You can find her honey-like voice serenading Groton students, from cozy Open Mics to Spotify. A Music Prefect and Open Mic Head, Creed Bellamy ’22 is a passionate singer-songwriter. She has released two singles on official major streaming platforms under her stage name Creed Elan, amassing nearly 1.5k streams.

How did you produce your first ever single, “Bad Girlfriend”? 

For my first time, I had a really rough demo of “Bad Girlfriend,” which was just me singing it with the ukulele. I sent that ahead of time to the sound engineer I was working with, and the first thing we did was record the demo I sent. After that, it was just a question of layering different instrumentals on top of the scratch track (a rough-play through of the song). We added percussion first, and then considered other instruments like the guitar and bass. 

What inspired your latest release, “Not Love”?

I was actually in a little slump writing “Not Love,” so I ended up posting a story on Instagram asking for song ideas. Alessandra [’22] talked about dating someone and not being sure if you’re right for each other, but not wanting to break up in case they might be “the one.” I wrote the chorus, inspired to do something different from usual. 

I don’t usually write songs on the piano, but I wanted “Not Love” to be more like a ballad. In the end, “Not Love” is an experiment with different instruments that I’m not used to, such as the piano and strings.

What projects have you been working on this summer?

This summer, I had an internship at an art gallery. Part of the internship involves meeting featured artists, and I had the opportunity to write a song for a local featured quilter, Beverly Smith. Inspired by one of her pieces called “Plant A Seed,” I was commissioned by Beverly to record the song. 

I went to another studio session a few weeks ago and recorded a better version of a song that I wrote for Music Theory last year. Hopefully the songs will be ready to be released by the end of the year. 

Going back to Groton, what music-related events are you excited about?

I’m so excited to be an Open Mic Head. Griffin Elliot [’22] and I are going to kill it. Open Mics were one of the coolest things coming to Groton. I still remember performing at my very first Open Mic. Overall, I’m just excited to be a part of the actual music program.

On a last note, do you have any advice for Groton music enthusiasts?

Shoot your shot! Lots of people have beautiful songs in their notes that they would never show anyone. Life is too short to be terrified of singing a song at Open Mic. Perform a postlude for someone. Reveal that you have a secret songwriting talent. 

Groton is a super safe and supportive space. When I released “Bad Girlfriend,” people I didn’t even know that well were telling me that they loved it. Groton is a place where you can come out of your shell and be happy and excited about your passions, so go for it!