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Ayla Brown courts success in Philly
By Dan O’Brien
Saturday, January 21, 2012 - Updated 5 hours ago

Ayla Brown is changing her tune from pop to country music, but not her support for her dad, U.S. Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.).

The former “American Idol” contestant sang the national anthem at her father’s official campaign kick-off Thursday in Worcester and tells the Herald she wants to help in his re-election bid against Democrat Elizabeth Warren.

“It’s a tough race, from what I hear,” Brown said. “I love him so much. I’ll want to help him out as much as I can.”

However, the 23-year-old Wrentham native says her top priority is her music career and new job, singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at every Philadelphia 76ers [team stats] home game this season, which she calls, “the most prestigious honor any singer could have.”

She’s not abandoning her love for the Boston Celtics [team stats], for whom she’s sung in the past, saying, “I have respect for both teams. I truly love basketball. ... But this is my job.

“You only have a certain amount of time to do it,” said Brown, who, despite making headway in her post-Idol career — once opening for Darius Rucker and currently working with former Reba McEntire guitarist Jeff King — calls music, “a failing -industry.”

Brown, who lives in Nashville, Tenn., and flies to Philly for games, hustles despite her recognizable name, selling her new self-titled CD after 76ers games.

“I stand in a dress near the door, freezing, and I’m hoping people will walk by and at least look at the table,” she said. “You have to pay your dues, even if you were on ‘American Idol.’ ”

Brown will spread her hard-working -message to up-and-coming Boston musicians today, when she appears as a guest speaker at the Boston Center for Adult Education’s inaugural music symposium. The event is from noon to 4 p.m., and tickets can be purchased at the door for $55.

“Take every gig no matter what,” Brown said she’ll tell students. “You’ll really appreciate those bigger gigs you get later.”