Houston, we don’t have a problem! The pretty gal you see above is Miss Skylar Laine from Brandon, Mississippi. She’s a down home southern girl with a country twang and a Broadway background. She’s also a songwriter and has what you might consider to be an unhealthy Miranda Lambert obsession.
I thought I’d put together a few pics and her bio as well as a couple of videos in one place so you can get a good idea of who Skylar is and decide for yourself if you think she’s got a chance to become the next American Idol.
Here’s how our girl describes herself via her ReverbNation site:
Hey y’all (gotta love the y’all amirite?) I’m Skylar! I’m from a town right outside Jackson, MS called Brandon, GO BULLDOGS! I just graduated high school a year early and I’m currently going to Hinds and Holmes community colleges and plan to attend nursing school at Hinds.
I wanted to have a back-up plan because in today’s economy you can never be too safe ha-ha! I plan on moving to Nashville after I finish my two year nursing degree. I have been writing songs for about three-and-a-half years now and I absolutely love it!! I get writer’s block really easy so if ya’ll have any good storys to tell me that I could turn into a song then have at it!
^Skylar Laine of American Idol 11
I already like her. Seems to me like she’s got a good head on her shoulders by having a back up plan in case her music career doesn’t pan out. And hey, I wouldn’t mind if she were my nurse! Let’s continue:
When I was 7, 8, and 9 years old, I went on two national Broadway tours. The first tour was Annie and I played Molly. The second was Les Miserables and I played Young Cosette and Young Eponine. These were such life changing experiences for me. I had the opportunity to travel to almost every state in the US and to Canada, China, and Korea to perform in these shows. I established a love for Broadway music and I still love it today.
I think this is an important part of Skylar’s back story. Sometimes folks who go after Idol as a county act get hung up because they struggle with having a range of style. I don’t expect this to be the case for Miss Mississippi. Here’s a clip of Skylar performing “Once Upon a Time” from the Broadway musical Brooklyn:
Not too shabby. I’m impressed by the fact that it’s free of country intonations and you can see her stage experience coming through. She puts it on pretty heavy in parts in that clip but that’s all right. I ain’t nit pickin’. Now back to Skylar on Skylar:
Although I love Broadway music, I grew up listening to Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash, and Patsy Cline. I have always loved country music because it is just in my blood. It tells stories and has true meaning. I love the traditional country style about guns, bars, love, and the south! That is why I’m absolutely obsessed with Miranda Lambert. I think you might find a little bit of the fire like her in my songs. I love to rock out on stage and give everybody a great show. When I see someone rockin’ right along with me and singin’ along… well that gives me the biggest rush and makes me incredibly happy!
Let’s take a look at Laine performing one of her originals called, “Love So True.”
I think when one of her heroes Johnny Cash used to sing about, “All them women gonna make me, teach ’em what they don’t know how.” from “Jackson,” his hit duet with his late wife June Carter Cash, he might just have had a sweet young thing like Skylar on his mind. It looks like in her case, though, she already knows how 🙂
Good luck to Skylar Laine as she chases that neon rainbow while living her honky tonk dreams. Here’s one last parting shot:
Photos: Skylar Laine MySpace
