Sophomore Emma Guzman has a busy life. A life where she has to balance all her school work, her time at Fraser Performing Arts Career Academy, and her music career. Emma Guzman is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and choir kid who has loved music since she was around 7. Around 8, she started to be more involved in music, enjoying performing, and started singing.

“When I was 8, I was in a lot of musicals, and I really liked that. Then I started taking guitar lessons when I was 9, and I really liked that, so I just kept going, “Emma Guzman said.

As Guzman grew, her love for music grew and from an early age has looked up to many different musicians.

“As a kid, in the car I would listen to The Beatles a lot with my dad. So when I first started out they were a big part of my music and kind of inspired me, but I got into this musician named Angel Olsen. She plays a lot of the same music as me, and I like the way she writes. She inspires me a lot, “ Guzman said.

Guzman parents have encouraged her and her music path from the beginning and has always supported her.

“My dad always driving me to my shows, giving me advice on what to do, and he’s really supportive. So is my mom,” Guzman said.

Besides her parents support, her close friends have been supporting her and love her creativity in her songs.

“Her music is very creative, and her lyrics are well written to fit the story she tries to convey in each song,” said Ryan St. Onge, her friend that has known her for over a year.

All of her music is written and composed by her, and her music can be described as Indie style music that is emotionally supporting and people can relate to it.

“I play alot of indie-americana, singer-songwriter,  kind of music,” Guzman said, “The second album, Roots, I wrote when I was 14-15, and it took about a year to record. The album came out the summer of last year. A lot of the songs are about like coping with a lot, like losing friend or a relationship not working out, and how to deal with it. It’s not that encouraging, but more like someone can relate to it.”

People who has known Guzman knows that she loves music, and her friends and family thinks she is a wonderful person.

“I love Emma’s creativity, generosity, and empathy towards others, “ St. Onge said.

Music is a big part of Guzman life. She uses her creativity towards her music to create stories within her songs. She also uses music as a way to express her emotions while doing something she loves.

“Music is really important to me, I use it as a way to express myself, and vent out my negative and positive emotions. I just really enjoy playing music,” Guzman said.

Guzman performs her songs mainly at bars, restaurants, outdoor venues, and festivals. She loves to perform, but her heart is always racing when she gets on stage.

“I usually get nervous, I used to not get nervous, but now I do. I  like performing in bars more because people pay less attention to you,” Guzman said,  “but when your playing a show, like an outdoor venue, and people are actually watching and it’s more nerve-wracking because people can see everything that’s going on and every little mistake you make.”

Her family and peers has encouraged her to pursue music, and they hope she is successful.

“I hope that she succeeds with getting her music out to others. I hope that she continues to make music that she loves and has the joy of performing more in the future,” St.Onge said.

Guzman is always working on her music, trying her best at shows, and she hopes that music will always be part of her life.

“What makes me want to pursue it, is because I imagine myself doing it. Like if I had a different job I wouldn’t like it. I wouldn’t like it all. I’m passionate about music, encouraged to do it a lot, and it’s my ideal job to pursue music. Either teaching music or performing for a living would be great, “ Guzman said.

Emma Guzman’s recent album, Roots, is available on Spotify and Itunes. She continues pushing towards her dreams to one day be a successful musician.