Lori Song

Wayne Hills senior Anthony Martinelli

At a first glance, Wayne Hills senior Anthony Martinelli appears to be the average, photo-taking, gym-going high school student; but, what you might not know is that he possesses two unique qualities–his aptitude for singing and songwriting, and fervent ambition to be the next John Lennon or Paul McCartney. 

Anthony Martinelli is a seventeen-year old singer and songwriter whose music is known and loved by the Wayne Hills community. His music has recently gained loads of traction from the release of his newest song, “Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye”. The song is captivating at a first listen; it starts off softly, and then slowly builds to a powerful melody with plenty of high notes and runs. It, like many of his other songs, falls under the alternative genre, which is a crossroad between all of Anthony’s favorite types of music such as rock and pop. 

Senior Vivek Limaye is a fan of Anthony’s, and he especially enjoys his new song because it is “representative of his growth as a person and an artist and how he has adapted and grown to be a better person from his past.” Many people, like Vivek, feel touched by Anthony’s music, as it shares his unique perspectives, relatable life experiences, and is simply just catchy. 

Anthony has been writing music ever since the beginning of quarantine in 2020, and since then, has written over 30 songs that he is “truly proud of.” His inspiration for these songs can be found in his life-changing situations and decisions, or, more commonly, just a singular revelation he had one day. Being an avid fan of The Beatles, he also derives inspiration from the famous band, as they were such an innovative musical group of their time. He admires their creative lyrics and iconic melodies, and tries to emulate certain aspects of their music in his own. 

It is no secret, Anthony admitted, that writing music is both time-consuming and challenging. Throughout his many experiences in songwriting, Anthony has gotten stuck at a “writer’s block” more often than you might think: “about 99% of the time [he tries] to write music, [he] can’t think of any words, or melodies, either.” But, when the seed–a one-line phrase–is finally planted, he then adds guitar notes, followed by the lyrics, and naturally, the plant blossoms from there. Despite the rocky road at its beginning, the songwriting process is beautifully unpredictable and open to so many lyrical and melodious possibilities, which is what Anthony loves so much about it.

However, writing the song is only half of the battle; the second half is the producing-aspect, which is a lot more intricate than it might seem. As a young artist, it can be extremely difficult to get one’s hands on high-quality recording equipment and expertise in the music studio; remarkably, Anthony does just that. 

At first, he worked with an engineer at an at-home studio in Sparta, New Jersey, where he recorded and released his first four songs. Later on, a producer caught wind of his work, and started working with him in a recording studio in Manhattan, NYC. At this studio, he worked with a producer and engineers to bring his songs to life. He then uploaded them to his music platforms, marketed them, and at once, his fans began listening to his singles, “Azzurra” and “Falling in Slow Motion”. 

But, despite his success today, it is important to note that it took Anthony many years to get his music career started. Starting when he was a little boy, he would sing along to songs on the radio, carefully listen to music playing around the house, and even make up melodies in his head from time to time. The first time he sang in front of a crowd of people was at the Pines Lake Elementary School talent show, and after that, he decided he wanted to take vocal lessons at School of Rock and ShamRock School of Music. From that time to his freshman year of high school, Anthony was a member of several chorus programs, and has had music instructors along the way. His music journey has been inspiring; one thing led to another, and these opportunities only helped his passion for music grow to its height today. 

Anthony gives credit to his father, who sang and played guitar in a band years back, for introducing music to him at a young age. Anthony’s father gifted him his first guitar and taught him his first song, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. The simple nursery rhyme acted as a catalyst for Anthony’s love for music, along with support from both his mother and father who have watched him grow and admire his passion to share stories through music. 

Like his family, Anthony’s band, “Walking in Circles”, has played a part in his success today. He is a singer and guitarist in his band, which consists of he and three of his good friends from Wayne Hills: Trevor Smith, a guitarist, Jack Bandola, a drummer and vocalist, and Hunter Bandola, a bassist. As both friends and bandmates, “Walking in Circles” currently performs at private parties, restaurants, fairs, fundraisers, and various other events in the tri-state area. They cover songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, and more, and even enjoy playing each other’s original songs. 

Anthony laughed, and admitted that the band got its name because “[he and his bandmates] all pace around in circles when [they’re] on the phone or talking to each other.” In all seriousness, Anthony said, he truly owes much of his growing-success to his bandmates. Not only are they some of his greatest supporters, but working together with other talented, young artists has propelled him to grow both on his own and with the people who have been by his side since the dawn of his journey. Anthony spoke from his heart and said, “my band gives me the constant drive to improve and be the best artist that I can be.” Every band practice opens up a world of possibilities for future projects, deeper bonds with his bandmates, and even more love for the art of music.

Anthony anticipates continuing to make music a huge presence in his life as time goes on, both on his own and with his bandmates. He plans to go to college and major in marketing, but will still prioritize making music in his own time. He admitted that, like every young artist, “making it big” is truly a dream, and it would be gratifying to sell out venues and show the rest of the world what he has been working hard on for years. 

He is looking forward to releasing his first full-length album in 2024, and until then–and for many years afterwards–he will continue to internalize the encouraging words of his music producer, Derek: “with enough dedication and determination, one day, you just might be able to make it big.”