It’s hard enough to balance the workload that comes along with being a high school senior, without the added task of attending music festivals, participating in national competitions, and working to produce your very own album. Senior Rachel Villalona has been singing since age eleven, when she recorded a Christmas album that helped fuel her passion for music and songwriting. “I love listening to music, and I just feel like I can get things across better by singing,” said Villalona. She’s recorded in several studios and is currently working on an album which she hopes to have finished by the end of the school year.
Growing up as a child who loves to sing is not atypical, but Villalona couldn’t take her dreams seriously until she entered middle school and didn’t feel as nervous about performing in public. Presently, she’s appeared at festivals in Georgia, performed the National Anthem at sporting events, and even auditioned for The X-Factor. “It’s very competitive,” said Villalona, when describing her experience in Colorado, auditioning for the reality television program. “I made it to the second round; what you see on TV is actually round four or five.” She hopes to audition for American Idol and America’s Got Talent in the future.
Villalona finds content for her music in everyday life, writing mostly from experience. Her songs can best be described as futuristic pop/R&B; a blend of synthetic drum beats and voice harmonizations. She finds inspiration in Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown, and Tori Kelly, though she suggests her sound is different from the pop stars’. “I don’t like to copy other people,” Villalona said, “but some of my music has a similar sound.” She also sings in Spanish and has performed at a few Hispanic festivals in Georgia.
Though some might not regard it as tiresome as other school activities, Villalona describes her hobby as time-consuming and lengthy in process. “People think that singing isn’t tiring, but it’s almost like a sport,” said the singer-songwriter. “Singing for eight hours straight is very, very tiring, and it does take a lot of time. You have to take breaks, make sure your throat’s okay, do a lot of warm-ups, drink a lot of water and hot tea…” It also requires some time off from school to make it to certain events, and time spent recording in studios away from home.
It seems that with so much effort put into this hobby, her primary goal would be to get into a music school, perform live and be on her way towards fame, but Villalona has her sights set on more humble desires. “I actually want to be a doctor,” said Villalona. She hopes to attend the University of South Florida next fall.
For rising artists with ambitions as large as hers, Villalona can only suggest one thing: “Practice. My range is way broader than it was before. Sometimes with school and work [you can’t] focus, but if you really want [it] then practice and be dedicated.”
Nataly Capote/A&E Editor
