SHS students are taking a unique approach to expressing themselves, and are creating their own music as a way to put their thoughts and words out there through apps like SoundCloud.

SoundCloud is a music app where users can listen to music and create their own music to share, which allows aspiring artists to get their name out there. Senior Cole Hayes, Junior Julian Reichold and Senior Tyrone Larson are just a few of the students who are putting their music out there, whether it’s just for fun or a serious aspiration.

Cole Hayes, who goes by K-Fire, started making music in November after getting the inspiration to record himself rapping for fun.

“I was just like messing around and then everyone thought it was really funny, so I did more,” Hayes said.

Hayes now has five songs on his profile including his favorite, “My Vape”, which was the very first song he recorded.

“It was like the beginning to it all,” Hayes said. “I just literally came up on the spot and just recorded cause I thought it’d be funny.”

Julian Reichold, or Young J, started making music this year by simply using a mic and his computer. Reichold’s inspiration comes from life and other rappers he listens to including artists like Rich the Kid.

Making a successful song takes time and patience. Putting together lyrics, a beat and other details takes dedication and commitment, which is not something that the listener can see when hearing the song.

“It takes about a whole day to make a good song that sounds good,” Reichold said.

However, for some of these students, it doesn’t take that much time at all. In fact, sometimes it only takes a few minutes. With the many apps on phones today, people are given the tools to create a song on their phone in a matter of minutes.

“Some songs take like how long they are [to make],” Hayes said.

Creating the finished pieces of music requires the right equipment and resources, which can be acquired in different ways.

Some people make their own recording studio, and others utilize their phones and apps to make their music.

Tyrone Larson uses Soundtrap to make his songs, which allows him to add in instruments, vocals and beats to fit what he wants it to sound like.

Finding inspiration for lyrics can be challenging, and there are many sources from which this inspiration can come from. Finding your style can be difficult, but with the influences of other rappers it can be easier to find your voice.

Larson finds inspiration in other rappers like Kendrick Lamar to influence his lyricism. Larson also uses samples of other people’s lyrics to help create his own.

“This kid, I think his name was Prodigy, the first line that he said was the first line of mine so I just based it off of that,” Larson said.

For many aspiring artists, establishing a name can be difficult. Platforms like SoundCloud enable people able to do just that with ease, and Hayes, Reichold and Larson are demonstrating just how easy it is.

Although these students are creating their music for fun, many people are using this tool to show off their talents and create something bigger from it.