Teen's songs speak of empowerment - and boys

Nora Collins has come a long way since she first belted out the lyrics to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" at the tender age of 3.

Collins, now 16, has spent countless hours writing original songs in the bedroom of her Brookfield home over the past two years. She recently traveled to Nashville, Tenn., to record a few songs with industry veterans for her second album, due out in December.

"At first I was a little intimidated," she said. "But everyone is so nice in Nashville. All the guys that played on my songs were so, so nice and just wanted to help."

Boredom led Collins to pick up a neglected acoustic guitar two years ago and strum out her first original song, "Every Time."

"I really didn't know guitar very well, but I knew four chords. So I took the four chords and started singing," she said.

Collins' style emerged as a country-pop blend with a twist of folk. She recorded her first album at age 14 in her Uncle Doug's home studio.

The album gave her parents, Michael and Jenny, their first opportunity to hear their daughter's music. They were impressed.

"The songs have great melody," Michael said. "The lyrics are very mature and have a good message for young girls. It's about empowerment."

Nora, on the other hand, says the songs are about boys.

Her first break came when she finished in the top 15 in a national Country Music Television competition for unsigned artists that drew more than 600 entries.

From there, Nora hooked up with the Milwaukee chapter of Nashville Songwriters Association International and headed south to record.

"It was such a great experience," she said. "I can't wait to move there."

While Nora is aiming for the stars, her feet remain firmly planted on the ground: Her first objective is to graduate from Brookfield East High School in 2012.

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Just the Facts

NAME: Nora Collins

AGE: 16

NOTED FOR: singer-songwriter who is about to release her second country album; performs often at local Potbelly's restaurants

ONLINE: noracollins.com.