Laura Bryna

Los Angeles has its fair share of musicians living in the Hollywood Hills, but none of them are quite like Laura Bryna. The small town girl from Mount Airy, Maryland, has set her sights on L.A. after several successful years spent in Nashville, where she established herself as one of music city’s most exciting new voices. Bryna, who wowed critics and fans alike in 2008 with her acclaimed debut set, Trying To Be Me, has been busy recording with name producer, Rob Boldt (Fergie, Paul Abdul, J.C. Chasez & N’SYNC) in Hollywood, drawing on diverse influences to produce what some have dubbed the “new southern rock.” “The new record is a combination of a lot of sounds,” she says, noting that her CD collection runs the gamut from Snoop Dogg to Elvis. “I love listening to all different kinds of things,” she adds, stressing that the classics still have her heart, however. “Elvis did it his way and I’ve always been someone who would rather fail at being myself than being something that I’m not.” That philosophy and the art of being real has served Bryna well over the past few years, as she secured opening slots of tours from some of country music’s biggest names such as Clint Black, Tim McGraw, Emmylou Harris, Sugarland and Taylor Swift, just to name a few.

But the beauty with a curious combination of media savvy, humor, and poise plans to tackle a lot more than guest spots on Fox in 2012. Acting auditions are now a part of her life, as are performing songs for several sporting organizations such as the NFL, MBL and has recently joined forces with Muay Thai boxing to perform the national anthem at major international competitions. It’s all part of Bryna’s fascinating and expanding universe beyond the predictable and often insular world of Nashville’s country scene -- and her die-hard supporters are along for the ride.