Arlington High School sophomore and singer-songwriter Priya Vani has her sights set on a career in music much like her idol Freddie Mercury from Queen.
Her love of music has grown since her early childhood days, and continues to shows signs of success, like her recent recognition from the Arlington school district.
Vani is the most recent AHS student highlighted as part of Arlington Community Schools’ (ACS) new Arlington Jams music series.
“I love to perform for others and make them happy,” said Vani, 15, who began taking vocal lessons at age 4. Three years ago, she began writing music and then learned to play piano and guitar. “Once I learned those instruments, I (felt) like it made my vocal ability a lot better.”
She recorded her first single, “Stronger Now,” last year at Young Avenue Sound in Midtown. Over the past several years, she honed her current sound by getting feedback from music industry insiders.
“Working with people from Nashville like co-writers from different genres — country, rock, blues — was a blessing, and I started to get more opinions,” Vani said. “Once I had figured out the vibe and overall essence I wanted for the song, we recorded it.”
The single is available on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Soundcloud and more.
Last month the ACS district recorded a live version of the song in the AHS auditorium that debuted earlier this month as part of Arlington Jams.
“She has been a standout in the program since she started her ninth grade year,” AHS vocal music instructor Jeff Chipman said. He leads Vani in her A Major (a cappella choir) and Chorale classes. “She’s a very experienced performer and a really dedicated young lady. She asks for feedback all the time and is constantly in the mindset of getting better, getting better, getting better.”
He describes her prowess as a singer-songwriter and her confidence as remarkable, pointing out that she already performs sets at Lafayette’s Music Room and other places around town (Beale Street, the Delta Fair and more). She is also adept at marketing herself and her music.
“So she really understands the business a little more than you would think a 10th grader would,” Chipman said.
Vani’s interest in music even extends to the mastering and production side since she sees a big problem for some artists who do not own the rights to their own songs.
She plans to record a lot more music but acknowledges she is still trying to find her sound.
“Being young, I’m still trying to find myself as a person and a singer,” she said. “This is all I want to do with my life. There’s no way I’m doing anything else. I think it’s awesome that at 2 a.m. I can write music on a piece of paper, and someone can resonate with that feeling or connect to it a different story.”
ACS has been named Best Communities for Music Education by NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) for the past three years.
“We just have so many talented music students. People don’t even realize it, and our music programs are really fabulous,” said ACS Communications Coordinator Tyler Hill, who thought to create the ongoing Arlington Jams music series after he noticed Vani tagged the district in a video for one of the songs she wrote. “So, we’ll be featuring different students to highlight our music program.”
Selection to the NAfME All-National Ensemble is one of the highest music honors a high school student can achieve. Greiner is the first AHS Orchestra student in school history to be selected to the group.
Chipman is really appreciative of the Arlington Jams initiative.
“A lot of times you see a lot about athletes and academic all-stars in the building,” he said. “But we have some kids that are doing other things that are at incredibly high levels.”