Claire DiLullo has growing music career

For junior Claire DiLullo, singing has always been a huge part of life.

Despite coming from a family with no musical experience, DiLullo has been singing since she was about two-and-a-half years old. Currently she spends her free time playing at coffeehouses and private parties, in addition to working on her next CD.

Mix in a full semester of classes and it is no surprise that it is a rarity to see DiLullo on campus.”It gets to be really busy,” DiLullo said. “God has given me so much grace to handle everything.”

DiLullo began writing songs and playing guitar when she was only 13 years old. She already has two CDs out, one a solo compilation titled Waiting for the Rain and the other a demo set from her previous group, The Claire DiLullo Band, called Second Story Sessions. She is hoping to produce another CD either over the summer or next fall with her boyfriend Johnny Vesper, who plays guitar and bass.

“The way I sound is an acoustic, pop rock, bluesy, jazzy kind of voice,” DiLullo said.

Out of all her songs, DiLullo’s favorite to sing is her original piece “Crazy.”

“It’s a love song, a really simple song,” DiLullo said. “It’s everyone’s favorite song. It’s just fun because everyone knows it.”

DiLullo writes all of her own music, from lyrics to melodies. “My inspiration is definitely just from my life – my relationship with the Lord and relationships with other people,” DiLullo said.

“I’m more of a sporadic writer … it’s definitely an outlet for me, just sitting down and finding out what’s deep down inside.”

Hope is the main message DiLullo wants to get across through her music. “Within our society, (hope) is missing,” DiLullo said. “My message is that it doesn’t have to be this way, and that there is something better.”

While she probably could have been successful on her own, having already created an album before reaching college, DiLullo, a music major, said she has learned so much while being at Eastern, both musically and spiritually.

“I knew that I wanted to keep growing in my music, keep growing with my training,” DiLullo said. “So much of what I do with my music is with people who aren’t Christians. I wanted to make sure that I stay grounded.”

Over the next couple of years, DiLullo hopes to find a record company to sign with. Until then, she continues to lead worship at her church, Grace Chapel, and perform at local venues, such as the coffee shop Burlap & Bean.

She has already performed on both television and radio, which, she admits, were two of her favorite experiences thus far. She appeared on CN8 Your Morning, where she got the opportunity to play and be interviewed. She was also featured on two live shows on 93.7, one about local artists and the other a segment titled “Hometown Heroes.”

DiLullo will be performing next week with Vesper at the Jammin’ Java at 8 p.m. on Nov. 12. Her music can also be found online via her MySpace page.