Lera Lynn

Lera Lynn

Lera Lynn is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actress from Houston, Texas. Born in 1984, she works in folk, singer-songwriter, alt-country and Americana contexts, and is also associated with The Downtown 13.

Early solo work

In 2011, she releases her debut solo album, Have You Met Lera Lynn?. The record draws from songs she writes over the previous decade and presents material shaped by past experiences, present artistic challenges and future hopes.

Songwriting recognition

Her song “Bobby, Baby” wins the 2011 Chris Austin Songwriting Competition at MerleFest, an honour she shares with previous winners including Gillian Welch and Tift Merritt. The same song also wins Best Alt. Country Song in the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards Vox Pop poll, which is decided by online fan voting. She also receives Best Country Artist at the 2012 Flagpole Music Awards in Athens, Georgia.

True Detective and later screen work

In 2014, Lynn begins working on music for the second season of the HBO crime drama True Detective. She collaborates with T Bone Burnett and Rosanne Cash at Burnett’s home in Los Angeles. After the music is approved, series creator Nic Pizzolatto casts her as a recurring character who performs the songs in a dive bar used by the main characters.