With the arrival of her fierce and fiery single “Jawbreaker” in fall 2022, Laura Bryna kicked off a bold new era of her extraordinary career. A wildly catchy anthem full of sass, swagger, and so much heart, “Jawbreaker” spotlights Bryna’s larger-than-life energy and powerhouse voice like never before, echoing the unapologetic freedom she’s recently discovered in her songwriting. For the latest turn in a whirlwind journey that’s included sharing stages with superstars like Taylor Swift and legends like Emmylou Harris— and making an indelible impact as a U.S. Air National Guard spokesperson, humanitarian, radio host, and children’s book author—Bryna is now gearing up to share a body of work that blurs genres and bends the rules all in the name of a good time.
Based in Nashville and Los Angeles, 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. “It’s saying, ‘This is who I am, take it or leave it,’ which is exactly how I felt when we were writing. As soon as we finished I thought, ‘If I had to pick just one song that encapsulates me as an artist, this is it.’” Released in September, “Jawbreaker” quickly made waves in the Country world and beyond, its breakout success fueled in part by a video Bryna describes as “Coyote Ugly meets Road House meets Moulin Rouge” and by a globally beloved remix from Coppermines. “We’ve seen people all over the world reacting to the song—there’s even a dance troupe in the Philippines that came up with their own ‘Jawbreaker’ line dance,” she says. “It feels really good to see that kind of excitement about something that’s so completely true to who I am.”
Listing everyone from Etta James to Wynonna Judd to Joan Jett among her inspirations, Bryna grew up on timeless pop songs from the ’50s and ’60s thanks to the jukebox in her family’s basement in Mount Airy, Maryland. 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). “My brother ended up getting better, but learning about Make-A- Wish at such a young age made me want to help other kids too,” says Bryna, who served as a board member for the foundation’s Mid-Atlantic chapter and still works with the Nashville and L.A. chapters. “My thinking is: ‘I’m here living my dream, and these kids should all be living theirs.’”
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. But 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.”
