Piano
Music runs deep in my family. My father is an accomplished guitarist, and my maternal grandmother played piano throughout her life. Her father, too, was a pianist in a traveling band, and she was the one who first introduced me to the piano, teaching me simple songs like “Chopsticks” when I was very young. I began formal lessons at six and progressed quickly—by nine, I was studying with advanced teachers and playing pieces like Moonlight Sonata and Für Elise.
In high school, I performed with the jazz and pep bands, accompanied the school chorus, and was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy for Music in Worcester, selected from over 600 applicants. I’ve always gravitated toward classical music—especially Beethoven and Mozart—as well as Tori Amos. I also love reimagining pop and rock songs as emotional piano ballads.
I started composing around age eight; my first piece was a BOP called Raindrops on the Rooftop. In high school, I began writing songs with lyrics, and it still feels like an act of bravery to share them. I’ve taken vocal lessons, but singing has never come as naturally to me as playing. My songwriting style is probably best described as confessional: personal, vulnerable, and occasionally sarcastic. I tend to write when I’m processing something emotionally, so while my music often leans into melancholy, that’s not always reflective of who I am outside of it.
