From coffeehouse to social media, students and faculty may already be familiar with Hackley’s talented singer, songwriter, and musician: Lila Wolfe.

At a young age, Lila was introduced and exposed to music. “When I was younger my parents would always have music playing. Days would start with one record and end with three more. My mom and dad had a very eclectic taste in music, so I was influenced by many different genres,” Lila said.

When she started to get older, around eight or nine years old, her parents took her to concerts. “I’d be the only person under thirty there,” Lila said. She often waited after concerts for signatures and meet-and -greets for artists such as Dr. John, Dave Mason, Aaron Neville, and Don Felder.

In sixth grade, Lila started to sing and play guitar. In seventh and eighth grade, she started writing music and taking everything more seriously. She now plays guitar, piano, and ukulele, in addition to singing.

Lila’s biggest inspirations are people who sing with raw emotions. “One of my biggest inspirations is probably Amy Winehouse. She had so much to say and did such a great job of saying it through the lyrics that she crafted. I also am very inspired by classic jazz singers such as Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Nancy Wilson,” Lila said.

She also stressed the importance for vocalists to listen to music without vocals, such as instrumental jazz and classical music, in order to learn from that as well.

“Honestly I’m still figuring my style out, I don’t want to fit into a category just yet,” Lila said.

“When I write music it is more on the alternative, indie side, but I love to sing rock, blues, and jazz as well. When I do figure it out, I want to make sure my style is something that hasn’t been done, I don’t want to be a repeat.”

Over the summer, Lila attended the five-week Performance Program at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. “One of my favorite experiences was singing and recording with my jazz ensemble at Berklee. The group was extremely talented …  I couldn’t have been happier to be able to have worked with so many musicians. That being said, I love performing originals as well. It’s cool to put something out there that you created and see people’s responses. I want to make people feel things with my music. I want them to react. I want to inspire other people, while being inspired at the same time,” Lila said.

Lila often performs at Hackley Coffeehouses and with the jazz band. She enjoys the feeling of being part of a band, rather than singing alone with her guitar. “It’s cool to collaborate with different people,” Lila said.

“I love performing my original song ‘Glitter’ that I performed at the third coffeehouse last year. That’s probably one of my favorites. I also love performing anything by Amy Winehouse, or George Harrison, my favorite Beatle. Jazz standards are always a favorite of mine as well, they’ve withstood so much time, it makes me want to be a part of them,” Lila said.

Lila admitted to getting nervous before performing. “I think nerves are good, it means you care. Once I get on stage the nerves usually go away because at that point I am doing what I love, it’s right before I get on stage where I start to shake,” she said.

Lila recently went on vocal rest for six weeks. “My vocal chords weren’t closing properly, so I had the choice of going on a steroid or a more natural, longer process,” said Lila. Rather than taking steroids, Lila chose the more natural process, keeping her from singing for six weeks. She was put on a vegan diet and wasn’t allowed to eat processed sugar or caffeine. She went to vocal therapy once a week and had three sets of exercises everyday. Although she said it was rough, it worked.

“I think it’s really important to put things into perspective. The first couple of days after I found out was rough, but then I decided to put my energy into other things. Instead of singing, I practiced a lot of piano and guitar and got better instrumentally. I focused on school, listened to a lot more music, and exercised,” Lila said. She realized the importance of knowing that “life keeps going”, and focused on recoovering. “I’m still not 100 percent but it feels great to be singing and writing again,” Lila said.