Based in Nashville and Los Angeles, Laura Bryna has spent much of the past year working with A-list collaborators like producer Damon Sharpe (a Grammy Award winner known for his work with icons like Jennifer Lopez), building up a batch of songs that bring a gritty but fun-loving flavor to modern-day Country. As she reveals, “Jawbreaker” was a major turning point in uncovering the unbridled emotional truth of her new material. “I love a good anthem, so I wanted to write one that would empower women everywhere to be the most authentic version of themselves they can be,” Bryna explains.

Soon after moving to Nashville she inked a deal with a record label, then made her debut with Trying to Be Me—an album featuring “Hometown Heroes,” a straight-from-the-heart track she co-wrote in tribute to the Air National Guard which premiered on Fox's Monday Night Football.

Along with opening for major artists like Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, and Luke Bryan, Bryna has since brought her soul stirring vocals and radiant presence to a multitude of USO events, including a 2019 tour that traveled to such far-flung countries as Kuwait and Kosovo. “I remember standing there in Kuwait with all these men and women who sacrifice so much to protect us, and wanting to soak up every moment so I’d never forget what it felt like,” she recalls. “It’s important to me to give back to the people who give all their time and energy so that we can live in freedom.”

A passionate humanitarian, Bryna is also closely involved with such causes as Homes For Our Troops (a nonprofit that provides specially adapted custom homes for injured veterans) and the Make-A-Wish Foundation (an organization she first encountered as a small child, after her brother suffered a brain aneurysm). A true force of nature, Bryna made her debut as a children’s book author just a month after releasing “Jawbreaker,” then delivered her Christmas single “Wishlist” to enormous fanfare (including landing on over 20,000 user playlists across Spotify and emerging as an instant holiday classic). The smash success of “Wishlist” capped off a blockbuster year that also included the release of “Body First”—a smoldering single in the vein of past hits like “Sweet Revenge,” a dance-leaning 2019 track whose Dave Aude-produced remix shot to No. 10 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart.

For Bryna, the greatest satisfaction comes from interacting with her fanbase, a deeply devoted following who’ve named themselves “The Bryniacs.” “They’re all different ages and from all walks of life, but we’ve come together because of this love and passion we feel for music, and for each other,” she says. “It feels so good to have a safe, positive space where nobody’s judging; it’s definitely helped me to grow and learn so much about myself. Now I’m at a place where I’m so comfortable in my own skin, and I’m making music as the best me that I know how to be.”

IG: @laurabryna