Arts & Entertainment

FPAC Grad Chases Dream From Howell to Music City

Brittany Hadley to perform in concert at Battleground Country Club on Friday.

Like many FPAC students Brittany Hadley had dreams of someday taking her singing talents and making a career behind a microphone. Having taken voice lessons Hadley said she knew she wanted to be a singer for as long as she can remember which makes reaching her goals that much more fulfilling.

Hadley’s talents have taken her from the halls of Howell High School to Syracuse University and now to Nashville where she hopes to make a name for herself as a country music star. As a part of that goal Hadley will be performing at Battleground Country Club on Friday night as a concert stop just down the road from her hometown.

Hadley grew up in Howell and while she said her parents tried to get her involved in other activities like sports, music and dance, she said singing was where she knew she was meant to be “Nothing stuck like singing did,” she said.

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During her time at Howell High School Hadley was a member of Rebel Yell and also spent time writing, recording and performing her own music at local restaurants around Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

She took her talents to upstate New York to study music education, but soon realized that was not the path for her. “I needed to be writing and recording music for a living,” she said. In an effort to get closer to her goal she transferred to Belmont University in Nashville to study commercial voice and songwriting.

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Having made the “big move,” to Nashville Hadley was now walking the same streets as her music idols Shania Twain and LeeAnn Rimes. “My heart has always been in country music,” she said. “There was never any question that Nashville was where I needed to be.”

Being 800 miles from the people and places she grew up has not been easy, but Hadley said “it has already proven to be completely worth it.” Getting to know her new surroundings Hadley said many of the people she meets are also aspiring musicians and “the opportunities are endless.” She said seeing all the talent has “pushed me to grow in ways I never thought I could.”

Coming home to share her music this weekend is Hadley said she is definitely looking forward to. “I am so excited to sing for some familiar faces- and some new ones, as well,” she said. Friday’s show will also include fellow Nashville musician Dan Storm as well as Mike Bono who studied guitar at the Berklee School of Music. Hadley said Bono is, “one of my oldest and closest friends,” who she performed with during her high school days.

When she returns to Nashville Hadley said she is looking forward to continuing to pursue her dream. “My future plan is to stay in Nashville until my music career brings me somewhere else,” she said. She is focused on pursuing her career as a songwriter and hopes to have a publishing deal in a few years. “In the meantime, I am keeping busy promoting the new album, playing shows, and writing more songs,” she said.

A job in the music industry may not be easy, but Hadley said it is what she loves to do and a big part of who she is. “It’s my therapy of sorts,” she said. “I feel so fortunate to have had such a nurturing and supportive family in New Jersey- They gave me the strength to move to Nashville and make things happen.”

The show at Battleground starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are $20 at the door or $15 in advance. To learn more about Hadley and her music you can check out her Facebook page or hear her single Reasons to Run on Noisetrade and Reverbnation. She will be releasing her self titled album on iTunes on August 20 but will have actual copies of the album available at Friday’s show.


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