Sixteen-year-old Taylor Rae Vencill of Ben Lomond said she started singing as soon as she learned how to talk.
“I’ve sang for as long as I could remember,” she recalled. “It’s always come very natural to me. I’ve always loved it.”
The San Lorenzo Valley High School junior has turned her passion into something palpable — Vencill just released her first self-titled album on iTunes this month.
The compact disc can also be purchased through her website.
For the album, aptly named “Taylor Rae,” she wrote the music and lyrics and played the acoustic guitar on all the tracks. The album falls into the pop genre, with 10 heartfelt songs.
“Inspiration for songs comes at completely random times and places,” Vencill said. “Lately, I’ve been writing the music and then the lyrics.”
Vencill’s musical inspirations include Jack Johnson and Sheryl Crow.
A natural performer, Vencill said she doesn’t get nervous onstage. The teenager is active in theater and works as a rehearsal assistant at Little People’s Repertory Theatre in Ben Lomond.
“Performing is a blast. I don’t really get stage fright,” she said.
She hosted a CD release party June 17 at the Trout Farm Inn in Felton, where close to 140 people gathered.
After her high school career is complete, Vencill said, she would love to go on tour or attend a specialized music school, like the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
“I plan on just seeing where I’m at in my music career when high school is almost over,” she said. “I really want to travel. I see myself somewhere completely different after I graduate.”
According to Vencill’s mother, Carla, the girl has always shown a knack for songwriting, coming up with lyrics that are beyond her years.
“She wanted to show us some of the songs she wrote when she was 12,” Carla Vencill said.
“We were just shocked at how deep the lyrics were. Right then, I knew she had a gift for songwriting.”
Her daughter said that a lot of the songs she writes express emotions she hasn’t experienced yet.
“I think I can understand what it’s like to feel those feelings,” the musician said. “It’s like I’m feeling for other people.”
