Billings, Montana might be more than 1,600 miles from Nashville, Tennessee, but country singer Patricia Ryan has always held close to her heart the music that made Music City famous.

“There’s always a country song to fit my mood or day,” Ryan says. “I think that’s why people love country music so much, because they can identify with it.”

The 23-year-old began her country music career much the same way a lot of Nashville’s finest have, doggedly playing festivals and jamborees on the regional county fair circuit with her band Yellowstone. In the last couple of years, however, that determination has begun to pay off, with Ryan receiving invitations to play overseas at several high-profile festivals.

In 2006, she was invited on the heels of her Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs performance to play a series of 20 shows during the International Music Festival in Shanghai, China. Later that same year, Ryan was invited to perform a sold-out night at the 22nd annual Country Night Festival in Bern, Switzerland. Along the way, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed singer has shared the stage with veteran acts like Asleep at the Wheel, Charley Pride, Lee Ann Womack and The Oak Ridge Boys.

But in addition to maintaining a performance schedule of nearly 100 shows a year, Ryan also managed to record and self-release her latest effort, 2008’s This Girl.

“That album was a lot of fun, because we found material that is really starting to fit me more as a person, which of course makes it more gratifying to perform,” she says. “I’m constantly looking for songs now that suit me and my style of singing a little bit better.”

Still, Ryan knows the road to stardom is anything but predictable, which is why the senior at Rocky Mountain College will graduate this year with a degree in Professional Communication. Her father, Gary, owns a successful booking agency and Ryan acknowledges that it’s wise to learn the business side of entertainment, too.

“Having been around the music industry all my life, I realize that it definitely takes a lot of patience to make it as a performer,” she concedes.  “I think it's beneficial for me because I can see both sides of the spectrum, from booking the show to actually playing it. There’s risk involved for each side.”

As equally impressive as her musical talent and entertainment smarts is Ryan’s passion for charity work. She has performed benefit concerts for a number of worthy causes, including D.A.R.E., Special K Ranch, V.A. Volunteers and repeat performances for USO Gala events in Norfolk, Virginia.

It all goes to prove that Patricia Ryan is more than just another pretty face.