Eleven-year-old Dalila Hiett of Wayland is impressing spectators at local venues with her prowess as a vocalist and as a guitarist. She recently mesmerized listeners at the last Arts Wayland Sunset Session at Wayland Town Beach on August 21.
Hiett describes her music as pop rock/folk pop/indie folk. Her current musical influences include Noah Kahan, Alex Warren, Benson Boone and Gracie Abrams. She first gained recognition at a Wayland library open mic performance and has been active in the local music scene ever since. She appreciates the support she receives from Arts Wayland in advancing her musical journey. Hiett was inspired by Christmas music performed by the Jonas Brothers at age 6, and started taking guitar lessons. Although she is currently between teachers, she fully intends to continue learning.
Hiett, a sixth-grader at Wayland Middle School, performs at open mic nights at the Lockheart Restaurant in Wellesley and at MXLR (Music Exchange Listening Room) at Arts Wayland, which takes place on the fourth Monday of each month. She has also performed at the Midway Café in Jamaica Plain and the Middle East in Cambridge. She plans to continue performing at various venues, including this year’s Wayland Festival on Saturday, Oct. 4, at Wayland Town Center.
Hiett is enrolled in a youth rock band program in Jammin with You, a Wellesley music school focused on entertaining music education for children and families. She said the school exposed her to music and musical styles that she would not have played on her own. While her musical aspirations are still being formed, she is interested in writing music as well as performing and has already written some lyrics.
This article is the first in a series of local artist profiles by the Wayland Post. Please tell us about other talented Wayland artists we should profile by emailing info@waylandpost.org.
