Hampton teen inspired by Taylor Swift wins WYEP's singer-songwriter competition

Lindsay Liebro hasn’t had years of vocal training or lessons on a musical instrument.

The 16-year-old Hampton High School junior says she developed her vocal style by singing in the choir and performing in school musicals. And she is self-taught on the guitar, which she says “came so naturally.”

But Liebro’s lack of formal training didn’t stop her from crafting a pair of songs that helped her win first place in public radio station WYEP’s annual Singer-Songwriter Competition.

“I’ve been writing songs since second grade,” she said. “Those songs weren’t great, but they were a way for me to express my emotions.”

While Liebro continued to translate her feelings into words and music for herself, it wasn’t until she began listing to music artist Taylor Swift several years ago that she saw a path she could follow to develop her own songwriting skills.

“My relationship with music really starts with my love for Taylor Swift,” Liebro said. “She’s very genuine, and there’s something real about the connection she has with fans. She inspired me to be a performer who tries to move people with my music.”

To help develop her songwriting, Liebro began teaching herself guitar, which she found to be a natural accompaniment to the process.

Liebro says she has written about 100 songs since she began high school — more than half of which were penned during the state-mandated coronavirus shutdown.

She said her decision to enter the radio station’s songwriting competition was not part of some strategic plan to advance her songwriting career.

“I had saved a bunch of links as bookmarks on my computer and accidentally hit the link to the page with the requirements to enter the contest,” she said. “It said that to enter, you had to be 16 years old by July. But my birthday wasn’t until August. So I sent them an email explaining that. They replied saying that I should go ahead and enter.”

Even though Liebro knew her songs would likely be up against submissions from older, more experienced musicians, she decided it was worth taking a chance.

“I figured, I’ve got all these songs I’ve written, and if they don’t happen to like them, well then maybe that’s a reflection on them,” she said with a laugh. “So I just submitted a song and didn’t think about what was going to happen.”

WYEP has bios and other details about the contest on its social media pages.

Using only her telephone, Liebro recorded herself playing guitar and singing her song “Et Tu, Brute?” named for a phrase from William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.”

“Picking that for the first song to submit was kind of easy because I think it’s really personal and embodies my style,” she said. “It was also one of my more recent songs, which I think is better because the more you write, the better you get.”

Liebro said she hasn’t read Julius Caesar, but she liked the imagery of the story.

“I was inspired by the idea of a friend who can betray you,” she said.

After submitting the song “Mosaic” for the competition finals, Liebro decided to tell others that she had made it to the competition finals.

“I had a bit more trouble picking a song for the finals because I was thinking, this song could be the difference between winning and losing,” she said. “But the song always seemed to be stuck in my head. I’d be sitting in math class, and I’d be thinking about the the bridge or the chorus. I took that as a sign and went with it.”

Liebro said she was at school for play rehearsal when she learned the song’s fate.

“I knew they were going to announce a winner so I checked my phone a few times but hadn’t heard anything,” she said. “Then all of a sudden a friend came up to me showing me his phone with my photo on it saying I won first place. It was so exciting to share that moment with all my cast mates.”

Liebro competed against 16 finalists.

“Lindsay was our youngest contestant this year, but her songwriting skills are sharply developed,” said Liz Felix, host of the Evening Mix on WYEP and the songwriting competition.

“When she got to the finals, we had nationally recognized artists Devon Gilfillian, Overcoats and Michael Glabicki from Rusted Root on the judging panel, and they were all really impressed.

“Overcoats got a Taylor Swift vibe from her song and Devon felt that she could be a star if she wants it. We’re excited to see where she goes from here,” Felix said.

Glabicki said the judges were impressed by her talent.

“It was immediately apparent that Lindsay was a natural at freely expressing the subtle nuances of her music,” he said. “It seemed as though she had a lifetime of experience being expressed through her composition and delivery. I look forward to seeing her career blossom.”

Liebro’s prize package included $500 in cash, a professionally produced audio track from Sean McDonald at Red Medicine Recording Studio, a photo shoot with Renee Rosensteel and a consultation session with Jeff Betten of Misra Records.

Liebro also will be featured on WYEP 91.3FM and receive performance opportunities when public health and safety allow.

Liebro hopes her succes in the competition will help her musical pursuits.

“I think I’d like to get the song I record on some sort of platform like Spotify so others can hear it,” she said. “And once the restrictions are over, it will be important for me to start getting out there with my guitar to play in front of people.”