South Carolina has a rich reputation for producing some of the biggest names in the country. From Chris Rock to Andie MacDowell, South Carolina has produced a variety of famous stars. In addition, South Carolina has produced several stars featured on television shows such as “The Voice” and “America’s Got Talent.” These accomplished stars had to get their start somewhere and have inspired the next generation of upcoming South Carolina stars.
Outside Spartanburg High School, several students have a bright artistic and musical career ahead of them. Each of these students juggles the typical challenges of high school life while emerging as a rising star.
Seventeen-year-old John Christian Andrews, better known as Capzlock, is making a name for himself as a well-known musical artist. With 287,588 monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 36 million streams for his breakout hit, “Has to Be,” Capzlock is quickly gaining attention in the music industry. Capzlock is signed to the renowned 10K Projects record label, which also represents artists such as Trippie Redd and Ice Spice.
Andrews recently graduated early from James F. Byrnes High School to get a head start on his music career.
“Stabilizing a career in music with school is just like any other balance. In the same way, an athlete must balance their sport with schoolwork; you must discipline yourself to keep up with all your responsibilities. It’s important to keep a good balance between both school and work to prepare yourself for whatever may happen later in life,” Andrews said.
At Spartanburg High School, the variety of art classes provides a creative outlet for students and opens many doors of possibility. AP Art classes challenge the school’s top artists and help them strive to reach their full artistic potential.
Pierce Lake (12) is currently taking AP Studio Art at Spartanburg High School. Pierce has won several awards for his art, including the Silver Key, honorable mentions for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and third place in the painting category at the Piedmont Fair.
Lake says he is enthusiastic about continuing his love for art in college and his career plans.
“I would love to attend an art college out of state, with the Rhode Island School of Design being my dream school. I want to pursue a career in illustration and create artwork for books or possibly do animation,” Lake said.
The Spartanburg High Band Department has also produced several young stars. The department features the band class, color guard, symphonic band, marching band, jazz club and more. A group of these band members has formed their own band outside of Spartanburg High School.
Paul Whisnant (12), Omner Grinder (12), Ace Johnson (12), Sam Foster (12), Robin Foster (11) and Gray Howlett (12) have formed a band outside of school. This group strictly does covers of songs, such as Coldplay’s “Politik.”
Whisnant discusses the difficulties of balancing meetings with his band during the busy school season.
“We probably won’t be prepared for the February talent shows since we are mostly busy dealing with schoolwork, scholarship applications and other extracurriculars we have. Hopefully, we will perform at a venue soon,” Whisnant said.
Finding the perfect balance between starting an artistic career and managing regular schoolwork can be challenging, but these young artists have shown remarkable dedication, excelling both in their craft and academics.
