\nshe wrote and recorded. And she is also trying to find the balance between keeping music in her
\nlife while contemplating taking on a double major. \u201cI\u2019m currently undecided, but I definitely am
\nvery ambitious, I think I could do it.\u201d Tuccillo searched out musical groups at Hunter upon
\narriving here her freshman year and found Hawkapella, an acapella group that relies solely on
\nvocals rather than instruments. After one year in Hawkapella, Tuccillo was chosen as the
\nassistant music director of the group.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/received_267215017320811-300x235.jpeg\")
Her first performance, at 12 years old, was at a local talent show called Hampton Idol, that
\nattracts performers through the age of 17. She sang \u201cRumor Has It\u201d by Adele to hundreds in the crowd. \u201cOh my God, at that point it was the most terrifying things I had done! My palms were sweating and my voice shook a lot,\u201d she admitted. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy to look back on that and see how much progression my voice has gone through. I feel like I\u2019m a different singer.\u201d
\nThough she didn\u2019t win the competition, Tuccillo was spotted by a manager in the audience who thought she had potential, and went on to record some covers that year with her new manager\u2019s help.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the first taste of studio life,\u201d said Tuccillo, \u201cand it was the coolest feeling in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starting then, Tuccillo continuously trained her voice, recorded covers, and repeated the
\nprocess, eventually posting covers on social media. When she turned 15, she was contacted by a talent agent from American Idol who asked her to audition for the show privately. In the years
\nfollowing, Tuccillo would go on to audition for the X Factor, America\u2019s Got Talent and the newest
\nsinging competition, The Four. Tuccillo quickly learned that performing on reality shows don\u2019t
\nnecessarily equal talent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was devastating getting rejected that first time,\u201d she said. \u201cHearing a \u2018no\u2019 from a producer
\ndisappoints you at first, but you come to the realization that, hey, I\u2019m talented and I know it. This
\nis my motivation to keep going further and prove them wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
At 19, she was given the opportunity to sing the national anthem at Red Bull Arena ahead of a
\nMajor League Soccer event. It was the biggest performance of her life to date, as it was
\nbroadcast on television as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy friends hit me up on social media later saying, \u2018I just saw you on TV!\u2019 It honestly felt like a
\ndream,\u201d Tuccillo said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBad Habit,\u201d a new single that she wrote and recorded, was released on Oct. 26 and took
\nmonths of studio time recording verses in separate sections, editing, and going through the
\ncopyright process. It all started, however, with a simple instruction from her producer.
\n\u201cHe said, \u2018Bad habit. Now write a song,\u2019\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cSo I started brainstorming, and
\nit came to me very quickly. Writing in the studio is much different than writing anywhere else.
\nYou feel more in the zone.\u201d<\/p>\n