CEDAR CITY — Even though Tiana Green just recently graduated from high school, her songs have been available for download from most of the popular streaming platforms for more than one year.
The daughter of Mike and Emily Green is also not shy, performing in school plays, running cross country, singing on stage and competing in speech competitions.
Many high school students dread speaking in front of the classroom. Not so for Green, whose song “Still Young” played on the Reds’ public address system for a couple of weeks.
“The last two weeks of the school year they played it in between bells,” she said. “And everyone would come up to me and be like, ‘Is this your song?’”
Green said she started writing the song as a freshman as a tribute to her best friend’s sister who was graduating.
“She was like the best friend, driving us freshman girls around,” she said. “I’m sure she was sick of us, but she drove us around to all of our freshman memories.”
Four years later as a graduating senior, Green remembered the song and altered it for her current state of mind as a high school student.
“It’s whole purpose is to be nostalgic of all the really relatable and happy memories of high school,” she said.
While at Cedar High School, Green was honored as this year’s Speech and Drama Sterling Scholar.
She has also competed in Cedar City Star Search for four years, winning twice. And she has previously won a Cedar City’s Got Talent competition.
To really push herself — Green runs. Although admittedly not fast.
“I ran cross country, which is awful,” she said through gritted teeth. “I don’t know why I do it, but it’s so much fun to be able to push yourself past what you think you’re capable of.”
When asked about memorable teachers, she said there are many at Cedar High School. Although, telling her choir teacher she would not be singing this year was a rough day for her.
“I had to tell Mr. (Mark) Ganowsky, like ‘I’m not going to do choir this year, but you have completely changed my life. And it’s because of your passion for music that makes me want to pursue music in my life,’” she said.
That pursuit has produced several songs available for purchase on popular streaming platforms, a YouTube channel, a music video, and the chance to meet many others in the statewide singing community.
She recently worked with acclaimed vocal coach Debra Bonner in Salt Lake City and also a video shoot in Los Angeles for her single “Class Clown.”
“It was the experience of a lifetime,” she said.
Anna Lewin teaches anatomy, physiology and chemistry at Cedar High School and has been Green’s advisor throughout her high school career.
She recalled a proud moment bumping into Green while the graduation song she recorded was playing overhead in the hallway.
“She beamed at me and said, ‘This is me!’ It has been fun to watch her growth as a student, an artist and as a person,” Lewin told Cedar City News. “She very successfully balanced a challenging school schedule, extracurricular activities and the demands of writing and performing her own music.”
Although she’s been accepted to music programs, Green said she is still deciding which university path to choose. But she envisions a future somewhere in the music industry.
“I like to test my capabilities, see what I am capable of,” Green said.
A YouTube trailer for “Still Young” can be found in the viewer below.
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