Senior Marlo Leik has released two songs and is working on completing her first album, a journey that she began when she started songwriting at 12 years old.

Marlo’s dad first inspired her to start writing music. “My dad would always tell me that the only way you’re gonna be successful as a musician is if you write your own music,” she said. “So I sat at the piano, and the first song I ever wrote was called ‘Sunset.’ It was the most generic, Disney Channel-sounding lyrics.”

Marlo stepped outside of her comfort zone with her second song, “Master Plan,” which she wrote shortly after “Fall Again” was finished. “Initially, I mostly did piano ballads,” she said. But this time, she tried something in minor key with a completely different sound than “Fall Again.” The change in her style is reflected through the change from piano to electric guitar. “Going into the studio with that song, [my producers and I] just took a completely different spin on it,” she said. “It had so many more layers than ‘Fall Again’ ever had.”

Marlo’s stylistic choices were intentional and created a sense of progression from “Fall Again” to “Master Plan.” However, songwriting can be time-consuming and full of trial and error. “I’ll sit at my piano, and I’m not a great piano player, but I know basic chords, so I’ll start with that and find a chord progression that sounds good,” Marlo said.

For the next step, she likes to be alone. “I literally just start speaking in gibberish over the chords that I’m playing and see where my voice goes,” she said. “Then I’ll try and put lyrics to it matching up to the rhythm.” However, writing the song is only the first part of the process, and releasing it can be just as complicated.

Marlo attended two songwriting camps, one at the University of Miami and another at UCLA. These have both been helpful resources for writing her album. “When you’re there, you have so many networking opportunities, and there are people there who have been in the industry for so long,” Marlo said. “You can learn a lot from them.”

She uses the insight from these mentors, such as the waterfall method, to help her songs stand out in a competitive industry full of artists. “I’ve always wanted to release music since the day I first wrote ‘Sunset,’ but my parents are lawyers and publishing managers,” she said. “They didn’t know how to go about releasing a song.”

Though Marlo received a lot of support through writing her songs, it has been challenging to keep up with her music as a high school student. Balancing the college application process while jumpstarting the rest of her album will be difficult, but she plans to work on releasing more songs with the waterfall method after December, once applications are in. “What I’m trying to do now is just write as much as I possibly can,” she said.

Upper School Chorus teacher Phillip Brownlee got to see Marlo’s growth as a musician during her time in high school. Last year especially, Mr. Brownlee really noticed progression in Marlo as a singer and songwriter. “She was reflective about her songwriting process and began to dive deeper into why she was making certain musical decisions,” Mr. Brownlee said. “I saw her grow into really embracing her specific voice and style. That was exciting to see.”

As a member of the high school band, sophomore Sofy Munive shared how Marlo has motivated her passion for music. “Many people don’t realize the amount of dedication and vulnerability it takes to share songs with the world,” she said. “It’s inspiring to see that there are still people who appreciate the art of songwriting and music in general.”