Arts & Entertainment
Singer-Songwriter, 14, Steps Into Country Music Spotlight
At just 14, country singer-songwriter Allie Shermetaro of Rochester Hills has found her voice, which she will share with music fans Friday at Detroit's Downtown Hoedown.
At just 14, Allie Shermetaro of Rochester Hills has found her voice.
Allie, an eighth-grader who is home schooled in Rochester Hills and takes electives at Hart Middle School, is a young but accomplished country singer-songwriter who will be taking the stage Friday at WYCD-FM’s 31st Annual Downtown Hoedown in Detroit.
Equipped with an acoustic guitar and a polished country-pop voice, Allie says she performs music drawing from inspirations such as Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. She said she learned guitar by strumming along to Taylor Swift songs and continues to take guitar and drum lessons at Limelight in downtown Rochester. She began taking vocal lessons six years ago at the Rochester Conservatory with Cathy Zucker.
To date, Allie has performed at open mics around the area and is a fixture at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill at Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills.
While Allie has performed in local “Idol” competitions and has her sights set on performing as a career, she has steered clear of the frenzied auditions for music-themed TV reality shows such as American Idol or The Voice.
“We’re trying to stay off all those shows and everything and just go a different route,” she said.
While her performances include cover songs of popular artists, Allie is a songwriter at heart, a skill she honed after writing “Caryn’s Song” for her sister’s wedding when she was just 11.
“Caryn’s Song” earned Allie top honors at several regional Idol competitions and second prize during a grueling, 10-week Idol contest in Bay City.
More recently, Allie’s song “Last Goodbye,” recognizing those lost in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shootings in Newtown, CT, has garnered some attention for the young performer.
“Writing the song was a way to cope with what happened,” she said. “I was really sad and couldn’t believe that it actually happened.”
Allie also takes a proactive stance against bullying with her song “Sparkler,” which she said stresses that everyone has their own special spark.
“Maybe if people started truly believing that about themselves, they could prevent becoming victims of bullies,” she said. “I wrote the lyrics to this song in an attempt to express that message.”
Despite the serious nature of some of her songs, Allie isn’t afraid to let her hair down to have a good time onstage. One of her iTunes singles is “My Name is Allie (And I Came to Sing),” which she describes as “a fun, upbeat song about me.”
Allie continues to write, penning songs for what will become her first proper album, but in the meantime she is working to get some additional exposure. She currently is booked to perform at 17 festivals this summer. She also has become a fixture at Rochester venues including Dessert Oasis, Penny Black and Rochester Hills Beer Co.
“I want to have a band, kind of like Taylor Swift,” Allie said. “I’d really like to tour and sing overseas for the troops. That’s what I’ve always wanted to do. I love performing so much, that would be so much fun.”
In the meantime, she said, she can’t wait for her Friday performance at the Hoedown.
“I’m so excited,” she said. “It’s probably going to be the biggest performance I’ve ever done with how many people that are going to be there.”
Allie takes the stage on Stage 3 of the Downtown Hoedown at 6:15 p.m. on Friday.
Fans can follow Allie at facebook.com/allieshermetaro and at allieshermetaro.com to get the latest updates on upcoming performances.
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