Hayley Fahey, junior and singer-songwriter, has been making music since she was 3 years old.

“It’s part of my life,” she said, and more than just a hobby.

Her passion serves her well. Fahey auditioned and advanced through the first round of popular reality television show The Voice in Philadelphia during winter break. She isn’t signed to a record label, but her appearance on the show has garnered the attention of more than 1,000 followers on SoundCloud and a producer from The Voice.

A well-seasoned musician, Fahey is developing her own unique style, which she refers to as “an indie-pop-country fusion.” She has five original songs on her SoundCloud account, including “Lucky,” a touching ballad and Fahey’s favorite creation.

“It’s a song about not taking for granted the things that we have — the blessings that we have in our life — and when things in the world seem to be going badly, trying to remember that we are very lucky,” she said.

The journalism major started out playing the piano, as do many children — but for Fahey, making music wasn’t something forced on her by parents. She perpetuated her own love affair by first singing in chorus and elementary school musicals and then taking voice lessons. Along the way, she learned to play the guitar and the ukulele — instruments she still plays today.

As Fahey’s dedication to her craft grew, another talent blossomed: songwriting.

“I wrote my first song when I was 10, and I just kept going from there,” she said. “I’ve always loved writing … other things too, but songwriting is a passion.”

Besides performances at the weekly Stamp Friday Showcase  concerts on campus, Fahey also brought her soulful strains to Derwoodstock, an annual music festival in Derwood, her hometown. 

During the festival, she served as a “tweener,” a musician playing between two main acts — a daunting task that requires engaging an audience that is anxiously awaiting another band, but also concentrating on the performance while the next act sets up onstage.

“I know solid pros that would have a tough time with that,” John Trupp, Derwoodstock’s producer, said. “Not Hayley. She won over the crowd with her fantastic voice, engaging stage presence and well-crafted songs.”

Hayley Fahey

Trupp also lives in Derwood and has observed Fahey at close range as she develops her skill.

“As Duke Ellington so eloquently put it, ‘There are two kinds of music: good music and the other kind,’” Trupp said. “I would describe Hayley’s as very, very good music. I don’t like to prognosticate on people’s future, but I believe that Hayley is driven to succeed, and that will mainly determine her success in this crazy business.”

In addition to her singer-songwriter status, Fahey is a full-time student. She balances the two by teaching voice lessons on the weekends and performing with PandemoniUM, a university a cappella group.

While her goal for the summer is to get a few songs released, she is open-minded regarding the future.

“I definitely want to focus on songwriting and my love of music,” she said. “But even if it doesn’t go somewhere, I just want to share it with others.”