Country singer Jana Kramer is no stranger to the bright lights. Before pursuing country music, she played the character of Alex Dupre, described in her biography as a “firecracker actress” on CW’s “One Tree Hill.”

Kramer made her acting debut in 2002 in a low-budget, independent horror film, “Dead/Undead.” The next year she appeared in “All My Children,” which is credited as her television debut. She would later go on to appear in “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Private Practice,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and had a recurring role on the television series “Friday Night Lights” before landing a regular role in “One Tree Hill.”

Kramer grew up in Michigan and has always been a fan of country music. According to her website, one of her favorite memories was when she would bake with her grandmother while listening to Patsy Cline.

It was in 2010 when Kramer burst onto the country music scene with her hit single “Why Ya Wanna.” According to the article “Whiskey Girl” by Jon Freeman in Country Weekly Magazine, “Why Ya Wanna” broke the Mediabase record for most adds by a solo female artist.

In the article, Kramer said it’s not an easy battle being a female in country music, but it’s exciting to be part of it.

She was quoted in the article as saying, “It’s definitely tough. When you look at the charts, it’s definitely more male-driven. The last record was six years ago by Taylor Swift, the ‘Tim McGraw’ song. That’s sad for a female that nothing has broken since then. So the fact that we did is fantastic. Things are kind of changing and there’s a new wave. We’re getting more females coming in, and that’s cool. It’s good for the format.”

Since releasing “Why Ya Wanna,” Kramer has been busy touring with Brad Paisley’s 2012 tour, preparing for Blake Shelton’s “Ten Times Crazier” tour with Easton Corbin — who also is performing at Veishea — and has recently enjoyed some time in the spotlight with her engagement to fellow country star Brantley Gilbert.

Kramer and Gilbert dated for approximately eight months before making their relationship public. In their time together, the couple has been sharing a house that Kramer owns and got engaged on January 20, 2013, also Gilbert’s birthday. Gilbert popped the question, according to Country Weekly, by “renting out Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium as a surprise.” Kramer said Gilbert decided to surprise her there because the couple said if it were not for country music, the two never would have met.

Kramer currently has a single out called “Whiskey,” and recently won an award for Top New Female Artist and was nominated for Top New Artist, both of which were for the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Kramer will be performing April 19, 2013, at Live @ Veishea.