Luke Bryan Reigns At Spring Break Panama City

RISING TEEN PHENOM PAYTON RAE

TO RELEASE FIVE-SONG COUNTRY EP DARE TO LIVE

ON MAY 17

Tens of thousands of fans view “Dare to Live” video in its first 24 hours online,

Landing the talented teen at #18 on the “Most Viewed” list for musicians at YouTube this weekend

With nearly 47,000 Twitter followers and over 2.3 million views on her YouTube channel,

15-year old artist set to release first EP

April 20, 2011 (NASHVILLE, TN)  -  Budding Internet sensation Payton Rae will release her debut EP, the five-song DARE TO LIVE, on May 17. The rollout of the country music project from the 15-year old teen included a re-launch of her website, www.paytonraemusic.com, as well as the online debut of her new video, “Dare To Live,”  on April 15. Tens of thousands of fans viewed the video within its’ first 24 hours online; with over 38,000 views the first weekend, Payton Rae’s YouTube channel charted at #18 on the site’s “Most Viewed“ list for musicians.

Part of a new wave of performers who are taking their music directly to the fans, this 7th-generation Texan (hailing from just outside Houston) has harnessed the exponential promotional power of the Internet to become a bona fide YouTube sensation, amassing an impressive domestic and international audience for her fresh-faced blend of pure country music and genuine Texas charm.

With close to 47,000 followers on Twitter, 15,000 “likes” on Facebook and 2.3 million YouTube views at her dedicated channel (over six million combined views) Payton Rae already has a bigger presence online than some artists that have recently topped the charts in the country world.

The passion that Payton Rae ignites in her young fans is evidenced by the “DTL Teams,” street teams of teens and young adults that use social media - and their own creativity and enthusiasm - to further the buzz about this new country artist. What started five months ago with two fans in Texas and Louisiana has grown into a global campaign, with team leaders in 35 states and in 21 countries like Canada, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, Venezuela, Australia and Saudi Arabia, to name a few. Whether through tweeting, home-made videos or even hand-lettered posters for their schools, “DTL Teams” are spreading the word to fellow young music fans about Payton’s upcoming EP release.

The five songs on DARE TO LIVE were produced by Nashville music veteran Brian White. Recorded in Nashville, DARE TO LIVE boasts the talents of many well-known songwriters from the Music City community: “Dare To Live”(Brian White, Karyn Williams, Steve Dean) “Not Your Cinderella,”(Steve Bogard, Brett Beavers, Katherine Britt) “Mississippi‘s Crying,” (Stephony Smith, Shelly Fairchild) “Boy To Blame” (Phil Barton, Emily Shackleton, Sinead Burgess, Lindsay Rimes) and “Sidelines” (Dani Carroll, Payton Rae).

When working with White on DARE TO LIVE, songs were a very important part of the process for Payton Rae. "Ever since I was really little it has always been about country music for me," said the artist. "Country songs tell a story, and there's so much thought that goes into the lyrics...I wanted my songs to really mean something to me."

The “Dare To Live” video was filmed both in Texas and in Nashville, with Payton Rae’s fans flying in from all over the country to be part of the performance scene, shot at one of Music City’s more famous performance venues, the Bluebird.

It all started for Payton Rae with her first public performance, singing the national anthem for the Houston Comets women's basketball team when she was just four years old. After that, the young artist just kept performing, at any opportunity. Inspired by the Internet-aided launch of teen stars like Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift and armed with a microphone and a digital video camera, Payton Rae went to work, posting videos and monitoring the astonishing response. Her YouTube tributes to some of her favorite artists – including everyone from Carrie Underwood to Taylor Swift to newcomers like The Band Perry – have become viral hits in themselves, igniting Payton's singing career and making that all-important fan connection with no prior management or label help.

Payton Rae, a SESAC artist, is managed by Lord Entertainment. DARE TO LIVE will be available at iTunes and at www.paytonraemusic.com.