Alayna left the small town of Butler, Pennsylvania in the summer of 2011 with nothing but herself and a carload of a few necessities, including her Breedlove guitar, to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a recording artist and songwriter of note. In a few years time Alayna would be writing with hit songwriters such as Steve Dean (“Watching You” for Rodney Atkins), Pete Sallis (“Shut Up And Fish” for Maddie and Tae) and Kirsti Manna (“Austin” for Blake Shelton) playing well-known venues like Bluebird Cafe and Nissan Stadium. In 2012, Alayna received an endorsement from her favorite guitar company, Breedlove. Alayna’s fan-funded EP "The Wrong Side" was released in May 2015 and charted at #30 on the iTunes UK Country charts.
Alayna wrote her first song at age 12. A few years later she learned the new talent she could craft. During this time, she taught herself to play guitar and kept up with regular piano lessons.
Alayna's Top Six
Most under-rated thing about Nashville? The amount of great writer’s nights that are FREE to go to. I think many tourists believe that all the great music is on Broadway, but there’s really even more great ORIGINAL music at places like The Local, The Commodore, Live Oak, etc.
How would you say your hometown differs from Nashville? I’m originally from Butler, PA, about an hour north of Pittsburgh. Nashville is differs from Butler because there is so much more music available every single night of the week to listen to! There’s also more diverse cuisine and places to eat in Nashville!
Say you had a completely free day in Nashville—no work allowed. What would you be doing? If I had a completely free day in Nashville, no work allowed, I would probably go disc golfing, meet a friend for lunch/dinner, and/or host a game night at my house! :)
What are some of your favorite Nashville restaurants? Oh my gosh, there’s so many good ones! One of our favorites is Mediterranean Cuisine. It’s authentic Mediterranean food about 10-15 minutes from where we live. It’s so delicious and fairly priced! They have a patio area where you can sit, and right beside that is a pond. Ducks and geese come up near the patio to see if they can get any scraps of food. I also love Corner Pub and Sam’s!
Is there a place you haven't ate you have been dying to go? YES! I would love to try the Pancake Pantry! It’s such a staple place to visit when coming here. Can’t believe I’ve been in Nashville this long without trying it yet!
Of course we love your style, any favorite Nashville shops? Honestly I just really love either the Opry Mills Mall or the Cool Springs Mall!
One Thing About Nashville
How has Nashville influenced your music? Being in Nashville has definitely influenced my writing and music. I’m so blessed to be able to go out and hear the amazing talent the city has to offer! I’ve merged into a more gritty feel since I’ve gotten here.
Five Favorites
What's your favorite place to go for ice cream in Nashville? Baked Bear!
What's your favorite place for breakfast in Nashville? I don’t get to go too often, but I love “First Watch” or “Another Broken Egg Cafe” for breakfast!
Do you have a favorite music venue? Man, that’s a tough one, because there’s so many! I think my favorite place to go is the Local. They have the best up and coming talent, and already established talent too! The food is amazing. Geoff is the owner and he’s always working hard to serve people!
What grocery stores do you shop? My husband and I normally shop at Kroger or Walmart for groceries. If they don’t have something we need, we will stop into Publix.
Best Broadway bar? This is a totally biased answer, but I love Casa Rosa because Miranda Lambert is one of my favorite country artists ever :)
ABOUT ALAYNA:
Alayna left her hometown of Butler, Pennsylvania in the summer of 2011 with nothing but a few necessities and her favorite guitar to pursue a career in music. A few years later, she was writing with award-winning songwriters and playing Music City’s most prestigious venues including the world-famous Bluebird Café, Nissan Stadium, and The Listening Room.
Classically trained in piano from age 7, Alayna always had a love for music, but it wasn't always Country. She grew up listening to Jewel, Brandy, LeAnn Rimes, Sheryl Crow. Now, she's mixing those childhood influences of Pop/Rock melodies with the honesty of Country lyrics, bringing a new flavor to the table. Alayna wrote her first song at 12 but it wasn’t until a few years later that she recognized her newfound talent and began to nurture it. During this time, Alayna taught herself to play guitar and kept up with regular piano lessons.
Alayna currently has over 1 million YouTube views and nineteen independent cuts to her credit. She has played many prominent conventions and festivals including CMA Music Fest, Christmas 4 Kids Bus Tour, Muscle Shoals Songwriters Festival, National Cornbread Festival, Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival, Smoky Mountain Songwriters Festival, Sunbelt AG, and the Tennessee State Fair. She was named one of the CMA’s Emerging Artists in 2017; released her second fan-funded EP Wicked City; has received multiple awards over the years from TSAI (Tennessee Songwriters Association International), and released a fan-funded EP, The Wrong Side, in 2015 with sales in thirty-five US states and twelve countries; charting at #30 on the iTunes UK Country charts. In 2019, Alayna released her first Christmas CD, Christmas Party, which she co-wrote all of and followed it up in 2020 with singles, "Play Dumb" and "Stereotype." In 2021, she released singles "Break It Down" and "Making Babies," following it up with a corresponding music video for "Making Babies." In January of 2022, Alayna released her last single "Top of a Dream." Recently, Alayna had one of her songs included as an instrumental on season 18 of NBC's hit TV show, The Voice, and released her own version of the cover "Desperado" via an acoustic video on Country Rebel's (the world's largest country music network) Facebook page which is nearing 100k views in follow up to her cover of Martina McBride's "Broken Wing," which has just exceeded 172k views.