INSIDE
SPORTS Former JJC star now with the Bears Page 13
NEWS Drew Peterson trial underway Page 5
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AUGUST 8, 2012
Vol. 4 No. 49
Joliet teen a rising star After being contacted by an L.A.-based music producer, Lizzy Stone hopes to sign a major label record deal By Jonathan Samples Staff Reporter
Every Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., Lizzy Stone arrives for her voice lesson at the University of St. Francis. For the last 5 years, Lizzy, a senior at Providence Catholic High School, and voice instructor Jeff Ray, have worked together on her sound. In March, that work garnished unexpected rewards, as Lizzy was approached by music production company Ramone Worldwide. The LosAngeles-based producer first noticed Lizzy because of her YouTube channel, which is filled with videos of her singing her favorite songs. “His assistant messaged me and said, ‘I listened to your YouTube videos, I think your really good, and there’s this producer that wants to work with you,” Lizzy says. “At first I thought it was a scam.”
“The record label is
saying I could be like the next Taylor Swift, but I want to be the first Lizzy Stone.” Lizzy Stone. The call was anything but a scam, and within weeks the Joliet native was on her way to Los Angeles to meet Mark McKinney, the creative mind behind Ramone Worldwide, and put together an artist package for potential record labels. “The first thing obviously is you have to figure out what kind of genre is going to be best hitting for the artist, and sometimes that’s hit and miss as well.” McKinney says of the first things he and Lizzy worked on. “When you have an artist that’s singing
Jonathan Samples/Bugle Staff
Lizzy Stone works with voice instructor Jeff Ray during her weekly voice lesson at the University of St. Francis.
covers that are out by someone else versus what they’re going to be able to pull off, it may be two totally different things.” During that trip, Lizzy recorded five original songs and one music video with McKinney, who has worked with a number of top-
selling artists, including Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift and Hanna Montana. Once a new artist has put together a package,McKinney helps to shop the artist around to interested record labels. And that’s exactly what he did. After that initial trip to L.A., Lizzy
and her mom, Cynthia, were on their way to New York to meet with Atlantic Records. “I had a meeting with them where I sang a little bit and they listened to my songs,” Lizzy says. See LIZZY, page 2