walk. If you’re more of a woodsy person I would recommend going out to the Charlottesville area and hike. Its’ really pretty out there. It’s more of a college town so it stays pretty busy too.

Photo courtesy | Mr. Tin

CR: Are you still in search of the country when you vacation? Do city and beach settings appeal as well?

MJ: I love the beach — the Bahamas. I don’t get a chance to go on vacation often. When I’m working I’ll fly in that day, and then may have the next day to hang out a little bit when I’m off. I love the Bahamas though.

CR: What are some places you’ve loved to go to when you traveled for the WWE and now with TNA and your country career? Is the nightlife ever in line with the crowd atmosphere of your shows?

MJ: Oh wow. It’s just crazy I’ve been all over the world and every city has its own little pocket of goodness. Japan, was awesome — Tokyo. Going out there the nightlife was incredible; Shitamachi, the downtown area — amazing.

Photo courtesy | Joe deSousa

CR: Would you say you’re more of an agenda type person or are you more spontaneous?

MJ: I will usually [have an agenda]. I only have a limited time in each city. If I have a pocket where I have time to go out and see something I’ll do some research. I’ll try to find the best thing to see — what I think I’ll have the most fun doing.

CR: Are there any places that you’ve gone to that were a total culture shock?

MJ: India I think. We were filming a promotion in India. It was a wrestling product that was being produced strictly for their television. It was kind of cool, but a culture shock. There were such rich parts. You would see palaces and then down the street you would see a one-bedroom hut with a family of ten living in it.

Photo courtesy | Dennis Jarvis

CR: How do you feel music and sport really fit together with travel?

MJ: I think it’s a necessity. I feel like you have to kind of branch out of your comfort zone. It wasn’t going to do anything for me to stay in Richmond, Virginia. Especially with what I was going after — what I’ve been going after. You have to think bigger than just that. The world is so big. I love it though.

CR: How has having your son changed the way you traveled?

MJ: Now that I’m a new mom I’m traveling with my son. I know someone needs to watch him while I’m performing. It’s a bit more planning than before, but I love it. I think I’m very fortunate to do it.

CR: What does it mean to travel around America and uncover it’s history?

MJ: Just like the other day, Nick and I were driving back from the show we were at, and we were traveling through this little town Berkley Springs, West Virginia. I was like, “Oh my gosh, I’ve been here twice before. This is awesome!” They have these little springs that run through the town and they’re meant to be healing. George Washington had this bath house there. It was established in the 1700’s — super cool. These were one of the first spa’s with the mineral springs. We went for a little walk around the neighborhood and saw everything. It was kind of cool to be able to stop and take in a little piece of Americana.

Photo courtesy | Edward Dalmulder

CR: Everyone has a bucket list. Do you have some destinations you haven’t been to yet, but you want to go to? Or at this point it may be just one.

MJ: Well, I still have to go to China. I’ve never been to China. That’s one that I feel like would be cool. Just to go and see that whole you know society. I’ve been to Japan, Australia and Czechoslovakia — all across the [United Kingdom]. It’s cool to see all these different cultures. I would really love to go to Greece too.

CR: Now that your music career is gradually getting its promotion, is there a place that you want to play at?

MJ: I want to play everywhere. I really do. There’s a lot of places that I haven’t played in yet. Honestly, I really want to play everywhere and just go everywhere — keep building my fan base. Hopefully they keep loving the music. I’ll keep writing more music. It’s just a lot of fun. I enjoy it!

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For more on James visit her website: