“I got the chorus for this song immediately after seeing a guy, with whom I was involved with, with his arm wrapped around another girl in a Starbucks.” — Liddy Clark’s “Led Myself On”
Plano, Texas native. Grew up in Parkland, Florida. Inspired by artistic family members, including your cousin Drew Womack, who co-wrote Kenny Chesney’s first number one, “She’s Got It All,” with Craig Wiseman. Began modeling and performing in musical-theater productions … until you turned 12. How did writing your first song change your career path?
Writing my first song really let me figure out that I loved songwriting and wanted to personalize my music. Musical theater is still one of my favorite things, however, I feel like I get more creative freedom with creating my own material and still perform live.
Cover of Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song” (2015 Cover Collection) is so good! What’s involved in making a cover song your own?
Thank you so much! I love covering songs that make me feel really strong emotions, and this is definitely one of those tracks. I try to keep the instrumentation as low key as possible so my voice can show more stylizations not based around what you hear in the original track. There are actually a lot of TikToks with my version of this song.
“queen of run-on sentences, tequila shots, & overusing exclamation points !!!” Three summers attending Berklee College of Music Summer Programs. Fronting your own band at 15. Earning praise from Garth Brooks after a performance at the 2017 iHeart Country Music Summit. Which artists have had the most influence on the music you create?
Some of the artists who’ve influenced me most have been John Mayer, Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Garth Brooks. I actually ran into Garth backstage in the Green Room at a show once (in Nashville at the Country Music Hall of Fame) and he was super supportive of my music and such a nice guy! Introduced himself to all my band members, they were impressed, too.
“A lot of times you can feel very alone and like no one understands the struggles you’re going through but whenever I hear a song that describes exactly what I’m feeling, that connection makes it so much less painful.”
2018. Parkland. Wear Orange gun-violence awareness event after the tragic shooting at the high school, near your own family home. “Shot Down (Stand Up).” The song you wrote to inspire people and make them realize the weight of the issue. Balancing the emotional impact without making it a political song. How can music inspire social change?
I think music inspires personal change really easily, like hearing the right song at the right time can make you call your ex or send a text to your mom to let you know you’re thinking about her. I like to think that social change comes from a majority of people making a personal change in their lives, so the power of music is truly infinite.
“connection.” “Honestly I feel like it’s my own therapy session when I write a song, because I tend to bottle my emotions up. Being able to write a song about it and figure out what I’m feeling as I write it — and then use that to connect with others — that means everything to me.” The Recording Academy had you make a presentation to the President and Board regarding how they can connect with the Gen Z generation. What did you recommend?
Lots of social media lol! Connecting with the younger generation is simply about speaking truthfully and not talking down to us. Real and natural is key!
Taylor Guitar artist, “breezy west coast chill vibe grounded by earthy tones.” How did you choose the Taylor guitar you use?
I did a ton of research on guitars before I got my first really nice one, and I loved the way that the Taylor sounded when I played it in the store so I custom ordered one with Koa wood to match my hair :)
Based in Los Angeles, University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music graduate. The school is the oldest continually operating arts institution in the city. How has the school helped prepare you for the ever-changing music industry?
School had a lot of moving parts that allowed me to practice both time management and networking skills. Everyone there is so passionate about what they do that it really makes you want to be the best at your craft.
Charting three songs on the All-Access Chart at the same time — “Wrapped Up In Roses,” “If There Was No Traffic in L.A.,” and “We Both Know.” The latter has the stamp of approval from Taylor Swift’s co-writer Liz Rose and is closing in on 200K streams.
It was written when you were a college freshman, after you saw two friends have quite a flirtation going on. What was it like working remotely with producer Mark Siegel?
It was a great experience! I got to set up a home studio & really focus on it for the first few months of quarantine. It allowed me to record the music I wrote in the place where it was written (my room) & that was a super cool way to do it.
“… You’re no good at commitment and I’ve got no time to schedule you in so we hang out when we can & we make other plans in the meantime but I’m still thinking about you tonight …” The new single is “Led Myself On.” What was the songwriting process for this song?
I got the chorus for this song immediately after seeing a guy, with whom I was involved with, with his arm wrapped around another girl in a Starbucks. After that, I wrote the rest of the song that night after fully reflecting on everything I was feeling in that moment.
Fans could win merchandise when they pre-saved your latest release. You came out with new merch recently, including a “Wrapped Up In Roses” heavenly scented rose candle. What’s involved in deciding what merch will best represent you as an artist?
I like to make things that I would buy myself as a fan, so I put a lot of time and effort into making things really quality. I even picked out the rose fragrance in the candle with the candle maker.
Will there be new items to support the latest release?
Definitely! We’re working on some fun designs right now that will feature some ideas from this new song :)
Working on your full-album debut, taking an active role in its creation. “I don’t want my music to be constricted by a label or idea of what it’s supposed to sound like, I want it to become the most natural and uninfluenced version of the song it can be.” What topics can fans look forward to hearing addressed on this new collection?
This collection of songs reflects the different emotional stages I went through in college, from love to loss to finding oneself & ultimately making peace with all of the chaos in the end. I wrote a majority of these songs by myself and I’m extremely proud of how they turned out. I can’t wait for everyone to hear them!
Birthday fundraiser for Wags and Walks, a nonprofit dog rescue in Los Angeles, where you found your dog Harry. What are some other ways fans can get involved with the group?
Wags and Walks accepts donations of all kinds! There are also opportunities to foster dogs in the area and sign up to walk dogs during the week.
Another Harry. This one, Potter, at Universal Studios. What are some of your favorite ‘off the beaten path’ places for visitors to check out in the Los Angeles area?
I love hiking up in Malibu and spending time in the Venice Canals, which are absolutely stunning.
Playlists— which is your favorite (besides your own of course)?
I love the Pumped Pop playlist on Spotify! Really gets me going during my workouts.