“Art is vulnerable. Putting your work out there is scary. But don’t let that fear stop you from doing something you truly love.”

Katie Hazel, Enloe alumni and former centerfold editor of the Eagle’s Eye, released her first single last December. The song, called Alright, marked the beginning of her journey as an artist.

“I’ve always loved music, but I never thought I could make my own,” she says. Coming from a musical family, she started piano lessons at the age of 5 and began to sing at age 9. She became the president of her college acapella group, where she really learned how to express herself through music. Her good friend Zeph Park encouraged her to release her own music, and helped her to write it. He even collaborated with her on her song Roommates. 

Katie gets her inspiration from real life stories. 

“Stories fascinate me. Everyone has different stories, but they can evoke the same emotions. That’s what I want to achieve with my music.” 

On the songwriting aspect, Katie draws inspiration from SZA, whose lyrics she says are “beautifully written”. In addition, Christina Aguilara had a huge impact on her singing style. 

Her favorite song that she’s written is her most recent release, Are You Having Fun? She loves how different it sounds, which she sees as symbolic of how far she’s come from her first single. 

“I’ve learned so much about songwriting since last year, and I think that really shows,” she says. 

Check out her music here.