When you attend CMA Music Fest, it's a lot to take in. There are shows all over town, and in addition to the big acts, there are some hidden gems you may not have heard of before. One of those hidden gems is Bailey Bryan.
"I'm so excited, this is my very first CMA Fest ever," Bryan said prior to her first performance at the Country Music festival. "Last year I came here and I attended it as just a fan, and I watched a few shows and I was so inspired by the whole environment."
At only 19-years-old, Bryan has already released an EP, and she's eager to share her stories with country Music fans by getting on the stages she's watched others on in the past.
"I'm the kind of person that watches a show, and I'm enjoying it, but then the other part of me is jealous, because I'm like, 'Man, I want to be up there on the stage doing that'," she said.
It hasn't been an easy road for Bryan to get to this year's CMA Fest.
A Washington state native from the town of Sequim, Bryan started visiting Nashville when she was 15-years-old. At age 17, her family packed up and moved to Nashville with uncertainty on the horizon.
"It was a few months of nothing was happening, and I was sitting in Nashville missing my hometown," Bryan explained.
Luckily for Bryan, things picked up in a big way. She got in with the right people, and her music started to take off.
Now at 19-years-old, Bryan has moved to her own place, and her family has gone back to Washington. Bryan has been sharing her music with new fans amidst rave reviews from the music industry.
For the weekend, Bryan said she is most excited of the prospect of meeting new fans and continuing to tell stories through music. She said it's one of the most special parts of CMA Music Fest. Every performer has their own story to share that can resonate with the audience.
"You can walk by any little stage and hear some incredible music that you've never heard before," Bryan said.
Bryan was scheduled to play two shows on Saturday - one at the Chevrolet Park Stage at 1:50 pm, and the other at the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at 6:15 pm.
