There is no doubt music is a huge part of our daily lives. However, discovering new music can be a challenge, especially when the artist is just starting their careers. No need to fear, A is here to help you out! 

Valerie Valek is a 22-year-old student at Lorain County Community College who is following her musical dreams. She is an associative arts major at LCCC, but doesn’t only keep her musical talents to her schoolwork. In her freetime she uploads covers to YouTube. She also recently created a TikTok account consisting of music covers and TikTok trends. She pulls inspiration from old rock in her music, giving it an extra flair that most college-age singers don’t have. With an old soul and a love for music, Valek is the perfect person to listen to if you’re looking for something new in the music scene.

Valek started getting into music at a very young age but only recently started sharing her music online. 

“[I got into music] probably when I was nine,” she said. “When I was nine my mom always had instruments around the house so that’s how I started learning and I taught myself guitar and piano. But I started taking music seriously when I was 16.” 

She has also picked up the ukulele to add to her repertoire of instruments that she has mastered. Valek has been uploading covers to her YouTube channel for 11 months and has started to gain a following. Although she currently uploads solo covers, her dreams expand past that, “If I could do anything I would love to be in a big rock band one day,” she said.

Valek is also a songwriter, although she has not released any original music yet. Releasing original music for a new artist can be very nerve-wracking, but she said she wants to release her original music in the future.  

“I would love to put out my own music,” she said. “I can’t decide if I’m waiting to do it when I have more of a following or if I should just do it and be like, ‘This is my stuff. This is what I am, and if you like it then that’s great!” 

She has dreams of being in a rock band, but for now, she is simply doing what makes her happy. When A asked Valek what she wants most from her musical career she said, “I’ve never wanted to be ‘famous’ or anything like that, but when you’re in school it is hard to figure out what you want to do. I just know this makes me really happy. I never want to look back on my life and wish that I had done something that made me really happy or wonder why I stopped doing something.” 

Valek pulls inspiration from old rock, but not any old rock, only the most iconic rock artists around. People who give this young singer-songwriter inspiration are artists like Stevie Nicks and John Lennon. Valek loves Stevie Nicks for her iconic music style and John Lennon for his sarcastic, dry songwriting. She was able to find her voice in her music through her musical inspirations. 

“My mom had the biggest influence on me,” she said. “When I was little she would play Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin in the car, but I actually didn’t start getting into [rock] until I got older. I started finding more of what I liked and I started getting into songwriting and I noticed that a lot of those older bands wrote in a way that I didn’t realize you could write. It’s not just feeling songs, but you can really make it an art form.” 

As Valek releases music, she can connect to her fan base more and more. 

“I want people to take away that not everyone is going to have the same taste as you or like the same things, but doing what you want and what makes you happy is going to be so fulfilling,” she said. “There will be people who will see that and see what’s inside of you. That’s why I started doing Youtube. I am not doing the trendiest songs. I want to do things that I enjoy because I know I will find people that are just like me looking for that type of thing [music.]” 

Following what makes you feel fulfilled and happy is the most important message Valek sends her listeners and is one of the reasons why her followers love her so much.

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Hi, I’m Maria McGinnis, a senior journalism student from Stow, Ohio. I’m also the editor in chief of A Magazine. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty, and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.