As a high school English teacher, McKenna Hydrick always encourages her students to pursue their dreams. This time, she's taking her own advice.
The self-described "country girl with a heart for God" will release her first original songs next month.
The North Augusta native tip-toed around pursuing a country music career after high school, but opted to attend the University of South Carolina and became a teacher instead.
"I wanted to do it so badly when I was 17 or 18, but I didn't feel I was ready. I wasn't competitive," she said.
Last year she tried out for American Idol. The "cattle call" experience pushed her desire to work for her dream instead of hoping it would happen over night.
"I started writing for the first time ever," she said. "I knew I was doing the right thing. I'd never written anything like that before."
Hydrick hadn't abandoned music in college. Instead the time gave her a chance to refine her tastes and range as she worked with the TrueNorth worship team.
That team and camaraderie played a major part in Hydrick's project getting off the ground this year.
"It was God's perfect timing," she said. "I couldn't have done this without the kindness of people."
Paired with Cliff Jennings from TrueNorth and the crew from Imagine Studio on Clearwater Road, Hydrick wrote melodies and recorded four original songs within a month.
"It's good timing because everything just happened," she said. "It's also made me so grateful. My husband (Andrew) sits at home and takes care of my baby so I can do this 30 hours a week in addition to teaching."
"It's a struggle. I'm missing out on day-to-day things and I have to make some decisions," she said. "I've never just followed a lead that wasn't warranted though."
Hydrick said the process has even made her a better teacher.
While writing about "broken hearts and pick-up trucks," she said, she found that sometimes the simple words her students use is OK and everything doesn't have to be analytical.
"I love what I'm doing, but it's a skill and I've had to learn what to do and work at it. It's built a trust with them (students) because they see me working for it," she said.
As she waits for the final product to be mixed and mastered, Hydrick's already dreaming of playing anywhere in Nashville, even if it means scrimping to live in a small apartment for a while. Performing some place like the Grand Ole Opry or even meeting Carrie Underwood would be gravy.
"I'm a hard worker and I've never worked this hard for something in my life."
Hydrick's career can be followed through her Facebook fan page.
Reach Julia Sellers at julia.sellers@northaugustatoday.com.
