Olivia Carofano, Features Editor
@OCarofano32144
As you grow up, you gradually learn new things and take risks to find what brings you happiness and have a passion for. With this being said, everyone has their own thing that makes them unique and pushes them to be the best version of themselves; whether that be playing a sport, producing art work or in this case creating music. Senior Celina Savage, a stand out musician, found her passion in creating music that is accessible to everyone.
From a young age, Celina was introduced to music simply as her parents wished but this slowly developed into a passion. “I started playing guitar when I was 6 years old because my parents really wanted me and my siblings to all at least try a sport and an instrument. I was the only one who really stuck with music,” she said. Practicing was a chore and I thought that the rules were pointless and confining. When I was in 4th grade, I performed the song Riptide by Vance Joy at a talent show as my first performance.”
In terms of Celina’s exposure to singing in front of an audience, her first performance at her 4th grade talent show is what really sparked her passion. “I fell in love with how comfortable it was for me to be on stage and how I felt alone in my music despite a whole audience watching me. My parents are the backbone of all my love for music, truly and I wouldn’t have wanted to learn all the rules of music so I could break them effectively if they hadn’t pushed me to stick with it,” she said.
Currently, the singer-songwriter is still obsessed with creating music and often gets inspiration from other artists, or just trying melodies that she thinks will work. “Sometimes, I dedicate time to sit on my bedroom floor, play around with some chords, and try to find a melody that works. Other times, I’ll collect pieces of a song throughout the day. Maybe I overheard someone say something I thought to be profound, funny or relatable. I write everything down in my notes app on my phone. I’m mostly inspired by a lot of Noah Kahan, Hozier, Nep, Finneas, and Billie Eilish,” she said.
While it might seem like creating music is a simple task, there are multiple issues Celina has to work through to produce a track that she is proud of. “The recording process is usually the most difficult for the perfectionist in me, that’s why I think I can never be in charge of my own mixing and mastering. Additionally, working with a producer means sometimes ideas and sounds can get lost in translation and it can take time to get a song just right with the proper instruments and feeling,” she said.
Although Celina is dedicated and has a passion for producing music, she is also a senior in high school, juggling the anxiety of college applications and decisions. “For the most part I really try to dedicate my time to both things as much as I can,” she said. Sometimes I do have to push back practicing and writing when I have a large amount of schoolwork but I try to make up for it, not because I have to but because music is what I enjoy the most! Last month, I had two performances and a college music audition all in the same weekend!,” she said.
As well as creating music and balancing her school work, Celina takes advantage of various media platforms like Apple Music and Spotify to further promote her songs and generate listeners. “Although performing my music live is what I greatly prefer, streaming services are really important for the reachability of different audiences that can’t come to your shows or even want to hear more in-between performances. It’s really helpful in creating a portfolio that I can showcase, showing what I’m capable of and getting people excited to see more,” she said.
With this being said, she hopes to continue uploading her music more frequently throughout the end of this year and in the new year. “I am hoping 2025 will really be my year to release a bunch of music. So far, I’ve released four songs since July and I’m really proud of them,” she said. Ideally, when I release music, I give each song their own moment for a couple of months before I think about my next ones. I think it’s only fair to them.”
Highlighting her love for performing in front of an audience, Celina has had the privilege of organizing, booking gigs and venues with the help of her family and friends to publicize the songs that she spends time creating. “I thankfully get a lot of help organizing gigs from family-friends and my parents. For example, my parents helped me secure two performances at the Hey Stamford Food Festival over the summer and I got to open for 50 Cent,” she said.
These performances are major accomplishments that she cherishes and has been recognized for. I’ve been recognized by notable people in the local music scene and invited to perform at various other events, such as the Stand Together Against Racism art ceremony and the Waveny Arts Fest, both at the Carriage Barn,” she said. My favorite venue to perform at so far is called Humbled Coffeehouse in Stamford. For the performances, it’s been a free entry event with food and drinks where people can come hang out and let me sing for them.”
It is evident that Celina has a passion and talent for creating music that is admired by many. “I’m my happiest when I’m sharing my art with those I care about the most,” she said.
