Sydney Rose Wray, older than her years

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Older than her years

At 18, Oak Ridge songwriter Sydney Rose Wray is pursuing her two passions: performing music and studying to become a youth therapist

by CHRIS BURRITT

OAK RIDGE – Sydney Rose Wray first performed at Oak Ridge’s Craft and Vine when she was 15 years old. Fellow musician Devin Noyes couldn’t believe the richness and range of her voice.

“I thought, ‘holy smoke!’” Noyes said. “Her vocals were just incredible for her age. She was just a kid.”

Three years later, Wray is writing songs she describes as “country and folk” and performing them across North Carolina, including an appearance at the State Fair in Raleigh in October.

But music is just one of Wray’s passions. The other is getting her college education to become a therapist to help children and teens.

As much as the Oak Ridge resident loves music, she realizes she’s probably not going to be among the small fraction of performers who make it big on shows such as “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent.” For financial security, she’s looking toward a career in therapy.

“I hope to do both for the rest of my life,” Wray said in a recent interview.

In some ways, Wray is older than her years, and homeschooling helped to put her ahead academically.

While many 18-year-olds are typically graduating from high school, Wray plans to graduate from UNC-Pembroke next year with bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and sociology. Then she intends to earn a master’s degree in social work, enabling her to become a therapist.

Most of Wray’s education has occurred online, even before the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020 forced students to study from home.

“I like the freedom that online school gives me,” Wray said. “It opens up the whole day for me to do what I want.”

Photos courtesy of Sydney Rose Wray (Left) Oak Ridge songwriter Sydney Rose Wray, 18, performed at the North Carolina State Fair in October, a highlight of her career that started at age 9 when she got a karaoke machine. In photo on oppostite page, Wray poses with her Aussieboxer mix, Bunny, which she got to help her deal with the breakup of her longtime boyfriend earlier this year.

Her musical pursuits started at age 9, when her parents, Bert and Anja Wray, gave her a karaoke machine. She participated in community theaters in High Point and Oak Ridge and landed leading roles in musicals such as “Peter Pan” and “Alice in Wonderland.”

During that time, Wray also performed for pay. She and a friend started a business, Once Upon A Fairy Tale Party, and dressed up as Disney princesses for the birthday parties

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At her mother’s insistence, Wray said she learned to play the guitar because “she wanted me to be able to back myself up.”

Posted on YouTube and other online platforms, some of Wray’s songs deal with difficulties in her life. After ending a long relationship with her boyfriend earlier this year, she wrote a song titled “Run.” She also got an Aussieboxer mix she named Bunny to help her deal with the breakup.

In her therapy, Wray hopes to help young people going through challenges such as hers.

“You can provide the most help to people when they are children,” she said. “Once they’re past 18, it’s hard to change their behavior. But if you can help them earlier, that can change their lives.” COVID-19 pandemic. She then joined Noyes in creating another band, Bordering Red, which performed until Noyes recently moved to Vermont.

Wray’s voice was so mature that Noyes, who is 32, said he sometimes forgot she was still a teenager performing with older musicians. The experience helps explain Wray’s pursuit of her college education and career at a younger age than many of her peers.

Performing music “is not all fun and games,” Noyes noted. “It’s a hard lifestyle if it’s your only income, playing four or five nights a week to make enough money just to pay the bills.”

Last month, Wray started working 20 hours a week for Cross River Therapy helping autistic children with practical living and behavioral skills. Not only does she want to bolster her career résumé, but she also wants to start generating steady income.

Wray’s plans bypass the typical experiences of some 18-year-olds who move away from home for the first time to attend college. She lives at home with her parents and a younger brother and sister.

Three years ago, Wray was performing her own songs at Craft and Vine, a beer and wine bar in Oak Ridge Commons, when she met Noyes and other members of the classic rock band Badd Madison.

Wray played during set breaks for Badd Madison until the band disbanded in 2020, partly due to the

“I’m ready to move out, but I don’t want to live in a dorm,” she said. “I want to buy my own house.’’

It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.

– Babe Ruth