Out in the Open

Published in Scope magazine as the Cover Story for the Fall 2012 Music Issue | Written in August 2012

Just a day before her cousin’s wedding, Priscilla Townsend found herself without a wedding gift. Slightly panicked, she started to brainstorm thoughtful last-minute present ideas. (How late is Bed Bath & Beyond open? Is it acceptable to re-gift Mom’s toile china set?) Then, in a moment of clarity, she had an epiphany: she picked up her guitar and wrote a song.

“It came together in less than an hour — the fastest I’ve ever written a song,” the singer and songwriter said. “It was as if the music was naturally flowing out of me.”

Fast forward one day, and the end result, “The Wedding Song,” was played at her cousin’s wedding reception, bringing tears to all and leaving her cousin in a state of speechless gratitude.

To Townsend, a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from Waxhaw, N.C., invoking such emotion in her fans is most rewarding. Her music isn’t about popularity — the glitz and glamour of her rising rock-star status and her new role as a hometown celebrity — it’s about inspiring others.

“Inspiration brings empowerment for obvious reasons to my fans, but also to me” Townsend said.

In her opinion, it’s all about the first impression, one that resonates as purely natural. Rightfully so, everything about Townsend is natural. She writes all of her music, from the artful lyrics to the chord progressions to the tediously-chosen key. She wears little makeup — maybe a tinted moisturizer with a touch of mascara to highlight her magnetic milk-chocolate eyes. She is most comfortable in an oversized T-shirt and a messy braid. And, the musician has never taken a single singing lesson in her life (or guitar lesson, or ukulele lesson, or piano lesson, for that matter).

Altogether, she is authentic and poignant, the embodiment of raw talent.

If you haven’t seen or heard of this talent quite yet, expect this to change. On July 27, her first album, “Chasing Sleep” was released to iTunes, succeeding her first single, “How Did I Know,” released in early August of 2010. She is signed with The Bench Studios in Monroe, N.C., and collaborates closely with the professional team, led by producer Rick Lapinsky. She has performed — and will continue to perform — at many concerts in the greater Chapel Hill area, including performances on campus with a cappella groups, such as the Accordants and Psalm 100, and off-campus live recording sessions with Duke University. In the upcoming year, she hopes to expand her performance repertoire to include larger venues, such as Jack Sprat and Cat’s Cradle.

Her buttery, Colbie Caillat-like style is slowly, but surely, penetrating the music world. However, the musician, grounded by her humble beginnings, isn’t jaded or star struck by her recent success.

Raised in the rural town of Fitzgerald, Ga., Townsend developed her passion for music at the young age of 5 years old. After her kindergarten teacher handed her a kid-sized guitar, Townsend never could quite let it go — literally.

“That was when I started my guitar fix, “Townsend said of kindergarten. “Since then, I pretty much don’t go anywhere without my guitar.”

While Townsend acknowledged that her first experience with music was in her kindergarten classroom, she attributed the nourishment of her passion for music to the thing she cherishes most — her family.

Her family of seven, led by her mother, Soledad, was strongly rooted in music. Townsend recalled memory upon memory of falling asleep to the sound of her mother’s lullabies; her older sister, Elaine, teaching herself to play the piano by ear; and the unique sounds of rain sticks and shells tied together, produced by La Semilla, a Peruvian folk band that often stayed with the family. Because Townsend is part-Peruvian, the distinctive sounds of the folk band conjured her curiosity.

“There was always music around — it became a part of me,” Townsend said. “From an early age on, I knew it was something I wanted to pursue.”

At the age of 9, Townsend became serious about music when a friend gave her a guitar, a self-proclaimed “turning point” in her life. Since then, she has dedicated herself to developing her musical style, thus far toying with everything from jazz to acoustic to pop/rock sounds. She recently picked up the ukulele and the piano, teaching herself to play by ear, and hopes to develop a chill “take the ukulele to the beach” sound.

“Right now, though, my musical style has a ‘my guitar and me’ feel,” she said.

Although the emphasis of her first album is, of course, her guitar, she envisions the focus of her next album as the piano. Because she listens to a lot of different styles and artists, including Sara Bareilles and Maroon 5, and because she wishes to evolve as an artist, she believes her style will constantly develop.

Her musical style, much like her fashion style, is most affected by her mood, and the three coincide in an interdependent, synergistic relationship. One day, for example, she feels super perky; correspondingly, she performs her upbeat, pop-infused songs and rocks the color red, skinny jeans and a scarf, a piece for which she has a recent “self-declared obsession.” Or, if she’s feeling more laid back, she’ll perform her acoustic songs, wearing earthy, granola tones and a flowing, bohemian dress.

Regardless of how Townsend feels, one accessory of hers is constant: a bracelet, woven with soda can tabs and adoration, given to her by a young girl in Managua, Nicaragua, while she was on a service trip in summer of 2010. Although she claims she isn’t superstitious, she wears it to all of her shows.

“The bracelet is a constant reminder of my mission as an artist,” Townsend said, “to make a personal connection with everyone I meet.”

Her versatile mood and analogous style are as distinct as her music. Townsend’s style conveys a sense of effortless and qualified comfort, influenced by her fashion icon, Rumi Neely, an innovative blogger and shopper who incorporates vintage pieces into her personal style. Townsend, too, loves the vintage look, channeling this love into thrift-store shopping. Drawn to the allure of other people’s stories, told through clothing — formerly owned and currently resigned to the racks of thrift stores — Townsend enjoys spending her free time at local vintage shops and has ultimately developed a unique skill.

“Thrift-store shopping, which includes finding one-of-a-kind pieces, worn ages ago, and putting them together in a new and stylish way, is a skill,” Townsend said. “I think I’ve gotten pretty good at it.”

And she really has gotten good at it — “it” being an umbrella term that encompasses more than just thrift-store shopping and a personal fashion style. Townsend is a confident, budding musician, with a future with more prospective depth than she would have ever imagined. She truly has “it” mastered.

Townsend is excited for the future but remains levelheaded and wisely focused on each day ahead. This upcoming fall, she is overcome with eager anticipation — anticipation to score a new pair of wide-legged pants or a fur jacket on a thrift-store venture, anticipation to delve deeper into her major of dental hygiene, and most of all, anticipation to expand her musical network. (Expect Townsend, using her personal expression as a conduit of her enthusiastic mood, to appear in crazy patterns and bright colors.)

It is no surprise that her anticipation, in combination with her innate drive and appreciation of personal values, comprise her mantra.

“Appreciation, anticipation and passion are words that guide me,” Townsend said.

Ten years from now, directed by these words, she hopes to bring unity and happiness to her friends, family and followers. Whether she works as a dental hygienist or a full-time musician, she hopes to inspire others.

“Because what will I really mean if I don’t inspire others to be 100 percent?” she said.

And with that, Priscilla smiled, a natural smile, a smile brimming with possibility and poise, paralleling this artist’s promising career.

“You’ll be seeing more of me,” she said. “Just wait.”