From Buddy Holly to Beyonce, Texas has always boasted more than its share of musical talent, but it’s incredibly rare to run across a bona fide prodigy. But that, indubitably, is just what songwriter Grace Humphries is. The Hill Country-based 16-year- old is already effortlessly writing shockingly well-crafted songs that artists twice her age would envy.

It started early, with baby Grace humming in her crib as an infant and piano lessons followed at age 5, though the young musician is mostly self-taught. Her mother, a Texas native, and Liverpool, UK expat father, were astounded with their daughters early-emerging talents and encouraged her creativity at every turn. Grace and her older brother Liam bonded through music in Ramona, California, where they were raised until Liam’s devastating brain cancer diagnosis. When Grace was 8 and Liam was just 10, the family lost Liam and relocated to the Texas Hill Country. In the years that followed, Grace began channeling her feelings into music and soon knew exactly what she wanted to do in life.

Today Grace is constantly creating music, in and out of the studio. She hears the melodies in her head at school and at home, where she gets her ideas down via her small home studio.

Driven by the natural determination and focus of a true born artist as well as from the sense of loss she has experienced in her few short years, Grace creates music to express the joy, fragility and beauty of life as well and uses that music to connect to others. And even at the age of 16 she knows exactly what she wants. “I just want to be happy doing what I love: storytelling and performing,” she explains. “Writing music that is meaningful and connects with people in a very real way.”

Hollow Turtle is a folk/bluegrass band out of Warren, RI made up of James and Joseph Cappelletti.