Meet Brody Ray | Singer-Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brody Ray and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brody, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
The way I think about risk is, if we don’t ever take them how can we grow? How can we learn? How do we get better? How do we figure out what we’re capable of? Ever since I watched the movie Yes Man, I changed the way I lived my life. When someone asks me to do something I’m afraid of or not comfortable with I weigh the pros and cons. Is this going to push me outside my comfort zone? Probably. But most things do. So is this an opportunity to become better? When I audition for things or say yes to a performance or gig, it sometimes brings me great anxiety and stress building up to that moment. But once I’m there in the moment it all comes together and I’m always glad I did it. For so long I’ve been the guy that says “yes is the answer, what is the question?” I’ve connected and networked with so many amazing people over the years from putting myself out there and taking all the risks involved in the music and entertainment industry. As I get older I feel like it’s not as easy to say yes to everything especially when I have three kids and a wife at home that need so much of my time. But finding balance with work and living, it’s a mad science of me trying to do too much and I can get burned out and stressed out badly it takes away the joy from both. So balance is what I’m working on right now.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think the most life altering moments in my life was auditioning and performing on stage for America’s Got Talent season 13. That moment on stage when I opened up about my personal life and sharing my music and talent with the world, opened up a whole new chapter to my life. It changed my music career and my person life. I got married the next year after AGT. I grew my fanbase instantaneously. I booked gigs never imaginable before. I worked for years to gain the courage to stand in front of celebrities and sign. It gives me great anxiety and that has kept me from performing my best at times. So to have a full circle moment where all my stars were aligned, it’s so hard to top that. Before that I had an episode air on a show on TLC that highlighted my transition and relationships as a trans person. It started opening doors for me over 13 years ago. I started signing and performing in bars at age 14. I started writing music even before that. And as time went on and my voice changed and I got better at playing instruments and writing and signing, I figured out how to navigate recording a releasing my music that I felt confident in and proud of. I became a more confident person in my abilities as an artist and performer. But I will always struggle with anxiety and over thinking and caring too much about what others think. It’s hard for me to get out of my head and stay out of it. Some days it’s debilitating and I can write or perform. Nor do I want to. But I know what I have to do to stop the cycle. It’s just pushing myself to get there that’s the real struggle. I still haven’t quite gotten to where I want to be with my music career but I haven’t thrown in the towel yet. I have a lot of work yet to do on myself as a person and as an artist. I’m still figuring this all out. And it gets scary and the unknowns bring me great anxiety but I just keep pushing forward. Trusting something good will come to me if I keep working at it and become better. I wish it was easier to balance life and chasing a dream. But it’s been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. I still don’t know exactly what I’m doing. But I trust that it’ll all work out. I want people to see me as who I am, Brody Ray the singer/songwriter, openly trans and pushing boundaries within the music industry. Paving the way for others to come next, knocking down barriers that continue to hold lgbt+ people back from discovering their full potential.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I usually have a list typed out that I copy and paste when people ask about things to do around Nashville but I don’t do that anymore because it’s always changing and I’m always discovering new and better things and places. I have never had a bad time at top golf. But most cities have those. I always encourage people to try some of our favorite dining spots like Audrey’s, Hawkers, Moby Dickeys, Sunda, I could go on for days with the amount of amazing eateries around middle TN. If we have people come from our home state of Nebraska, it’s always a must to go to Tin Roof 2 in Franklin as it doubles as a Nebraska Cornhusker fan club for any live sporting events. It’s wild! I recommend a good walk down broadway and to try out the shopping and food court at assembly.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think I would like to give a shout out to everyone in my circle that pushes me, brings me opportunities, and believes in my capabilities. My wife Amanda has to re-work her work and home schedule to bend and flex when my “Yes Man” mentality commits to something that’s coming up. Amy Aylward my booking agent for many years have giving me opportunities that I would have never gotten on my own. Introduced me to some of the most iconic people in the industry and got my foot in the door here in Nashville by taking a risk on me. My family deserves a huge shout out. They cheer me on and pump me up through everything life throws my way. My parents and sisters are my rock when times get rough.

Website: Www.brodyray.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brodyraymusic

Twitter: @brodyraymusic

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/BrodyRayMusic

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/c/BrodyRayMusic

Image Credits
Zardo, AGT