Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Gabby Barrett are some of the most influential names in not only pop and country music but music culture as a whole. One more name that may join them on the top of the charts one day is Avery Payne, a Central Hardin High School freshman.

Payne is an extremely talented singer and artist who has put out both the songs, “Cheap” and “Childhood” on Spotify and has already been offered a chance to perform in popular TV shows like American Idol.

“Next year I plan on trying out for American Idol,” Avery said. “I want to be able to inspire people with my message I think that’s the biggest thing because a lot of times we just hear songs that are just fun to listen to, but the message that the song brings to people is important to me.” 

She has aspired for her music to be used to inspire others who are going through the same experiences as her, such as loss and losing grasp of your childhood. She also uses her music as her own form of venting.

“Avery through her life has seen a lot of loss and I think a lot of that is written in her music,” Danny Payne, Avery’s father, said. “I think it’s probably the reason she started writing music. It was therapeutic.”

Danny has been extremely supportive of his daughter’s talents and has been funding her career since the beginning, even when she was young they were hosting their own private recitals.

“Our job as parents has always been supporting the fact that she loves to sing. Starting when she was really small, she wanted to do voice lessons and she wanted to be a part of recitals and performances,” Danny said. 

“This one time when she was eight or nine years old, she asked me to sing with her one time and we did a recital together and sang a song from Phantom of the Opera.”

For now, Avery plans on attending college instead of just taking a one-way ticket to Nashville and trying to jump-start a career in music; however, she does plan to release more songs in the future.

If you want to listen to some of Payne’s music, you can find it on Spotify by searching “Avery Payne” or clicking the link here to be taken directly to her profile.