Music inspires the soul and allows listeners to feel joyful and free, and behind every piece of inspirational music lies a songwriter and a story. Throughout spring quarter, columnist Kaitlyn Peterson will sit down over tea with UCLA singer-songwriters to explore their musical goals, personal inspirations and what makes their songs so special.
Her cover of “Hotline Bling” was written by rap artist Drake, but Ceara Cavalieri made the song her own with soft, soothing vocals.
This week I sat down with third-year psychology student Cavalieri on her apartment balcony. Drawing influence from pop artists such as Kehlani and Rihanna, Cavalieri covers and writes catchy melodies to connect with listeners about relatable topics such as happiness and heartbreak .
In preschool, Cavalieri landed the lead role of Maria in “Sound of Music.” Growing up, she went on to star in several other musicals such as “High School Musical” as Sharpay and “Beauty and the Beast” as Belle. Performing became a natural part of her life, leading her to join choir in middle school and high school. But, although she sang in choir, Cavalieri said she preferred to sing on her own.
After seeing singers such as Colbie Caillat and Justin Bieber become famous off of Youtube, she turned to online platforms to post covers. Her YouTube cover of Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” has more than 17,000 views and features Cavalieri singing to her MacBook in her room. Her clear voice goes off on riffs throughout the song, complementing the gentle piano sound of the accompanying instrumental track.
After hearing Kehlani and Charlie Puth’s piano rendition of “Hotline Bling,” Cavalieri decided to use the same track in her own cover of the song. She said she appreciated that the artists changed the song, since it was softer and different from the original mainstream pop song. She recorded “Hotline Bling” in her friend’s garage, and the friend attached a soft piano track to Cavalieri’s vocals.
Although she has only released covers online, Cavalieri told me she started writing original songs last year.
“I listen to beats on YouTube or online, and then I’ll just start singing melodies to them,” Cavalieri said. “Then once I find a melody that I feel goes well with the beat, I’ll put words to it.”
Cavalieri said Kehlani is one of her biggest inspirations because of the honesty and vulnerability in her writing. She smiled as she remembered her first attempt at songwriting. She said she felt uncomfortable at first, since it felt unnatural to write personal lyrics; however, now it comes more easily to her.
Cavalieri told me that “Alive” is one of her favorite songs by Kehlani. Lyrics include, “We were in so deep/ We could barely tread/ But now I found a way to heal myself instead.”
In the song Kehlani discusses empowerment in the midst of pain from a past relationship, connecting to those who are healing from a breakup. Cavalieri said she seeks to have the same authenticity in her music and hopes that listeners can relate to happy topics, such as fun nights out, along with sad ones, such as breakups.
“I feel like she’s so genuine and real, and her lyrics are just so good,” Cavalieri said. “I just feel like when I hear her lyrics, it’s exactly what I feel.”
Yet Cavalieri told me she’s hesitant to release her songs publicly since she’s still trying to find the right song to post online. She softly laughed when telling me that it’s scary to put original music online.
Along with posting her own music online soon, Cavalieri plans to meet with producers and take advantage of Los Angeles’ music scene.
“Whenever I go to concerts and I see them up on stage having the time of their lives – just letting go and everyone just looking up at them – I want to be up there doing that,” Cavalieri said.
Now that Tea Tunes is coming to an end, I can’t help but reflect on all of the singer-songwriters I’ve met like Cavalieri. All of them have a raw and contagious love for music, and my own has increased more and more after each meeting.
I will forever be thankful for the meaningful songs, inspirations and soul-to-soul connections that I have experienced in my Tea Tunes adventures.