Student songwriter experiences success

The lull of maracas and strumming of a ukulele accompany the voice of sophomore Sammy Hakim in her Colbie Caillat-esque song “About You,” which is the final song in her first extended-play album Locked You Out.

“Guitar and piano are my go-to instruments for composing and more intricate melodies, but I like other instruments like ukulele and violin to brighten up or add to the song,” Hakim said.

Hakim’s pursuit of her musical career began when she was joking a round with a friend.

“She was like ‘Oh, I’m going to meet this celebrity guy’ so I asked her how and she said she was going to be this famous actress,” Hakim recalled. “I told her I’d be a musician then, and began writing songs and figured out I really loved it.”

Hakim’s album was engineered by Ben Green of the Indie band SEAS and produced by Jeff Levin, the founder of Bach to Rock Music School chain and Big V. Production Inc.

Locked You Out was produced in response to a demo Hakim sent Big V. Production Inc.

When asked about her reaction to her album’s production, Hakim recalled that her reaction as, “‘Hey, I can do this. The world can put me down, but hey, this is my dream. I’m going to do whatever it takes.’”

Hakim attributes her success to her mother, who “should get all the credit for getting [her] out there.”

Hakim’s mother works everyday to advertise and find radio stations her daughter.

According to Hakim’s website, “her hard work and talent earned her a place in All County Chorus, several spots performing the National Anthem at local and regional events and the prestigious Fairfax County Vocal Award.”

Entertainment manager Robert Camacho of RC Management in Nashville, TN released a statement that said: “I am listening as I write and can clearly say the song writing is outstanding regardless the writer’s of the writer’s age. [Hakim’s] voice is very elegant and poised beyond her years.”

Despite her success, Hakim said that balancing school along with her musical career was difficult.

“The trick is to know what you have to do, and never give up fighting to get to it,” she said. “Keeping my grades high and winning a spot in the music career as well as playing JV basketball is difficult, but for now I’ll just keep on fighting and work my hardest until I get through.”

Once Hakim made the decision to pursue a career as an artist, her “friends and family were very supportive right away,” she said. “I’m very thankful for that.”