Briana Calhoun is an artist with a tenet all her own. Raised in the small town of Farmerville, La., she is a teacher, mother, artist, songwriter, and president of “Hope on the Inside,” a nonprofit dedicated to helping inmates navigate the reentry process. Why the nonprofit? In 2021, Calhoun filmed a documentary depicting her incredible journey as a former inmate in a Louisiana women’s prison. She was institutionalized for the better part of three years of her young life. But, with a little grace, and a lot of grit, she managed to find her way. After receiving her masters degree in education, she began to pursue her first love of songwriting. Eventually, folks in Music City began to catch wind of her unique sound and story, including country music legend and fellow Louisiana native, Kix Brooks, of Brooks and Dunn. In 2021, Calhoun recorded a six-song EP at the historically renowned Sound Kitchen Studios in Nashville. Her most recent EP, Stop Missing me, includes collaborations with Hall-of-Fame songwriters Don Cook, Rafe Van Hoy, and Brooks, and productions by Jeff King (lead for Reba McEntire) and 2023 CMA Producer of the Year, Chip Matthews. When she’s not busy being a mom and teacher, Briana can be found at some of the most prominent publishing houses in Nashville, playing at national festivals, or headlining her own shows. Recently, she and Brooks spearheaded the initiative for Hope on the Inside, where fellow songwriters are invited to not only entertain, but share their own journey of hope to inmates in correctional facilities throughout the Southeast. “I was given a second chance and I’m living proof that there is hope outside of incarceration,” Calhoun said. “That’s why I do what I do.”