Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryanna Williams.
Hi Bryanna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Music has always been a part of my life. I started singing around the age of 3-4 in the church in the children’s choir. I was involved in the different singing groups in the church until around age 16. I didn’t start taking music and singing seriously until high school, I’m a late bloomer haha. I went to Hillside High School in Durham and it was my teachers who saw my potential before I did. I was in choir in high school, and as a freshman, I was the only member in a group called Soul Singers, which was only a group for juniors and seniors. I still wasn’t thinking too much about singing. It was still something that I just did now and then. Until I landed a lead role in a play my junior year, I was like, “this is it. This is what I want to do with my life”. I landed different opportunities to sing throughout high school. I began recording music during high school, singing for the President, and doing several different mainstream auditions. I went on to college and dove into pursuing my musical career, released my music in 2021, My first single, Love Letter, on all platforms, and continued trying to put myself out there. I started doing different open mics and competitions around Durham and Raleigh, and now I’m here still trying to get more exposure and continue to grow and learn as an artist.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My musical road has not been easy. Of course, I have had my share of doubts and comparisons to other artists, but my road became very rocky in college. In 2019, I discovered that I had nodules on my vocal cords in college. After finding this out, I had to limit my singing to almost a minimum, along with my talking. I had to go through several months of vocal and speech therapy to try and improve this problem. After months of treatment, the nodules had decreased, and I could begin singing again. This injury resurfaced and got worse in 2022. This time I had to stop singing and limit my talking; participate in several months of intense vocal therapy while still on vocal rest. These injuries have damaged my confidence, but it also reminds me that “this will only make me stronger,” and it has.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an HBCU grad. I graduated from Winston Salem State University with my bachelors in 2021. I received my master’s at 23 in school counseling; I am a high school counselor. I have participated in some modeling here and there. I am trying to gain more opportunities to sing background vocals for other artists locally and find opportunities to expand my artistry into performing and possibly releasing more music. I plan to incorporate my music experience into my counseling work. I love to sing, and I have a lot of different influences from Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Brandy, Jazmine Sullivan, Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, and the list goes on. My music approach is different, which is why I think I am set apart from others.
I try to bring a different artist to life through the song and put my spin on it. I try to pull from what the artist was going through at the time or in what state. The world was in when the song was released before singing it. I gained that experience from being in different drama productions. I have had to pull from different areas and parts of myself to make the music and character come alive. I do a lot of different research and studying of the artist that I love, learn about their stories and come up as an artist. I am most proud of my progress and where I am going. I am known for my charismatic, honest, fun, opinionated personality and my ability to sing. I try to be my bubbly self when I am on stage. I call myself the “girl next door or your best friend,” that is honest and vulnerable. Those are the vibes I hope to give through my music.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is being proud of what you do, content with where you are, without any regrets or thoughts of “I could have done more.” Success is being able to make yourself proud of what you have done and accomplished.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: justbeingbry_
Image Credits
Jamal Richmond:Richershots
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