Before starting out on a six-hour drive to Nashville, Tennessee from Chicago a couple of weeks ago, Daphne Willis told us about her budding career and how much she enjoys creative pow-wows with other artists and songwriters. “I’m going for a week,” Willis said of her trip to Nashwille, “We meet up, make demos and keep writing all the time. It’s the only way to improve.”

On these writing trips Willis becomes inspired and connects with other musicians, “I’ve grown relationships with a great network of people,” she added. When it comes to writing song lyrics, she’s also a “people person.” “I try and write about how we deal with struggles and how we find meaning,” Willis seemed to think aloud. “Everyone wants to be happy.”

For Willis, happiness has been music since she began playing the piano in first grade. She later moved on to the saxophone and guitar. Now she’s 22 years old and releasing her album, What to Say, a melodic mix of music that will linger in your head, connecting you to Willis. And, if you need more, she’ll be touring throughout the year and is very active online. “It makes it easy to connect, that’s why I write, to let people reach me.”

For more about Daphne Willis, hear it now: http://www.channelone.com/music/daphne-willis