Fishers High School graduate Kivett shares mess of hope through song

0

Myra Kivett wanted to give her fellow Fishers High School seniors some hope as the coronavirus pandemic robbed them of the final months of memories.

Then, the song became more.

“I realized this virus isn’t just affecting my class,” Kivett said. “It’s affecting everyone, so that’s why I wanted to write this song because there is not just hope for my class, there is hope for everyone. After all this over, we’ll come back stronger and we’ll all make it through together.”

The 2020 Fishers High School graduate said it took about an hour to write the song,“There’s Hope.” She wrote it at the piano and originally had only a few chord sequences to it.

“Then I revised it, but overall, it just took an hour and half to write the song,” she said. “Songwriting is a way you can express different emotions and cope with different things.”

Kivett’s father, Jeff, owns the MediaFuel Digital Agency. He collaborated with his daughter on making an accompanying music video.

“After she wrote the song, I told her she needed a strong visual to go with it,” Jeff said. “We feel like the music video really brings the song to life with the visuals.”

Kivett enjoyed the process of filming the video.

“My dad has such a creative eye,” she said. “I got to be a little actress for the day.”

Some of her classmates took part in the video. Steven Potaczek, a Samford University instructor, produced the music for “There’s Hope.” Kivett met Potaczek, a former Fishers resident, at a 2019 music business camp at Anderson University.

“Potaczek asked if we wanted to hire a backup vocalist,” Kivett said. “I said, ‘Dad, you should do it. You could sing it with me. How special would that be?’ A daddy/daughter song would be super special.”

So, her dad agreed.

“I wish he would have sang more, but he didn’t want to steal the spotlight from me or anything,” Kivett said. “I wanted him to steal the spotlight, he’s so great.”

Jeff, who sings at his church, was a DJ and karaoke host while at Ball State University and after college. The Lawrence Central High School graduate wrote, sang and produced songs after college for a few years.

Kivett was involved with the FHS Speech and Debate Team for three years, reaching national competition in 2019 in Dallas.

“It helped me grow tremendously as a public speaker and my confidence,” she said.

She took private voice and piano lessons from elementary school through high school.

“I’ve always done theater stuff on the side and I’ve been inspired by that, too,” she said.

Kivett has written more than 80 songs. She is participating in the Nashville Songwriters Association International’s Remote Interactive Songwriting Education course. The Zoom intensive includes songwriters of all ages.

“For me, I feel like I should write a song every day,” Kivett said. “I feel like I should have enough ideas so I should be able to write that many songs.”

She recorded her song “Dry Eyes” in the summer of 2019 at Gaither Studios in Alexandria. She was one of five selected from the business camp to record a song.

Kivett co-wrote a song with 2020 Noblesville High School graduate Kristian Ngoma called “I’m an Artist.” Ngoma’s recording name is K. Eastwood.

“He does more rapping and I sang my little part,” she said.

Kivett, who had a 4.48 grade point average in high school, plans to major in communications with a minor in music at IUPUI. She plans to graduate in three years and then get a master’s degree in commercial music from Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.

“Ideally, I’d like to be a songwriter, but I’d like to have another job, too, which is why I’m majoring in communications,” she said. “I love writing speeches and talking to people, so I think it would be fun to be a TV host or broadcaster, too.”

The video can be seen on Kivett’s YouTube channel or at myrakivett.com.


Current Morning Briefing Logo

Stay CURRENT with our daily newsletter (M-F) and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox for free!

Select list(s) to subscribe to



By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
Share.

Current Morning Briefing Logo

Stay CURRENT with our daily newsletter (M-F) and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox for free!

Select list(s) to subscribe to



By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact