MAY 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM WHO’S NEXT Jean-Luc Morales LAURA BELL BUNDY

HOMETOWN: Lexington, Ky. INFLUENCES: Pearl Bailey, Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson ALBUM: Achin’ and Shakin’, out now WEBSITE: laurabellbundy.com

FOR LAURA BELL BUNDY, THE ROAD TO NASHVILLE BEGAN she returned to New York at age 18 and resumed her musical in New York City. She had been performing for several theater career. years, but caught the attention of Music City as the Tony-nominated Once there, she and her then-roommate formed a country star of Broadway musicals like , and duo and began performing around the city. “In the meantime, I . She set aside that burgeoning career to move to Nashville got Hairspray and Wicked, and honestly, that’s how I supported in 2008 and pursue the life in country music that she always wanted. myself,” she says. “I moved to New York and my intention was to Now her major-label debut, Achin’ and Shakin’, fi nds her fulfi lling have a music career, not to do Broadway. For me, it was like I had that dream at last. two different baskets of eggs, and one was the acting basket and The Kentucky native grew up listening to her mother’s country the other was the music basket—and the acting basket of eggs music collection, and has been acting and singing professionally hatched fi rst.” Now that the other basket of eggs has hatched, so since childhood. She moved to New York with her mom after landing to speak, she is happy to be pursuing her musical career full-time a part in Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular, which at last. “Songwriting and recording is my passion,” she says. “This she followed with roles onstage in Ruthless, The Musical! and the is my love. There’s a part of myself that has come out that I really TV soap Guiding Light. After attending high school in Kentucky, like, and it’s very important to me.”

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