The vision to one day produce music is shared by many young adults who have developed a passion for it, but the determination to make this a reality sets true musicians apart from the rest.

About two years ago, sophomore Katie Barack decided to centralize her energy into creating her own songs with lyrics, guitar and electronic sounds. Since then, the singer-songwriter has composed 25 original pieces, and has joined South’s Premier Choir.

According to Barack, her motivation to play has formed her unique identity as a musician.

“I’ve just had to make this about being an outlet for myself,” Barack said. “The minute that I start making it for other people more than myself, I’ll blend in with everybody else and fade into everything else.”

The first song that Barack ever wrote, was entitled “The Girl Who Thought Tears Were Rain”. According to Barack, the piece was about the fear of becoming less innocent over the course of growing up. The song represented a sense of growth for her that came from persevering through a rough period.

“It felt spiritually like it was meant to be written,” Barack said. “Whenever I play it, this song just makes me feel a little bit stronger. Everyone has their battles, and I’ve always tried not to use mine as an excuse. […] I’m just very proud of myself for being able to put that down.”

Barack explained that music has allowed her to create an overall philosophy that explores the healthiest way to manage emotion.

“The lyrics stay with me,” Barack said. “I wouldn’t have written it if I didn’t feel it, but I also wouldn’t write it if I knew I’d just be letting them go. […] It’s important to hold onto your emotions, not necessarily bottle them up, but just to stay true to them.”

Barack has found success in her career with this mentality. She has a regular gig at a cafe in Evanston called C.J. Arthur’s, and has also performed at many South events, including Hip Hop Coffee House and Spring Fling.

In between shows, Barack spends her time recording at Woodside Avenue Music Production Studio with manager Steve Rashid in Evanston. According to Barack, the work that she does in the recording studio has forced her to venture beyond her familiar boundaries.

“Katie is very young, so the whole process is one of discovery,” Rashid explained. “If you begin with a good song, it can be produced in many different ways. There are so many decisions to make […] so it can be a very complicated process. […] It’s like anything else in life–– if you learn a little bit, you start to learn pretty quickly that there’s so much you don’t know.”

Barack explained the biggest challenge she has faced in her musical career has been establishing a sense of true confidence in herself. To tackle this problem, Barack’s father recommended that she sell her songs on iTunes.

“I’ve never even looked to see if anyone bought it,” Barack said. “The idea of knowing that I was comfortable enough to leave it up shows that I’m taking some steps.”

She explained how this attitude has expanded into her daily life, having a positive effect on her overall well being.

“When I’m done playing the music, feeling comfortable with it has made me a confident person,” Barack said. “With the upperclassmen and teachers at South, you can see how confident a lot of them are and it makes me want to be more like that. The more time I spend at this school and do music, the more it makes me want to better myself.”

As a young musician, Barack recognizes that her musical aspirations of making it to the big stage are hard to make a reality, but she emphasizes that she’d do anything to reach the spotlight.

“The feeling of being on stage in front of people and having confidence is indescribable,” Barack said. “When I imagine myself older doing this, it makes me want to cry sometimes. To me, it really does feel a little bit unrealistic, but I want it more than anything.”