Taylor never took singing lessons; her grandmother acted as her vocal coach. she auditioned for the popular singing competition,
American Idol during that show's
fifth season and reached the Top 44 before eventually being eliminated. Before auditioning for
The Real World and eventually being cast in its 20th anniversary season, Taylor was an
exotic dancer for two years at Double Visions in
Horsham Township, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. While living in Philadelphia, Taylor maintained a volatile relationship with an ex-boyfriend, and at one point, a violent argument resulted in Taylor's arrest and eventual guilty plea to a reduced charge of
harassment. During the show, Brianna develops a mutual attraction for fellow roommate Joey Kovar, but is later disturbed by how he behaves while intoxicated. She also returns to Philadelphia with roommate Will Gilbert to resolve her legal troubles during that season, and is picked up to record several songs of her own, as well as perform live with
Alex Band, formerly of the band
The Calling. In the show, she is also offered a song by Matthew Bair of the powerpop band Bandcamp. Taylor's debut self-titled
EP,
Brianna Taylor, was co-produced by
Tomas Costanza, of the band
Diffuser, and Matthew Bair, who is now a guitarist with
Eve 6. The first single, "Summertime," was released in 2008. Taylor returned to
MTV in order to participate in the eighteenth season of the show's long-running
The Real World/Road Rules Challenge, which premiered on September 30, 2009. She was in the challenger's team and was eliminated in the third episode. On October 13, 2009, Taylor released her first full-length debut album,
Fireworks at the Fairground via Chamberlain Records, featuring her new single
Criminal. ==Television work==