(Continued)
Ask any of the approximately 160K “Bryniacs” passionate about following the wild and innovative
creative adventures of Laura Bryna on TikTok and they’ll give it to you straight. No matter how much
impact the ever-evolving, genre-transcendent singer-songwriter has had these past few years on the
international dance charts, she’s still a country girl at heart.
Though there’s buzz among her favorite high powered remixers that her latest single “Body First” may
soon be lighting up those same floors with an array of tasty club grooves, the song is in its essence a
traditional, glorious 50’s-60’s throwback in 6/8, a lilting sensual and soulful country ballad that taps into
Laura’s keen insight as a romantic storyteller with an intimate yet hot time with her lover on her mind.
The second part of the hypo-infectious chorus says it all: “Cuz we can wait on sleep/Right now let’s burn
those sheets/Don’t say another word/Tell me with your body first.”
Bryna co-wrote “Body First” with her longtime collaborator and producer, Grammy winner Damon
Sharpe (Ariana Grande, Pitbull, J Lo, Anastacia, Nelly), Emmy winning arranger-composer Christopher
McDonald (Carrie Underwood, Amy Grant, Luis Fonsi) and Janelle Rodriguez. The track is produced by
Sharpe, McDonald and Michael Carey (Gwen Stefani, Idina Menzel, Spanish superstars Pablo Alboran
and Vanesa Martin.
“Body First’ may be a country flavored song, but writing and recording it is not really taking me back to
country because that’s always been a part of me, and anything I do musically will always have a tinge of
country because that’s who I am,” says Laura, whose extensive resume as an artist in the genre has
included opening for or touring with superstars of multiple generations – including Taylor Swift,
Emmylou Harris, Clint Black, Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan.
“Still, the song is like going back to my first love, because while club music is so much about the beats
and sonic atmosphere, country songs are about meaningful lyrics, strong melodies and reflective of life
experiences we all go through,” she adds. “My dad once told me that I never want you to feel pain or
anything bad, but you can’t sing about things unless you’ve gone through them. This is a song I relate to
because we could all use the comfort of someone who takes ‘the edge off like champagne’ in our lives.
‘Body First’ is on the poppier side of country, and pushes the edges with a jazzy, bluesy influence, but
with a sexy side. While I’m a country girl, I always want to incorporate dance elements as we do with the
loops and other sonic effects into my songs. I also love the great guitar licks on the track. I think those
who became fans of mine from the dance hits will enjoy this side of me too.”
Laura launched into the dance market and establishing her fresh, innovative hybrid country new wave and
electronica vibe with the Sharp-McDonald-Rodriguez composed “Sweet Revenge,” which has amassed
2.1 million YouTube views and whose remix by Dave Aude hit #10 on the Billboard Dance chart. She
then exploded internationally in 2020 with “Stars Are Falling,” which hit #2 on the UK based Music
Week Commercial Pop Chart and #7 on France’s NRJ chart. Its Eli Sokhn directed video, which
illustrates the power of love and human connection amidst an eerily prescient apocalyptic landscape, has
over two million YouTube views. Its rise was propelled in part by a dynamic package of remixes by Dave
Aude (Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Beyonce), Klaas (Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike), Kalender, Chris Cox
(Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige, Michael Jackson), Drew G (Ed Sheeran, Madonna, Beyonce), Ray
Rhodes (Fifth Harmony, Lady Gaga, Rihanna), Dave Matthias (J Lo, Jennifer Hudson, Toni Braxton),
Slim Tim and Brixxtone.
The batch of remixes for her 2021 follow-up single “The Way It Was” by Aude, Klaas and Cutmore took
Laura to #11 on the UK’s Music Week Commercial Pop Chart, the Top 10 on the German (#6) and Swiss
(#3) dance chart and #6 on France’s Buzz Nu chart.
Ever eager to develop and cultivate a relationship with her longtime loyal fans and those who came on
board via those smashes, Laura (aka “The Quirky Singer”) became a TikTok sensation with hundreds of
thousands of “Bryniacs” eager for her every clever and compelling new post, musical and otherwise, to
the tune of 4.1M overall likes and several videos with over 1M views each. Almost anything goes on
Laura’s page – twisting well known songs to make them her own, dressing up as different well known
performers or characters (Melanie Martinez and Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen being among the most
popular), inviting people to sing duets, lyric challenges and straightforward live performing. Laura’s
TikTok presence has been so successful that she and her team have developed a line of “Bryniac” merch.
Prior to her latest batch of hit singles, Laura was perhaps best known for her military tribute “Hometown
Heroes,” a track from her debut solo album Trying to Be Me which she wrote with Grammy nominated
songwriter Jeff Batson and Terry Vonderheide for a national campaign for the Air National Guard, where
she’s an honorary member and spokesperson. The song’s intention was to make people aware of what
heroes in this branch do, from their work in Afghanistan to assisting Border Patrol and hurricane relief.
Years after the song debuted on Monday Night Football in 2008 and she sang it on field at a Pittsburgh
Steelers game, she sang it multiple times during a 2019 USO tour that went to Kuwait, Germany, Spain,
Kosovo, Jordan and the African country of Djibouti.
“I look at my life and career like a tree with many branches that keep sprouting out with new
opportunities to be creative and make a difference,” Laura says. “I want to continue making music and
seeing where the dream takes me. I’m prepared for whatever life has in store.”
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