“Pop — Six — Squish — Uh-uh — Cicero — Lipschitz!”

Dorm lounge, Thursday night.

A game of beer pong under way; the persistent sound of a hollow plastic ping pong ball trying in vain to land inside the cup. Two long-lost friends catching up on life, their chatter adding to the indistinct haze of music playing in the background. Another student in a corner working on an essay; the backspace key speaking the loudest.

And then a moment of silence. Unwanted silence. But silence that put that random medley of sounds into a different light. In a unique way, these students were creating a different genre of music. It was their own Chicago Cell Block Tango: Pop — Six — Squish — Uh-uh — Cicero — Lipschitz!

And Monday evening at the Toyon Eating Clubs was the Pop — Six — Squish of Stanford’s own face of music, rising singer-songwriter Stephanie Hilliard ‘09. Hilliard, a biomechanical engineering major from Payson, Ariz., officially released her first CD this week. Called “Poker Face,” it includes songs she composed and sang.

“I would describe my music as indie rock with soulful vocals,” Hilliard said. “I was inspired by the music and vocals of Jewel, Goo Goo Dolls, Fiona Apple and Mariah Carey and would say that my music represents a unique mix of all of theirs.”

The audience was clearly impressed by Hilliard’s talent, cheering her on through a small performance at the CD release party. The concert also featured duets with Hilliard’s friends Leia Lorica ‘09 and Miguel Sugay ‘10, as well as guest performances by Naomi Andebrhan ‘09, Winston Lofton ‘09, Isaac Johnson ‘09, Girmay Zahilay ‘09 and the a capella group Everyday People.

“That was incredible!” said Chris Baclig ‘09. “Stephanie is a very talented and professional artist, and the joy she gets when she sings and performs definitely shone through tonight.”

Lorica was excited for Hilliard and looks up to her talent as a musician.

“Steph’s devotion to working on the CD the entire summer as well as this year has been inspiring,” Lorica said. “Her music is extremely relatable and she has immense talent, and the whole reason for this party was to give her music the level of exposure that it truly deserves.”

So what’s the story behind Hilliard’s musical prowess?

POP

Hilliard’s rendezvous with music began at an early age, as her mom played the guitar and sang to her in her native Filipino language of Tagalog. Hilliard remembers listening to the radio by her bedside for hours, and she gradually learned to recognize different song structures, gaining an ear for melodious tunes.

SIX

As Hilliard’s love for music grew, she started to realize music’s expressive potential. A relatively shy student in high school, she was inspired by the musicians she listened to; she began writing songs as a way to unwind from an academically rigorous high school curriculum. Slowly, the POP and SIX built on each other as she began developing her natural talent.

“During my junior year [of high school], I was inspired by Michelle Branch and taught myself the guitar at age 16, just like she did,” said Hilliard. “Soon, I started songwriting as a fun activity and allowed the music I listened to to help me perfect my guitar chords and complement the songs I wrote.”

At first, Hilliard — like many young musicians — was afraid to let others hear her music. Once, during a concert in high school, she surprised her friends and family with “At the Edge,” one of her first songs. The audience loved it. Having received an overwhelmingly positive reaction for a song she had written in only 10 minutes, Hilliard discovered she had a true talent for and love of writing and singing songs, of which she has about 100 to date.

SQUISH

At Stanford, however, everyone is a class apart in everything they pursue.

“As a freshman, I was nervous because there were few independent singer-songwriters at my level, and there didn’t seem to be a large music scene for us at the time,” Hilliard said.

“I spent a lot of time watching bands and trying to find other musicians until I got the opportunity to play an hour long show at the CoHo, which I got through one of my friends on the concert network,” she continued. “The audience seemed to really like it, which opened a lot of doors for me, allowing me to get my music out to Stanford and a lot of other bands.”

Hilliard continued to explore the music scene, opening for Chris Ayer, a local singer, and performing for the CoHo series, which she still misses.

“The CoHo environment was great for singer-songwriters and musicians in general,” she said. “That’s where I performed first, and I miss it because the feel and comfort associated with it was perfect.”

UH-UH

After being featured on two Stanford soundtracks, opening for Indi-rock band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists last year and performing at the Sophomore Talent Show, Hilliard decided that it was about time she had a CD to give people when they asked for her music. So, with the help of her friend producer Jack Conte ‘07, Hilliard produced her debut album, Poker Face, which took six weeks over the summer to record and an additional four months to fine-tune.

“The experience was great but challenging because I liked to use intuition and music more than technical terms. This didn’t always work out in getting my feelings across to my producer,” she said. “I would describe songs as ‘angelic’ or ‘emphatic’ which perfectly described my tone and sentiment, but [Conte] needed actual music terms to work with.”

“Also, a lot of people would often tell me what they wanted my songs to sound like, but ultimately I had to use own intuition to make my songs sound like I wanted them to, and head in that direction,” she added.

CICERO

Her hard work seems to have paid off, as Hilliard’s CD release party saw a good turnout and great appreciation for her musical talent.

Priyata Mehra ‘09, friend and dormmate of Hilliard, admires her music and has seen her grow as a musician.

“Music has always driven Steph and it has especially been an important part of her growth over her three years at Stanford,” Mehra said. “It has been great to see Steph grow as an artist, from performing at the [former] CoHo to working on her album, and especially to see her love for music come out as something tangible in the form of her first CD.”

Reflecting on the evening, Hilliard largely attributed her success to her parents, who supported her throughout the production process.

“My mother manages my MySpace account and my father helps with the production and distribution of the CD,” she said. “Although I was afraid to tell them of my musical interests as a freshman in high school, they have been very supportive of my endeavors once they found out.”

Lipschitz!

Looking back on her years here, Hilliard notes a positive change in the Farm’s solo music scene.

“As my freshman year progressed, a lot more performers began gaining the courage to perform as Stanford began to open the music scene to solo acts rather than only bands,” she said. “Today I see that the campus widely appreciates solo artists, especially singer-songwriters, something I struggled with as a freshman.”

Hilliard believes that the trick is to take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself.

“Don’t hold back with your music,” Hilliard tells aspiring student artists. “Contact the Stanford Concert Network, play shows at The Axe and the Palm — even if it is just for half-hour — and invite your dorm to your shows.”

“People will definitely show you their support when you play, not just because you have the courage to perform, but especially because you are making music,” she added. “And they will love you.”