“Indigo Hour” and “Pencil You In” are titles one would normally predict to be songs from Taylor Swift’s newest album, but they are actually from one of Parker’s aspiring singers: junior Wren Dudney.

Dudney has been singing all her life. Her father was in a band as she grew up, leaving her constantly surrounded by music. Though she wrote her first music with her dad at a younger age, she didn’t start getting more serious about it until this year. “I really started writing and submitting and performing them this July,” Dudney said. “I’ve always performed and done theater, but I met a girl this summer who’s a songwriter which is part of the reason I got more serious about songwriting.”

So far, Dudney has five polished songs: “Indigo Hour,” “Pencil you in,” “Marina,” “Automan Arlington,” “Muse,” and “Prettier Tears” with three more in the works. 

Dudney performed “Indigo Hour” at this year’s school talent show leaving people watching amazed. Junior Brooke Marsico was in the audience as Dudney sang. “I was in shock. It was just so cool to see Wren perform a song she wrote for the first time at Parker. Everyone loved the song and thought that it was a cover,” Marsico said.   

“It was really cool because it was my first time performing an original song for school,” Dudney said. “Some people didn’t even realize that it was my song and then they asked me who wrote it.”

Though she performed “Indigo Hour” at the talent show, her favorite song is “Pencil You In.” “Every song that I write is my favorite at least for a short amount of time because when I first write songs, they all seem so new that it just gets really exciting,” Dudney said.

Rob Denien, a choral and general music teacher in his ninth year at Parker, has been working with Dudney ever since she was in middle school. Denien, an experienced musician himself, has been surrounded by the arts his whole life. “I’m super happy for her as I’ve always been very impressed with her as a singer. She always had a unique sense of musicality at a very young age,” Denien said. 

Denien has also accompanied Dudney a number of times, playing various instruments while she sings. “You forget that she’s just a middle/highschooler. I felt like I was playing for a legit singer, so it’s very special.”

Choral teacher Justin de la Cruz, in his first year at Parker has already had a large impact on Dudney, and vice versa. He himself has been playing instruments since third grade, started singing in high school, and studied music in college. “The attentiveness that she has when working with music is very commendable. I think with the songwriting aspect, everyone has talent, but when you have something to say and are able to verbalize that in the way of music, it’s a very special thing,” De La Cruz said.

De La Cruz touched on what his hopes for Wren’s future endeavors are. “Honestly I think the sky’s the limit for anyone with the drive that she has,” De La Cruz said. “It’s always an intrinsic motivation that she has which is super cool as a teacher because all I can do at this point is just help guide her.  She’s a piano player, she’s a singer, she does theater, and now she’s a very talented songwriter.”

Accompanying Dudney on the guitar for the talent show, De La Cruz reflected on the experience. “For her talent show song, it was really nice to workshop the song together. It took a lot of guts for her to sing such a personal piece, and I’m happy to be a part of that. The depth of what she sang about was very cool for a 17 year old.”

Though Dudney works closely with both Denien and Cruz to improve her singing and writing skills, she also does a vast amount of work outside of school. “I study privately with a DePaul professor,” Dudney said. “I also enter different competitions for songwriting. I was actually a finalist for one this summer called the “Hey Nonny Songwriting Contest” in the suburbs.”

“Wren’s process in songwriting seems so fluid as she’s always trying to get better and create more material,” Denien said. 

Dudney takes months to write one song as she works on it multiple times before considering it “polished.” “I have an idea of what I want a song to be about, I write some sort of lyrics, and then I set it to music,” Dudney said.

To gain inspiration for her songs, Dudney looks to the world around her, specifically the people she meets and experiences she has. “I write songs a lot right after major events in my life happen and other times it’ll be a few months when I process something and then I write about it,” Dudney said. Dudney’s songwriting process is very situational to her surroundings. “Whether it’s a positive or negative experience, I turn it into something that people can relate to.” 

Dudney showcases her music in Parker’s lobby. “The reason why I play in the lobby is because even if people don’t know it, the music affects them.  I hope it’s something that they can relate to as they pass by.”

Though none of Dudney’s songs have been released yet, she hopes to publish them eventually. “Because these songs are so special to me and you can only have one debut moment, I really want to save that for when I have a good opportunity, and I feel like the songs are ready. I don’t want to release them into the world if they’re not going to be executed the way I want them to with the vision I have in my head,” Dudney said.  

Dudney sees writing songs and performing them as fun rather than work. “It’s so fun doing something I actually love.  I call it soul food because it’s literally my favorite thing,” Dudney said. “There’s something really unique about writing a song that fits specifically you.  I mean it’s so specific to your vocal range and to your voice.  It allows me to express things that’s happened to me in a way where I can turn sometimes really negative or hard things into very powerful moments that resonate with people.”

Dudney plans on continuing to pursue singing and songwriting as she enters college. “There’s something really cool about having the ability to express myself through song. Everyone can expect many new songs coming out within the next year or so. I’m just grateful that I get to share them with the community here.”