Having already released a handful of singles, junior English major Amelia Day was ready to take the next step as an artist and develop her first project under a single sound and concept. Day decided to make the creation of her first EP her Immersion Vanderbilt project, opening access to mentorship and funding opportunities to support her dream.
Day, a grant recipient of the Joe C. Davis Fund, used the Immersion Vanderbilt funding to work with a professional producer in Nashville and create graphic and video elements that reflect the meaning of her folk-styled EP Eastward of Eden. Following the guidelines of Immersion Vanderbilt helped Day create an essential structural foundation and stay organized throughout the process, she explained.
“I started off the project with a general plan, and so many details shifted,” Day said. “Immersion Vanderbilt definitely helped me build the framework. It served as this scaffolding that I could build around.”
Sharing her work and passion for music with a larger audience became one of the most meaningful parts of her Immersion Vanderbilt project, Day said.
“It really meant something that these songs are not just my own processing of my emotions, but they can be that for other people as well,” she said.
Day doesn’t shy away from exploring deep themes and complex styles in Eastward of Eden, using the songs to express her unique perspective and voice.
“It’s a story about love and longing—that’s longing for another person, for the past, for a return to nature. A few of the songs are told from my own personal perspective,” she said. “I told the story of The Great Gatsby with myself as Gatsby. ‘Eastward of Eden’ is a third-person omniscient narrative song.”
Day valued the time spent with her faculty adviser Deanna Walker, adjunct instructor in songwriting at the Vanderbilt Blair School of Music. Walker supported Day as she navigated both the composition and legal processes, helping her bring the project to life.
“She just knows so much about the music business,” Day said of Walker. “Talking to her about copyright and publishing rights was really helpful on the more technical and legal side of the EP.”
When asked to give advice on the Immersion Vanderbilt journey to her peers, Day recommended pursuing a strong interest and carefully considering the project goals when developing a proposal.
“Be very thorough with what your goals are, because it will provide you with guidelines for creating what you want to make,” Day said. “Choose something you’re passionate about. Use it to push yourself to do something bigger than you would be doing normally.
“Vanderbilt is one of the communities where everyone has something, so just lean into that, and use the resources,” she said.
Listen to Eastward of Eden on Spotify, and follow Day on Instagram at @ameliadaymusic.