Most musicians will never appear on the cover of Billboard Magazine, but a Penn State student managed to do so before she was a junior in college.

Jaymee Lynn Frankel said she went to newsstands in New York on June 27 of this year when the magazine came out to see if it was actually true.

"Never did I think I was going to be on the cover of a magazine, let alone Billboard," Frankel (junior-theatre and secondary education) said. "It was definitely the most exciting thing that ever happened in my life."

Over the summer, Frankel recorded and performed in videos for the music group Kasenetz and Katz Allstars, which is a group of individual musicians hand picked by Kasenetz that have come together to perform various songs as one act. On the group's self-titled album, Frankel sang lead on nine of the 12 tracks.

Music has always influenced Frankel -- her father is a wedding singer -- but she said she first wanted to perform after seeing a local production of The Sound of Music when she was 8 years old.

Frankel began performing soon after in junior high school and high school theater productions, where she excelled in singing, dancing and acting. At Penn State, Frankel joined the a capella group Pennharmonics.

"This was the first time I've been in a group where popular music is what we do," she said. "This gave me an outlet for what I want to do. I met so many awesome people through that."

The process of becoming a recording artist started after Frankel gave out a demo CD at her sweet 16, she said. After someone heard Frankel's voice from a neighbor's backyard, she eventually started recording with Don Chaffin, who helped write the songs for the Kasenetz and Katz Allstars record. Jerry Kasenetz, who has at one time produced Bo Diddley, Joe Walsh, and Ram Jam, said the feedback he has received from within the music industry is overwhelmingly positive.

"She's a fresh new talent and can really sing," Kasenetz said. "Jaymee is a great kid. I'm really happy for her."

Frankel said Kasenetz's influence in the industry was the reason why she landed on the cover of Billboard. But at Penn State, her Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters are her biggest fans.

Adria Kornick (junior-advertising and integrating arts) said the Kasenetz and Katz Allstars CD is constantly playing in Kappa Kappa Gamma's bathroom.

"Randomly, we'll always be watching her videos," Kornick said. "It's surreal to see her on the screen and sitting in front of us, too, at the same time."

College life for Frankel is different now -- she's recognized as a recording artist along with being a student, she said. But her humility matches her success.

"I always try to stay grounded," Frankel said. "I'm my toughest critic, and I always try to do more. Just knowing how many people want this makes me feel so honored for getting a chance for people to recognize me."