Katie Clay is a freshman Human Service major at Mercer this year. While she is very involved around campus at Mercer, Clay is also getting involved artistically. She has recently joined the Mercer Singers and Mercer Players. Clay sat down with The Cluster to share about her music and interests. As a new member of the Mercer Players, she is excited about expressing her thespian interests with her involvement in upcoming productions. Before coming to Mercer, one of her favorite stage memories was her experience as Princess Winnifred in “Once Upon a Mattress.” In the second act of the play Clay had to belt out a huge musical number.
“At that moment, all eyes were on me and I had to give it everything that I had while I was singing. This was my favorite musical memory because it was a restoration of faith in my ability where I had to prove my talents to the audience,” said Clay.
She is not only an accomplished actor and singer, but also a multi-talented musician as her other hobbies include playing guitar and ukulele. Her interest in guitar began in 6th grade and she developed a love for singing when she was even younger. The songs she sings vary from self-compositions to songs written by other artists. Clay’s inspiration for songwriting was ignited while going through a tough breakup. “Writing songs about it really helped me express how I felt. Writing my own music was almost like a music therapy, and I have been writing songs ever since then,” said Clay.
She went on to explain her process for music writing.
“When I write songs, I write lyrics first because the lyrics are the story of the song. I usually write about whatever I’m feeling at the time and whatever comes to mind. After I write my lyrics, I pick the tune to help convey the emotion that I feel at the time,” said Clay. She added that she enjoys writing her own music because it is a “release of emotions.”
“I want the people that listen to my music to experience the emotions that I felt when I was writing the song. I try to make my music relatable, because if it isn’t relatable then the person listening feels no connection to the song,” Clay said.
Her musical involvement on campus includes singing as an alto in Mercer Singers.
“I was in the top choirs of my high school and I really connect with classical music because I feel that it evokes a deep feeling that some music does not reach. The harmonies that we sing are so powerful and touching. I also love the people in it because they want to make beautiful music just as much as I do, so I am really glad that I get to be a part of it.”
