Briana Calhoun Signs Global Publishing Deal
Sony Music Publishing Nashville, in partnership with country music icon Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn, have announced the signing of emerging singer-songwriter Briana Calhoun to a global publishing agreement.
Briana Calhoun brings a unique and authentic sound to the Nashville music scene. She has already built a strong reputation within the songwriting community, having collaborated and shared stages with legends such as Don Cook, Terri Clark, David Lee Murphy, Randy Houser, Dallas Davidson, Steve Wariner, Bob DiPiero, Tim Nichols, Rafe Van Hoy, Marv Green, Brett Tyler, and Greg Barnhill, among many others.
In addition to her songwriting career, Briana is Executive Director and Founder of Hope on the Inside, alongside partner and President Kix Brooks, of Brooks and Dunn. Hope On The Inside (HOTI) is a groundbreaking nonprofit founded in 2023. Briana, having once been an inmate herself, has overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to dedicate her career to empowering others within the correctional system. By championing self-determination, love, and resilience, she helps individuals discover their inner strength and, ultimately, hope, amid even the toughest circumstances. Now, joined by global country superstar Kix Brooks and a growing collective of artists, Hope On The Inside is set to expand its innovative outreach, using art, education, and entertainment to inspire genuine change across communities.
Calhoun also plans to release two songs relative to her story and Hope on the Inside’s mission in August of this year: “Hope on the Inside,” an aptly named title track due out in August, written with DiPiero and Van Hoy. Her second single of 2025 will be a hard-driving rodeo track called “Bustin’ Out,” told through the eyes of an inmate at the infamous Angola Prison Rodeo, written with Kix Brooks and Chancie Neal.
While making music for Hope on the Inside’s mission is important, Calhoun also plans to release an acoustic album later this year, weaving storytelling and the human experience into an eclectic blend of country, roots, pop, and R&B. When she is not hosting and performing in writer’s rounds inside correctional facilities or overseeing fundraising events for her charity, Calhoun plans to perform at festivals, writers rounds, and featured shows across the country. She is also a dedicated single mother of her daughter, Bristol.
“I’m humbled and honored to have the opportunity to do what I love for a living,” shares Briana Calhoun. “I had all but given up on my dream of becoming a songwriter, and shifted my focus to growing Hope on the Inside. But, with that came an outpouring of love and support from the Nashville community, and I think people began to notice. I’m living proof that walking in-purpose can lead to your dream. I’m so grateful to everyone who has joined me on this journey and I am especially grateful to Kix [Brooks] for believing in me and pushing me to use my gifts for good, and for Rusty [Gaston] for giving me this opportunity and encouraging me along the way.”
“I’m really looking forward to working with Briana on this collaboration with Sony,” adds Kix Brooks. “I’ve been writing songs there for almost my entire career, and I’m confident it’s going to be a great home for her, too. She’s not just writing really good and unique songs, she’s also changing lives with the work she’s doing to help inmates through her nonprofit. I’m proud to be associated with her, and I have no doubt she’s got a great future with the music she’s got coming. Congratulations Briana!”
“We couldn’t be more excited to join forces with Kix to support Briana’s journey,” says Sony Music Publishing Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston said. “She’s making an incredible impact as both a songwriter and as a champion for her community, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.”
