With headphones in and the world tuned out, Chelsea Harris hopes one day to convey the same inspirational message and style as some of her favorite artists.

“I was influenced by Destiny’s Child and Jazmine Sullivan. That’s basically about it. I really don’t listen to just everyone. I’m picky about music, you could say,” Harris said.

Harris is most interested in Rhythm and Blues, often called R&B, and the influence it has on her voice and style.

“R&B music makes me feel great. It gets my emotions going and messes with my feelings. I listen to R&B all the time so that’s my genre. I love the upbeat sound of it and the way the voices sound,” Harris said.

“Music is really everything.”

Harris has spent the past two weeks co-creating an R&B/Gospel song as part of the Otis Music Camp — a singer/songwriter camp sponsored by the Otis Redding Foundation.

The song — “There is Reason” — focuses on the role God plays in our lives and that there is a reason for everything.

“My eyes can see love is killin me. Love is patient, love is kind, love is childish, love is blind. Love will devastate your mind. Love is life. There is a reason,” Harris sings as a part of the group.

This 15-year-old started singing with her church choir at 7 and loves to sing along to movies — especially “High School Musical — in the car. She is a rising sophomore at Central High School, where she sings in the chorus.

“Music is really everything. Music is a passion to me. I just love listening to music. It’s the best, really,” Harris said.

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