Meet the Writer: Daysia Cornish

Editor’s note: As part of CMN’s music journalism program, our music writers are profiling other team members, asking about how they got into music and what they see themselves doing in the future. You can read all the profiles here.

Before iPods were a household item and streaming services were a distant reality, recording songs off the radio and burning CDs were commonplace activities.

Daysia Cornish remembers that time very well.

“My cousin burnt me a CD People used to do that, with all your favorite songs at the time. It was – like – 2003? It was 3LW’s “No More (Baby Im’a Do Right).” She burnt that on a CD for me and I listened to it all the time.”

Which only goes to show that Cornish has had a passion for music from a young age. Like any passion, without any concrete goals in mind it remained nothing more than a series of “should I’s?”

“Should I sing? Should I dance? Should I play an instrument?” These are questions Cornish is all too familiar with.

In turn, what Cornish has fallen back on in the meantime — which proved to be a blessing in disguise — is her innate talent for writing:

“I’ve always been a good writer, so I figured I’d try this.”

“This” being College Media Network’s music journalism program, which in essence has allowed Cornish to combine what she likes to do with what she loves. Through the program, Cornish has had the opportunity to explore her diverse interests within the field of music such as podcasts and track/album reviews, as well as having the opportunity to question/converse with other men and women working in the music industry — including me.

In an effort to familiarize ourselves with one another, I provided Cornish with a general timeline of my own musical journey, ending with my studies at Berklee College of Music. This wasn’t something I had intended to address in much detail, but upon mentioning the school, it became evident that Cornish interests lie beyond CMN’s program alone.

She asked about the audition process, and what I’m currently studying, before revealing:

“I’d like to attend one day. I think I’d probably audition as a vocalist as well. It’s good to be in a place where people have the same interest as you — that can inspire you — that you can bounce [ideas] off of them. I’m in the middle of nowhere.”

What I should have asked next was, “what’s holding you back?”

Only in her first year of college, it’s hardly as if anything is set in stone – and I think through the program and conversations like these Cornish has already found the answer: nothing is holding her back.

Stay tuned for the next chapter in her story.