Inspired by pop-rock artists such as Olivia Rodrigo and Alanis Morissette, third-year music industries student Katie DeMartini has released her first album, “nobody’s favorite" under Greene Street Records.
DeMartini said "nobody's favorite" is about growing up, experiencing heartbreak and figuring out how to navigate life. She said she worked through her difficult emotions with her music.
"I wanted to name it 'nobody's favorite', because it is sort of about the heartbreak of me and someone else, but also the heartbreak between me and myself," DeMartini said. "So I think it's kind of what it feels like to be hard on yourself growing up and not being a big fan of yourself and not feeling like anyone else is big fan of you either."
DeMartini featured music in the album that she wrote at 17, as well as music she wrote recently at 21. Because of that, DeMartini said that it was fulfilling to see her writing progress.
"It's kind of like a big project from the last few years. So it is cool to see the growth of how I felt when I was 17 and now how I feel when I'm 20 and 21," DeMartini said.
DeMartini said she has always loved singing, having been a theater student in high school, but she realized she preferred singing to acting. She began writing her own music and released her first songs as a high school junior. At USC, she was the first student to sign with Greene Street Records. She released her first single under the label, "him, i guess," in 2025. She also performed at St. Pat's in Five Points this year.
David Baker is a professor at the School of Music and an advisor for Greene Street Records. Baker works in artists and repertoire, or A&R, making sure students are represented in both the creative and business aspects of making a record. He also helps students throughout the process itself.
Baker met DeMartini through the music industry studies program and has continued to mentor her through her time with Greene Street Records. Greene Street Record functions as a way for DeMartini to find her lane and platform with a supportive team, she said.
"She's an amazing singer," Baker said. "She is an even more amazing songwriter, which is what drew us to her — her ability at such a young age to write just such well crafted and melodic songs and then her drive to do it. She's really interested in being an artist and really driven to do whatever it takes, to really chase that career and chase that dream."
As her first album, DeMartini said it was a way to explore her musical sound. Aside from Olivia Rodrigo and Alanis Morissette, she also looked at 2000s artists Hannah Montana and Demi Lovato. The music DeMartini enjoyed throughout her teen and adult life influenced her musical style.
"I think the 'finding my sound' thing was like looking at different artists that I really like and look up to and studying them and seeing how I can incorporate their music taste into mine," DeMartini said.
Maria Nikolakakos is the rhythm guitarist in DeMartini's group. DeMartini saw Nikolakakos at the final exam for the ensemble class and reached out to her because she was looking to form a group. One of the things Nikolakakos said DeMartini does best is creating catchy earworms.
DeMartini is a serious artist with a passion for creating music, Nikolakakos said.
"It was really nice to be a part of something that you can tell that someone is so passionate about it that they're like, they want it to be like, exactly what's in their head," Nikolakakos said. "Katie's a great musician. She's also a great singer, and she's a great person. She's one of my closest friends, even though I've known her for less than a year, we've become super close, and I love her so much."
"nobody's favorite" is available on all platforms.