No ‘Plan B’ for Parkland country singer

With no Plan B on the horizon, Parkland resident and indie-pop country music singer Liddy Clark, 22, knows who she is and where she’s going.

Currently a senior at the Thornton School of Music at USC in Los Angeles, Clark is home with her parents and two younger brothers in Parkland for the summer, where she has a home recording studio.

Making the most of the COVID-19 quarantine, Clark is busy working on her music, taking her dogs for walks at the Parkland dog park, bicycling, and reading Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist.”

“It’s all about the music for me,” says Clark. “I thrive in creative environments, and I have a unique way of transmitting my message in a way that hasn’t been done before.”

Singing since the age of seven, when she realized she had perfect pitch, Clark appeared in a talent show performing ‘Colors of the Wind,’ from the Disney movie Pocahontas at the former Day School in Coral Springs.

After taking vocal lessons and learning to play the guitar at age 12, Clark says, “Things snowballed from there.”

She started writing her own songs at age 13 and at 15 studied at Boston’s Berklee College of Music summer program for three years in a row.

At 17, she earned a scholarship to Berklee’s five-week Summer Performance Program, one of the most distinguished summer musical performance programs in the country, and landed a coveted spot in the school’s Singer-Songwriter Showcase, with professor and singer/ songwriter Melissa Ferrick.

According to Ferrick, Clark “writes award-winning lyrics.”

With her warm, soulful voice and from-the-heart lyrics, Clark is an advocate for change through her music. In 2018, she released “Shot Down (Stand Up),” about the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, a call to action for her generation of students plagued by gun violence.

That same year, Clark released her debut EP, Testing the Waters: a selection of original songs, showcasing her indie-pop take on country music.

The highlight of her career to date has been the gap year she took between high school and college, where she toured radio stations, including Spotify and iHeartRadio, meeting with program directors. She played the Country Music Hall of Fame appearing after Garth Brooks and likes to say he opened for her.

Locally, Clark has played in and around Parkland for the past five years and had her first paying gig at the Parkland Amphitheatre in Pinetrails Park. In 2015, she played at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Ballfields opening during the last phase of the building of that same park.

“Liddy is a wonderful representative for the City of Parkland,” says Mayor Christine Hunschofsky. “She has graciously volunteered her time and talents over the years for many local performances.”

“As a community, we’re so happy to have been able to observe and be a part of Liddy’s growth as a musician/songwriter, and as a young woman, and know she has an exciting future ahead of her,” Hunschofsky says.

A former competitive cheerleader, Clark spent a lot of time driving from school to school with her mom listening to a variety of music, including Shania Twain, John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, and Taylor Swift. All of them, she considers influenced her musical style.

Other role models include her parents, “especially my dad who pushes me always to be a better version of myself,” says Clark.

She has a single coming out in October and hopes to also release an album and go on tour. After college, she plans to stay either in Los Angeles or relocate to Nashville.

About Parkland, she says, “I’m just so thankful to grow up here in Parkland. It’s such a nice city with such great people.”

Visit liddyclark.com for more information.

By Jan Engoren

Country Music Starlet Liddy Clark

Country Music Starlet

Country Music StarletLike other 17-year-olds, Liddy Clark enjoys going to the movies or hanging out with friends at the beach. Unlike other teens, though, Liddy goes to a recording studio after school for two or three hours a day and takes frequent trips to Nashville, where she collaborates with other songwriters.
“I don’t have much time to do homework,” says the Parkland resident and North Broward Preparatory School senior. Liddy is becoming a familiar voice to South Florida audiences, having recently represented the country music genre at Duende 2015, the grand finale of Broward County’s centennial celebration.
Her soon-to-be-released but not-yet-titled album features many original songs, put together at West End Recording Studios in Pompano Beach. Her co-producer Pete Masitti, who has worked with artists including Toni Braxton, Shakira, and Kelly Rowland, says Liddy is “gifted with great natural instincts as a vocalist.”
Liddy’s Nashville colleagues also praise her talents. Co-producer, songwriter, and collaborator Stokes Nielsen says, “Liddy connects with her generation because she speaks the truth in her songs. What impresses me most in her songwriting is her honesty and ability to capture emotions that are uncanny for someone her age.”
Many of Liddy’s songs relate to the challenges — especially emotional insecurity — faced by so many teens. Her music may help people her age to accept that their feelings aren’t unique and that negativity can be defeated.
“A lot of my songs have to do with the frustrations of being a teenager,” Liddy says.
“Some days you feel like the whole world is against you. You just have to look to the next day and say, ‘I have to give a little bit of faith to this day because it might turn out OK,’” she says, referring to one of the album’s songs, “A Little Faith.”
The first single from the album, “Painted by Numbers,” also conveys an affirming message. “The song is about not being labeled by numbers that try to define society. I want to send the message that you are who you are. You have to forget everyone else and all of the negativity. That’s how you can overcome insecurity.”
Country music is in Liddy’s genes. Her cousin Drew Womack, former Sons of the Desert frontman, collaborated with Liddy on her album. Her ever-supportive family includes mom Shana, who travels with Liddy back and forth to Nashville and is her biggest fan.
Ever since she was a young child, Liddy has demonstrated talent and passion for music, taking lessons with a vocal coach since age 7. While going through the process of discovering her musical style, she experimented with musical theater and pop until country music captured her imagination. The realness of country music speaks to her. “It isn’t made up, like everything else,” she says, citing Kacey Musgraves’ witty songwriting as an inspiration.
Liddy’s youthful songs of self-acceptance and empowerment will undoubtedly expand country music. Plans for the next year include going on tour to promote the new album. Her enthusiasm to share her music is contagious and naturally involves family.
“I want to go on a major tour with a major act and play all over the United States. I want to meet people from different countries, different continents, and play to different fans. I want to sell a lot of CDs and make my music known to everybody. “And I’m going to take my mom with me!”

 

Check out a preview of  Liddy’s Youtube channel here: