Ayla Brown to open at auditorium Thursday

SWAMPSCOTT – Basketball player, “American Idol” semifinalist and news anchor Ayla Brown is finally where she is happiest: traveling the country performing and recording as a country music artist.Brown, daughter of former senatorial candidate Scott Brown, swapped her Boston roots for Nashville in the last year, though the Boston College grad spends most of her time driving from state to state to open for big acts like Sara Evans, Chris Young, and, on Thursday at the Lynn Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Clint Black.?I never thought I would live like this, but I always hoped I would,” said Brown. “My dream now is to look out at a crowd and see hundreds or thousands of people singing my lyrics. That?s how you know you?ve made it.”Brown said it?s hard to believe it was eight years ago that she took the stage for the hit show “American Idol” in 2005, earning a spot among the top 16 before she was voted off. After a four-year singing hiatus from 2006 to 2010 spent playing basketball for the Eagles, Brown proved her performing chops when she performed with the Boston Pops at their annual Fourth of July celebration and signed on to sing the National Anthem with the Philadelphia 76ers. Brown released a self-titled album in January 2012 and later this month she will fulfill another dream when she sings at the Grand Ole Opry, the famed country music stage in Nashville.Though she?s come a long way, Brown said the life of a budding performer isn?t one of glamour.?When I?m not doing a show, I?m writing music or sending emails trying to book gigs. It?s definitely a full-time job,” she said. Her weeks spent on the road don?t come with a tour bus or team of stylists, either. When she has a show, Brown said she will drive hours in a rented car and live out of a suitcase to perform for little pay just to gain exposure and connect with fans.?I?m doing everything on my own. It?s the life,” she said, laughing. “But I wouldn?t have it any other way.”Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected] You Go?
WHAT: Ayla Brown opening for Clint BlackWHEN: Thursday at 8 p.m.; doors open at 7WHERE: Lynn Veterans Memorial Auditorium at City HallTICKETS: http://www.lynnauditorium.com/