Strumming her guitar while dressed as a hippie from the ‘70s, senior Sofia Navarro dotes on her “lover,” singing: “can’t resist you, I try.” Her skin glows from the sun’s rays as she sings her original song, “You and I.” In the music video, Navarro daydreams and frolics on a grass field.
On April 15, Navarro won the Bay Area Creative Foundation’s Creative Artist Award, an honor given to 13 high school artists around the Bay Area. She was awarded $1,000 for her original song and music video.
The Bay Area Creative Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting creativity in youth. They support young artists by encouraging them with awards in categories such as writing and dance. Navarro learned about the opportunity through her junior year Media Arts teacher Joel Tarbox.
Navarro originally created the film for her MAP 11 final project based on themes from “The Great Gatsby.” After receiving a positive response from her peers, she decided to submit it to the Bay Area Creative Foundation for judging.
“I try to write my own songs every now and then just for fun, but I never finish them,” Navarro said. “I saw this project as an opportunity to finally make a complete song that I’m proud of and something people can enjoy.”
Navarro started writing songs for fun during her sophomore year and already had lyric ideas before the project began. In the music video, she portrays a hippie that is obsessed with Alan Delon – a rich ‘70’s movie star.
“It’s a love song about creating your own fantasy surrounding someone you can’t have and how it can turn into an obsession,” Navarro said.
She used Garage Band to edit the music and Adobe Premiere Pro to edit the video. Every instrument in the video, including the tambourine and guitar, is played by Navarro, who was inspired by ‘60s and ‘70s style music.
Navarro has played the guitar since she was 8 years old, and now hopes to learn how to play the drums as well. Aside from participating in the spring musical, Navarro has no professional singing experience.
Although she is not sure if she wants to pursue a career in art or music, Navarro is interested in exploring the path. She feels very grateful and happy that her hard work is being recognized.
Navarro encourages people passionate about art to explore themes that are true to themselves.
“Art shouldn’t be masked or hidden away,” Navarro said. “Whatever art you want to portray, make sure it’s coming from the heart and not just for show.”
