How did you get started in music?
I’ve always been very interested in singing, but the way I got started playing instruments was when I was living in New York City for acting, my brother and I decided that we wanted to perform on the street. We found a great spot in Central Park and I sang my little heart out, but I didn’t make much money. My brother played his violin for about five minutes and earned $20. At that moment I decided that I needed to buy an instrument, so we went to a store and I picked out a cute little ukulele that was just perfect for me. I graduated to a guitar but I still love my ukulele.
Where do you get your lyrical inspiration?
A lot of my lyrics just come from my everyday life and experiences I’ve been having. It’s funny because often I’ll be just doing things in my everyday life and I’ll think of a chorus or something and I’m like that’s good so I do an audio recording of it.
Describe a time you felt most proud of your music.
I feel very proud of my newest song (“Songbird”) because I’m really taking a step into the more professional music world and putting my music on all streaming platforms. We got it professionally produced by Jesse Owen Astin, which was really incredible. He is very talented and has worked with some other amazing artists so it really brought my song to life.
Describe a time that music helped you heal.
Music always helps me heal I think. It is my go-to whenever I’m feeling sad, angry, upset, and even happy. Music is a giant part of my life because I think it expresses emotion not only through words but also through the instruments, tone, melodies, and more. One of the main times I can remember music helping me heal was when I was going through a very, very tough breakup. It seemed the main thing that put me at peace was playing my guitar and singing in my room.
How do you manage making music with your school schedule?
It is very difficult managing my schedule, not only because of music but also because I am a professional actress, cheerleader, thespian (theatre kid), of course songwriter, and more. The way I do it is by keeping a planner. Having a planner is definitely the best choice I ever made. I am not the most organized so I thought it might be tough to start, but I have really benefited a lot from it.
What advice do you have for other teens seeking a music career?
Keep at it! If you are really passionate about something, magic will happen! Also, you must enjoy the process. The work is really rigorous and if you get to make it in the music industry, touring and producing albums is even more rigorous, so you must enjoy doing the work for it!
VOX ATL invites teens to share their art and partners with nonprofits to spotlight young artists in ATL. Send your answers, links to your art and a JPG photo to editor@voxatl.org to be profiled in our new Meet the Artist series. Notes for Notes is a VOX ATL community partner that provides youth with free access to music instruments, instruction and recording studio environments.
