Former Woodlands Student's Song Featured in Disney's "Prom"

Former Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart student Rachel McClusky has scored a song placement in Disney’s new film “Prom,” starring an emerging ensemble cast including Aimee Teegarden, Nicholas Braun and Christine Elise.

The film, released nationwide on April 29, is already garnering comparisons to Disney's “High School Musical” franchise. McClusky’s song -- a dance remix of her original “Secret Crush” -- is featured in a pivotal scene in the movie.

“I was thrilled to be invited to write two songs for the movie, as well as submit two more I had already written, so having a song selected is an even bigger honor,” said McClusky, a developing artist from Evanston who is now based in Chicago. “I can't wait to see the movie, and it’s an honor to have my music there along side Allstar Weekend and Oh Darling.”

McClusky's placement in “Prom” adds to her growing list of musical achievements. In October, she performed at the Washington Monument as part of a national Special Olympics ceremony to honor the legacy of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. And her song “Be a Fan” was selected as a 2010 U.S. Special Olympics theme. McClusky performed it for 15,000 people at the opening and closing Special Olympics ceremonies in Lincoln, Neb. in July of last year.

McClusky has a passion and talent for making art that “helps people connect."

"I want to help people through situations by writing music that they can relate to,” she said.

At 17, McClusky has a maturity that outpaces her years, and has used music to transcend a variety of personal experiences.

“Music was the only thing I could rely on, the only thing that made sense through my teenage years,” she said.

That translates to a musical approach that reflects some of her most treasured influences; she admires Taylor Swift, Laura Marling, Marina and the Diamonds, and the vocal stylings of Beyonce and Alicia Keys. But she’s also a fan of a wide variety of artists from Bon Hiver to Andrew Bell. McClusky’s style is all her own: honest and direct in its mix of lyric and melody.

On her new self-released EP “Beleave Me,” McClusky points to “Secret Crush” as representative of her sound, style and where she’s been as an artist and individual.

To learn more about McClusky, visit her website at www.rachelmcclusky.com.