Senior Ava Clark stands there for a moment, staring at her mirrored reflection looking back at her. There’s a crackle as a voice echoes in the padded room, telling her to begin. She inhales and steadies herself, hums the tune under her breath, looks at her handwritten lyrics before her, and finally she steps to the microphone.
Clark has been involved in music for a long time, starting with her family’s musical pursuits, which led into her choir career that began in 6th grade and her songwriting since sophomore year. Recently, Clark has taken her love of music to new levels in releasing her first single, “nervous habit (let you go).”
“I wanted to prove myself,” Clark said. “I felt like people, including myself, know I love music and that I write it, but I can do more than that. I wanted to prove to myself that I was capable of releasing music.”
Clark originally started song writing in her sophomore year as an outlet to express her emotions, with the catalyst being a break-up that occurred the same year. She stated that the song’s true meaning is about the feeling over her trying to get over the boy.

“I felt like I didn’t have anything to write about, because I hadn’t experienced much,” Clark said. “Once life started to really happen, that’s when I went to songwriting. That’s when I realized it was my therapy, my coping.”
Clark’s songwriting process starts with brainstorming whatever she can, mainly channeling it into her Notes App. She plays with her guitar, trying to think up cool chords, while humming melodies. Next, she’ll write words, objects, and feelings that represent her vision, and mix all of these aspects together to form a song.
“Ava’s always been into music, from choir to talking about performing, but I knew she was serious when she started writing her own songs, picking up guitar, and asking me for input,” Ava’s brother Julian Clark said. “That’s when it became clear this wasn’t just a hobby for her.”
Ava pulls elements from her musical inspirations into her songs: Ariana Grande’s soul, Lizzy McAlpine’s lyrics. But her biggest inspiration is her musician older brother, Julian.
“Music runs deep in our family,” Julian said. “Our dad and uncles played in a band called Vallejo, so it’s always been part of our lives. I’ve been gigging since I was a kid, but now being able to play and create with my sister makes it even more meaningful.”
Ava has inherited her passion for music, with the majority of her family either working or participating in the music industry. With the help of her uncle who owns 512 Studios, a recording studio here in Austin, “nervous habit (let you go)” was brought to life.
“At first it was really nerve wracking, because I’ve never recorded a song,” Ava said. “I hadn’t even sung in front of my family much. But once we all had an idea of how I wanted to bring the song to life, it was life changing being in the studio.”
Recording took around four hours, with Ava’s original plan of her voice and piano morphing as her family collaborated, and soon the song featured more instruments like the bass and drums, and the rock elements of Vallejo were incorporated.
“Singing on your own is always very vulnerable, but releasing music that you make on your own is even more vulnerable,” choir teacher Aaron Bourgeois said. “I’m really glad that she’s delving into that and able to make such great music with it.”
For the finishing touches on the release, Ava did a photo shoot with the help of her cousin, taking creative pictures in her room using curtains to produce the cover art seen today. With the distributor UnitedMasters, she was able to release “nervous habit (let you go)” on all streaming platforms, such as Spotify and Amazon Music.
“I was very proud of her, and everybody was super happy that she released her own song,” senior Chloe Graves said. “We’re super excited to see her go further in this journey.”
While songwriting and production are undeniably important parts of the music creation, Ava’s journey starts in singing. After four years with the JBHS choir, she currently sings the Soprano One position, the highest vocal part, in the varsity Treble Choir and Silver Sound, a varsity mixed group.
“In her musical and singing ability, she works really hard to become a better musician every single day,” Bourgeois said. “I think that willingness she has, that dedication to continuing to get better and better, is something that is always good.”
Ava plans to pursue a career in music, like many a family member before her, majoring in music production and seeing where that takes her. She also has an interest in mental health.
“Songwriting and music is my coping mechanism,” Ava said. “If I feel like I need to let something out, I go to my guitar. It means everything to me. If I didn’t have music or songwriting, I feel like I wouldn’t have much. It shaped me into who I am, and who I will become.”