Senior Gemma Wyles is described as “artistic,” “creative” and “dedicated” by her sister. She has performed during Archer’s Song Share, and community potluck and arts event, preforming original pieces. Over the past six years, Wyles has written many original songs focusing on indie folk music.
Her passion for music started in her kindergarten school choir and and participated in School of Rock at eight years old. She said she started getting serious about songwriting when she was 12 and first picked up a guitar.
“Once COVID hit, I definitely needed a creative outlet, so I started doing after school programs and things like that,” Wyles said. “I really just discovered how meaningful music is to me and how I need that outlet. I found my voice during that time, and I just never let go of it.”
Wyles said she is inspired by artists Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. She takes inspiration from experimental strategies of writing music and uses visuals, such as film, to help her write songs. Senior Olive Poulos has been friends with Wyles since sixth grade, and she said Wyles has always been very creative.
“It shocks me how many songs she can make in a short amount of time. They are poetic, too, and don’t have cheesy lyrics. They feel very personal and sophisticated,” Poulos said. “I feel like when a lot of people make their own original music, it’s very much surface level, but her songs are very true and nuanced.”
A few years ago, Wyles’s vocal coach suggested she apply for YoungArts, which is a foundation dedicated to enhancing the potential of young artists. Teens from ages 15-18 can apply to national competitions across 10 different categories, including dance, film, voice and writing. In 2024, Wyles won a YoungArts recognition award, and, earlier this year, she won the YoungArts distinction award for voice and songwriting. This award is given to teenagers who illustrate excellence in their category.
“It’s just, obviously, so huge to know that you’re being recognized on that level,” Wyles said. “I think especially because I don’t necessarily often get recognized for songwriting because it is such a niche kind of aspect of music that is very difficult to achieve, so I think it really just inspired me.”
She submitted three songs in her application: “Peonies,” “Say it’s Enough” and “Mama.” Wyles said she picked these songs because she thought they showed the best of her songwriting abilities. When she was accepted, she attended Miami Art Week, where winners of the program take classes on their art taught by professionals, so they can improve and perform. Wyles performed “Mama.”
“I think they were looking for truly passionate people who had deeply meaningful stories to tell. So I think I definitely curated more of my meaningful songs to showcase that just had layers and really represented how I write and how my writing differs from other artists.” Wyles said. “I think just showcasing that allowed them to see me as a writer and a musician in a different way.”
Wyles’s younger sister, Edie Wyles (‘27), said it is clear how dedicated and talented her sister is. She can always hear Gemma Wyles playing guitar and singing in her room, and she often plays for their family.
“I’m really happy, obviously, to have her as an inspiration and a role model,” Wyles said. “I’ve learned so much from her. I take so much from her, and I’ve learned how to style myself and how to just be a person.”
Gemma Wyles will be attending the NYU Clive Davis Institute in the fall, and she hopes to have a career in music one day, starting with publishing her music on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
“I hope that I will continuously explore new genres and different abilities. I am aiming to become more versatile with my music and familiarize myself with every aspect of music,” Wyles said. “Hopefully I’ll get there.”
Gemma Wyles said that one of the biggest challenges when making music is stepping out of her comfort zone. She feels as though she makes so much music, but she doesn’t share it enough with people.
“Being a musician just comes with feeling a lot of self-doubt a lot of times because you’re constantly comparing yourself to people that you’re not really comparable to, like a big music star or even just your peers. Also just the industry is so difficult, especially if you don’t have a lot of connections, which I don’t particularly have,” Wyles said. “So just make sure that you persevere and stay confident and stay true to your music and your passion. It’s definitely hard but you can find ways to continuously inspire yourself.”
