By Ryan Gueningsman

From “Purple Rain” to “Kerosene,” Brittany Lee has been showcasing her powerful voice at shows in many places she’s not even old enough to be at yet.

Nineteen-year-old Lee, backed by the group KeyStone, was a constant performer for Winstock’s Rumble on the Road tour dates this year, attesting to her popularity across Minnesota.

She released her debut CD, “Bring It On,” May 15 – just two days before her appearance at Winstock’s Rumble on the Road tour stop at the Triple R Grill and Bar in Kimball – and she has already been getting airplay on 98 Country and rave reviews from music industry professionals.

The eight-song disc features a variety of songs Lee had a part in co-writing, as well as one co-written by industry giant John Rich of Big and Rich, and several other selections from fellow Minnesotan Rockie Lynne, who Lee had the opportunity to write with.

“Writing with Rockie was super-cool,” Lee said. “We sat down with two other writers, and they asked me what I wanted to write about, and we went from there.”

The result was “Who Needs You,” and “Love’s Got A Heart of Its Own,” both of which are featured on her CD. Lee was able to meet Lynne through her booking agent, Gregg Schmidt of The Music Works, and said she appreciates Lynne's assistance with the project and his support.

“He has really been a great friend and mentor throughout this whole CD and writing process,” Lee said about Lynne. “I am glad that we get to do some shows with him this summer.”

Lee admitted she would have liked to have more self-written songs on the CD, but said they wanted to have the CD available for sale at show dates throughout the summer.

“I really wish that I could have had more that I have written on the CD because I have so many,” she said. “We were trying to get this done so quickly that they really didn’t have time to really produce my songs.”

She again used Lynne’s wisdom when it came to the song selection, as he suggested some of the other songs that he felt would be a good fit for her.

Another name that pops up among the songwriting credits is Katrina Elam, who released a debut CD and opened a number of shows for Keith Urban.

“Katrina’s songs ended up on my CD because Rockie and her were on the same label, so they were friends, and he had heard some songs of hers that he thought would be fitting for me,” Lee said. “I have always loved her songs and voice, even before all of this. She is a great writer.”

Growing up on Minnesota’s Iron Range, country music has been a part of Brittany Lee’s life for most of her 20 years.

“I started singing when I about 6 years old at festivals, and fairs, and everything I could sing at up where I live,” Lee said. Though she is now poised and comfortable on stage and in the spotlight, that wasn’t always the case for Lee.

“The first time I went on stage, I was bawling,” she recalled with a laugh. “I was so scared. They called my name to go up, and I didn’t go up at first. My mom had to keep me from running outside. Finally I went on and sang ‘Jesus Loves Me,’ and I walked off quick.”

From there, Lee began performing in talent shows, and then performing with a band when she turned 15. At the same time, she was developing her taste for music, and she said her influences have a wide range.

“The first two CDs I bought were Shania Twain and Celene Dion,” Lee said. “I grew up listening to Whitney Houston and Celene Dion and all those people.”

She said she’s also had some Christian music influences, and that her father listens to classic rock. Now, she cites Martina McBride as an influence, and said she admires McBride’s image.

In her mid-teens, Lee continued to get regular gigs at places she wasn’t even technically allowed to get into at her age. She also hit the stage at Winstock on the Emerging Artists Stage in 2007, and also played at WE Fest.

“I met my agent, who introduced me to KeyStone, and it was perfect timing because they were looking for a singer at the time, so I stepped right in,” Lee said. She has now been playing with KeyStone for about a year, and was featured with the band at Winstock when she played there.

“That was, like, the funnest time ever,” Lee recalled about playing Winstock. “It’s definitely one of the big highlights for the band. People treated us like we were famous or something. People were trying to steal CDs off the table, and it took us an hour to go through the line to meet with people.”

Right now, Lee primarily plays in central Minnesota, but said her music has brought her to Nashville and Texas. With the Iron Range still being her home, she faces about a three-and-a-half hour drive to show dates, but has family in the St. Cloud area she can stay with.

When she’s not performing or working on her music career, she is spending time at college, studying business. She also utilizes online classes to allow her to maintain a balanced schedule, but admits it can be hard to find the time for everything.

“Right now, I’m going to school, so I’m busy with that all the time,” she said, adding that she’ll continue to take online classes over the summer.

When one thinks of northern Minnesota, another thing that comes to mind is the number of lakes. Lee said when she has downtime in the summer, she enjoys spending time on the lake.

That downtime could be hard to come by, though, and Lee is hopeful the hard work and hours on the road lead to a larger tour, and ultimately a major record deal. She’ll have her CD available online in the near future, and said it’ll also be available at her live shows. There are also some deals in the works for it to be made available at record stores.

Looking forward, Lee said there are a lot of songs that she’s written that the band hasn’t done yet. With her blossoming career, there is sure to be plenty of time in the years to come to fit them in. Finding the balance of songwriter/performer has been a natural fit for Lee.

“I like doing the songs I wrote onstage,” she said. “The ones that I’ve written lately – they’re more slow, so they don’t really work for the bar scene.”

A scene that, technically, she can’t be a part of for two more years.

For more information and upcoming tour dates, visit www.brittanylee.biz or www.myspace.com/brittanyleebringiton.