The Beginning
I was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, close enough to the city for the arts to have always been an instrumental part of my life. My parents are avid music lovers, and we practically lived at park district bandshells and festivals during the summer months. I've been singing since before I could talk and am blessed with a supportive family that sought out countless outlets for me to nurture this gift over the years. That leads to the first major part of my story ... musical theatre!
Musical Theatre
I started musical theatre when I was five years old as Amaryllis in The Music Man. I've played a range of characters over the years, from Cruella De Ville (1o1 Dalmatians, Kids) to Dorothy Gale (The Wizard of Oz) to Pumbaa (The Lion King). For me, the fun of musical theatre was rooted in a natural love of onstage performance. Embodying many different characters over the years developed my desire to tell meaningful stories on the stage, something I knew I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
Rock 'N' Roll!
When I was ten years old, I began taking guitar and piano lessons at a local music school in the hopes of accompanying myself while singing. I sang and played at the end of one of my first lessons and was immediately pulled into the school's showcase circuit, singing everything from "The Thrill is Gone" to "Saturday in the Park" to "Killer Queen." Yes, it was as epic as it sounds.
In 2016, the now-owner assembled a group of us in a band to play some open mics for the summer. That group became professional pop/rock cover band "Six On Friday." For nearly a decade, we played bars, festivals, restaurants, and private events all over Chicagoland and quickly became the premier teen cover band. As the lead singer and a founding member, I had the privilege of making songs I heard on the radio our own and using them to connect with thousands of people each year through our shows. There is almost nothing in this world I hold more dear to my heart than "Six On Friday" and its members.
Pandemic Solace
Artists worldwide were impacted by the pandemic. "Six On Friday" was no exception. We had a 20+ gig schedule booked that summer when the universal directive to "stay home" took effect. We held a few jam sessions via Zoom and distanced in backyards, but it wasn't enough; I was without my creative outlet, the thing that brought me the most unbridled joy. It was during this time that I took to songwriting as a solace, attempting for the first time to speak what was on my heart through music rather than through another songwriter's words as a cover artist. In August 2020, newly sixteen (but without a driver's license - thanks, pandemic!), I wrote my first song, "You'll Find Out."
Nashville Adventure
The months to follow were a beautiful, crazy, snowball effect period in my life. I began to virtually connect with industry professionals and share my original compositions for feedback. Many of these songs were in extremely rough stages, with a live vocal and piano or guitar accompaniment on my iPhone's Voice Memos. (They're really fun to listen back to now!) Fortunately, I found an incredible group of people in Nashville who shared my artistic vision. In fact, they not only saw potential in my original songs, but they also encouraged me to record and release them for the world to hear.
Taking a leap of faith, my family and I traveled to Nashville in March 2021 to record and produce my first EP on a spring break trip I'll never forget. While this professional experience granted me invaluable knowledge in the recording space, I recognized that there was so much about music and the industry left for me to learn. Inspired by this, I titled my first EP, "So Much to Know."
Luck of the Irish
Speaking of learning, have I mentioned that I've spent the past three years in South Bend, IN at the University of Notre Dame? :) Go Irish! I am studying Marketing and Film, Television and Theatre - my "DIY Entertainment Business major" - with a minor in Musical Theatre. With one more year on the horizon, I am confident that my college experience has informed and gifted me more than I could have ever anticipated. My experiences in the arts at Notre Dame have been particularly life-changing, and I hope to someday give back to the Irish community that has given me so much.
The Present
That leaves us here! I'm grateful beyond measure for every part of my journey, and I am so excited to continue growing in my artistry. Whether you read through one or all of these boxes, I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit more about my story and will continue to follow along as my music grows with me.