Abby Bryant & Friends Live in The Meadow

Playing for church services under her father’s direction, Bryant recalls early memories of singing a solo as an angel in a nativity play and backing up the church band in her small-town community near Charlotte, North Carolina. It wasn’t until she attended Appalachian State University that Bryant began to seriously consider a professional career in music. Merging her love of the sound of soul and American roots music embodied by artists like Etta James and Bonnie Raitt with a blues and rock approach, Bryant began writing songs that would eventually appear on Not Your Little Girl.

After graduating from college and working with a number of part-time band members, Bryant relocated to Asheville, NC to form a proper band and quickly began heavy touring that kickstarted an organic fanbase throughout the Southeast. “I’ve really had to learn to trust myself and lean into my confidence in the band. There will always be difficult moments, but the thought of giving up or even slowing down has never crossed my mind,” explains Bryant.

Her debut album touches on themes of growing up and leaving home and “having a pretty traditional childhood and needing to build an identity and set of values on my own” describes Bryant. Navigating an often harsh world with a determined and fresh sense of self, Bryant finds comfort in her steady march forward. “And if you feel like you’re dying … / You just gotta follow your own lead” Bryant affirms on the emphatic rocker “Keep Moving.”