Larysa Jaye Band

She's got something to say ... and she's used to being heard. After all, on top of being a successful singer and performer, Larysa Jaye is a mother of four. While it's not every musician chasing their Nashville dream who will lead with that kind of information, Larysa is no ordinary artist. The only Black woman with an artist residency on Nashville's Lower Broadway – at Justin Timberlake's Twelve Thirty Club, no less – she also has a longstanding gig at Nashville International Airport. She's performed with top artists, racked up accolades including multiple Nashville Independent Spirit Award nominations and served as musical director for Nashville's Shakespeare Festival. But it is the release of her self-penned "The Thoughts That Happen (The Mama Song" that is creating a bridge to the career she's worked toward her whole life. Ticking off work, church and school ... reminding herself “mama gotta do all that”; Larysa breaks the song and her vocals open with the refrain, "Am I good enough? Am I strong enough? Am I woman enough?"; Rather than gloss over real life struggles that aren't textbook “show biz,” she points right to them. That's because Larysa Jaye has learned that embracing her vulnerability is the greatest strength of all. Long before her latest single, she has had a sound others have struggled to define: Acoustic soul. Americana. Tina Turner with an acoustic guitar. Carrie Underwood meets Mary J. Blige. Fittingly, the unique musical mashup of her artistry has its roots in an upbringing she describes as “cultural whiplash.” "We started out in a hood area of Kansas City, moved to a semi-rural part of Tennessee, then back to suburban Missouri"; she says. "I went from an all-Black school to being the only Black kid in the eighth grade to a college-style high school with a $6 million fine arts building." Music was ever-present. "We had a piano and I would get up at two or three in the morning to practice worship music and get ready for church. In school it was tenor sax, violin and choir." “I started writing – mostly Christian songs – at 16,” she says. "Our faith was strict and I was very sheltered, but in a healthy way." While music was the dream, there were setbacks. "I did my last year of high school at Nashville's Hillwood High School, then applied to Belmont University for Commercial Performance, but didn't get selected." And of course, life happened. “I had my first son at 21 and the twins came at 25,” she says. "I worked a lot of customer service jobs, administration, secretary – just being a single mom." An open mic night performance reignited her desire for a career in music and, despite the challenges, she persevered.