During numerous coffeehouses throughout the year, sophomore Jessie Moran has not failed to wow the crowd with her original songs.
Moran has been singing for her whole life but began to write her own songs at age thirteen, when she suffered a severe concussion. With all her activities restricted by concussion protocols, she turned to music to fill her time.
Shortly thereafter, Moran and her parents travelled to Hawaii for spring break, but she could only participate in a few activities. To cheer her up, Moran’s parents bought her a ukulele, which she quickly taught herself to play. With this newfound skill, Moran began writing her own songs. From there, she taught herself guitar and piano chords to pair with her lyrics.
“I’m self-taught in every instrument, and I love figuring out how to play them on my own,” Moran said.
When Moran writes a new song, she normally bases her lyrics off fabricated ideas, but she has also found songwriting as a great way to process her emotions. Songs might take Moran weeks to write, while other times it just takes her a day.
“Sometimes songwriting is really easy, and lyrics just flow out of me. Other times, I’ll sit down for hours and only come up with one good sentence before I’m burnt out for the day,” Moran said. “On a day that I feel more creative and when I have more energy, I will come back to the song and finish it.”
An inspiration for Moran is her previous “Big Sis” Sydney Hoyl ‘23. Hoyl currently attends New York University and is actively pursuing her own music career. She will move to Nashville for the summer to continue writing, recording and performing her debut album “17 Young and Stunning” and a new project she has coming.
“Sydney gave me a lot of confidence to be able to go up on stage and perform in front of people that I don’t know,” Moran said. “It is so inspiring that she is able to get her music into the world, and I hope to do the same thing.”
Although their styles of music differ, Hoyl and Moran both began writing music in their bedrooms. They share an immense love for music and the joy it can spread.
“Jessie is so talented, and I love cheering her on as her Big Sis,” Hoyl said. “Hockaday is such a special place because it fosters a supportive environment for all of us to explore our creative sides. I encourage Jessie to take advantage of that as she continues to write and sing from her heart.”
Apart from preforming at coffeehouses, Moran also sings soprano in the Hockaday choir and takes voice lessons.
“Jessie is a leader in her section in choir and sings the floaty high notes with excellence,” choir teacher Abi Poe said.
Continuing to pursue her passion, Moran plans to attend Interlochen Camp for the Arts in Michigan this summer to study in the singing and songwriting program while also improving her guitar skills.
“Interlochen is one of the top music programs that you can go to in the summer,” Poe said. “I hope Jessie discovers the talent that is outside of Hockaday and is able to draw from new experiences. I also hope that she has fun with new people who are as dedicated as her to the thing that she loves the most.”
Before she graduates, Moran hopes to record some of her songs and release them on Spotify and other musical platforms.
“I feel like I finally have enough material that is polished and performed enough to record and produce a set,” Moran said. “My music is an extension of myself, and I can’t wait to share my passion with the world.”
