Bry

Originating from Dublin, Ireland, the artist Bry—born Brian O’Reilly—writes and performs pop-infused indie rock while also operating as a vlogger who built his songwriting path and audience reach through fully independent means. He launched his work in 2012 under the name Bribry, composing original material and chronicling the process on his YouTube channel. Without a manager, he generated exposure by arranging his own international visits, posting his whereabouts online, and turning up at a set time with a guitar to deliver spontaneous performances for anyone who arrived. The method proved effective, drawing almost 80 people to one appearance in New York City’s Central Park and around 150 in Singapore. Heartened by the turnout, he moved on to scheduling shows at established venues, which produced sold-out runs across the U.K. and Australia in 2013 and 2014. In those same years he issued two self-released EPs, Grow and Us. Outside music he led the digital campaign Cut Cake Not Wrists, an effort supporting young people facing self-harm. In 2015 he signed with Polar Patrol Publishing, the company founded by Snow Patrol drummer Jonny Quinn, and joined the 13 Artists Entertainment Agency, moves that resulted in tours of the U.K., Australasia, and Ireland. Later that year he and his wife, fellow vlogger Candice, used their shared YouTube channel to announce a temporary relocation to Los Angeles so he could record his first full-length album with producer Greg Wells (Katy Perry, Twenty One Pilots). The self-titled record appeared in late 2016, fronted by the singles “You’re Alright,” drawn from his older sister’s earlier struggle with cancer, and “Don’t Go Alone.”