This past week, Hampton has been abuzz over our very own student’s creative pursuits. Senior Lindsay Liebro, who you may have seen onstage during the Drama Club’s Fall Plays or Talbot Players’ Spring Musicals, released her new song last Friday. Lockers, backpacks, and laptops throughout the building were adorned with stickers, promoting “Wasted Potential” in glittering blue and purple gel pen. 

Although it has been impossible to miss this happening, The Hamptonian sat down with the musician herself to discuss the process, inspirations, and the future.

How long have you been writing songs, and/or making music?

I have been writing songs since I was in second grade, but I really started writing consistently since the summer before freshman year. That’s also when I started teaching myself how to play guitar, so my songs started to feel more real with the instrumental element added.

You won the WYEP Songwriting Contest in 2020. Congratulations! What did you write? Did you meet any producers or play any events?

For the contest, I originally submitted my song “et tu, brute?” and when I made it to the finale, I submitted my second song “mosaic.” After I won, I began working with my producer Sean McDonald, and after showing him dozens of songs I had written, we decided to produce “Wasted Potential!”

Who or what would you cite as your biggest influence? Are there any runner-ups?

I think it comes as no surprise to anyone that my biggest influence is Taylor Swift. I also really love Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams, Conan Gray, Lexi Jayde, Maisie Peters, and Phoebe Bridgers.

Do you plan on releasing any more music in the (near) future?

We will have to see, but I absolutely plan on releasing more music at some point. I write too many songs to not share them.

Through the power of social media such as TikTok and Twitter, a snippet of your song “Wasted Potential” caught lots of traction. What happened? 

I have no idea what happened. Originally, I posted a snippet of “Wasted Potential” on my TikTok, and it did get 20k views from being on the For You page. Then, the Friday before my release, I started to get a bunch of comments on that video, and they were asking me to release “Daydream Lovers.” I was thoroughly confused because I have never written a song with that title, so obviously, my first instinct was to check Twitter. Lo and behold, somewhere along the lines, someone took the audio from my TikTok, pitched it down, put fake Taylor Swift cover art on it, and posted it on YouTube as “Daydream Lovers- Taylor Swift Unreleased 1989 Vault Track.” It went viral on Twitter with over 100k views, so once I clarified it was my song, a lot of people started supporting me and were excited for my release! It definitely was a great promotion, so thank you to whoever made that fake video.

What inspired you to write “Wasted Potential”?

When I write a lot of my songs, I usually just pick up my guitar and start singing whatever first comes to mind. I had only written a verse and chorus at first, but I knew this song was special. I knew I wanted this to be my debut song. Actually, I had written this about a week before I found out I had won the Singer-Songwriter Competition, so I just think it’s so crazy how everything all works out, especially when you least expect it. At the time when I wrote this, I was feeling really lost academically. People who want to pursue a career in the arts are usually discouraged because it’s not viewed as a viable or stable career path, so I really honed into those doubts with this song and how artists can prove all of those people wrong.

What is your creative process/recording process? Do you like it?

Writing songs comes so naturally to me, so I definitely enjoy that aspect of the creative process. I love creating stories and weaving in lots of metaphors and references. When I first went into the studio to record, it felt like such a familiar environment, and I just get so excited seeing me and my producer’s work come to life. Sometimes I think I ruin some takes because I’m smiling too much.

What would you say to your fellow students who want to pursue creative endeavors?

Do it. If you love it, do it. If you have the passion, do it. Do not let other people make life decisions for you. Don’t make decisions just to please other people. The only person that needs to believe in you is yourself, so you cannot let that negativity, skepticism, and doubt get to you. If you can’t picture yourself doing anything else for the rest of your life, why would you? Keep being consistent with your work, share it with as many people as you can, and don’t get discouraged if you don’t find success overnight.

Are there any upcoming shows/radio hours/etc we should tune into to hear you?

I will be performing at the Public Lands grand opening ceremony on 09/25/21 from 11:30 to noon. I will be performing the National Anthem at the Hampton Football games on Oct. 1, 15, and 29. I’ll also be performing at Hard Rock Café on September 28th at 7pm.

Lindsay accumulated ten thousand streams on the first day of streaming, and that number has since doubled. She has gained fans that extend much further than the reaches of the Hampton Bubble, and lots of support online and in real life. Hampton could not be prouder of Lindsay, and we wish her the best of luck as she continues to release music!