Second Cup Cafe: Hillary McRae
Skipping class in high school to play piano and bring her lyrics to life was the best thing singer-songwriter Hillary McRae could have done during her "rebellious" youth.
"Often while sitting in class, playing sports, or out with friends, a cool idea for a hook would come into my head. ... I would get an overwhelming urge to find the nearest piano and bring these ideas to life. I'd skip classes to spend the day at a nearby piano gallery because, of course, I couldn't be seen at home while I was supposed to be at school. For as long as I can remember, I've never stopped thinking about music," McRae said on her MySpace page.
The 21-year-old Florida native featured in The Early Show's "Second Cup Cafe" Saturday has music in her genes - coming from a long line of musicians in her family.
Consumed by catchy hooks and sleepless nights of writing lyrics, McRae took a shot at auditioning for the Berklee College of Music's World Scholarship Tour.
She won over the powers-that-be with an original song and a cover of Don Henley's "Heart of the Matter," and was enrolled in the school on a scholarship.
Last summer she toured Central and South America with Latin star Christian Castro as a keyboardist and a vocalist. Some of McRae's songs on her album "Through These Walls" were inspired by this once-in-a-lifetime experience abroad.
Producer Zach Ziskin, who has worked with McRae since she was 16, has inspired her and helped guide her career along the way.
"I pour my heart out through every note I compose and sing. Each song is a close representation of how I've felt (and perhaps we've all felt) at one point or another," McRae said. "Writing out my situations somehow makes it easier for me to come to conclusions. I went through a few major turning points in my life while I was writing this album, that's probably why these songs are so raw."
McRae, also a saxophone player, has collaborated with Charlie Calello, who has done arrangements for Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen.
By Melissa Castellanos