Ever since she picked up her first guitar, junior Emily Kern aspired to show the world her talent.  To get one step closer to her dreams, she is preparing to release an EP in January.

Singing and playing guitar have been Kern’s hobbies since she was eight years old. Every day, she practices the strings on her guitar and her vocalization. She also has private lessons with an instructor once a week.

“My voice has strengthened, and I can hit a lot of notes that I couldn’t before. My guitar skills have gotten better over the past years,” Kern said.

Pop Riot, a small developing label, discovered Kern through her music instructor and saw that she had the talent that could lead her to fame. Kern signed a development deal with them, and soon they will publicize her music in her upcoming EP. It will consist of three songs.

Additionally, Kern writes the lyrics to her songs and practices the music with her voice teacher. “The hardest part is probably having the lyrics and fitting them into a song. It has to be even,” Kern said.

Kern strives to produce music that will not be forgotten. Her main inspiration is country music star Taylor Swift. “When I was younger I wanted to be a lot like her,” Kern said. She has sung multiple covers of Swift’s songs, such as “Safe and Sound”.

Along with playing the same genre of music as Swift, Kern primarily plays acoustic pop. She tries to stay away from everyday styles and to express herself uniquely through her music.

“I want my music to be something fresh and not something you hear too often,” Kern said.

Through finding her way in the musical world, she has also been able to find her voice as an individual. Kern has performed at several recitals and will be playing at Broom’s Bloom Dairy in Bel Air on Friday, Oct. 25.

Through singing, Emily Kern is able to connect with people and is given a chance to tell her story. Kern said that “I am more open when I do my music.”

Erica Kelble is a Multimedia Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.