UT Tyler Student Releases Digital Music Single

January 30, 2019

UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications

UT Tyler Student Releases Digital Music Single

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January 30, 2019

Media Contact: Beverley Golden
Senior Director of Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.566.7303

Raquelle Langlinais has shared her musical talents on campus throughout her time as a student at The University of Texas at Tyler.

A singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist of the Americana genre, Langlinais won the Patriots Got Talent competition with the performance of her song "Supreme Love'' in fall 2016, her first semester at UT Tyler. She also is a familiar voice at Patriots athletic events, where she performs the National Anthem.

Langlinais is now sharing her music with audiences beyond campus with the recent digital release of her single "Alright'' under the Du Jour Productions label. It is one of several songs her band, The Half-Guided Hearts, is recording for an upcoming album, which will be a mix of rock, country, folk, and rhythm and blues.

The project represents a new chapter in Langlinais' musical pursuits, which began early in her life.

"The way my parents speak of my childhood, I am convinced I started singing before I began talking,'' she said with a laugh, adding that her parents are singers who met at a music competition.

A Port Arthur native who grew up in East Texas, Langlinais began songwriting at age 7, recorded her first song at 13 for her family and learned to play the guitar at 16. After high school, she began performing and recording with her bandmate, Guillermo Murillo, while studying music in junior college.

Langlinais planned to become a music teacher, but in 2014 she decided to take a break from both school and music to reassess her life and career options.

Two years later, she entered UT Tyler as an English major with a minor in marketing. Now a senior and a member of UT Tyler's Sigma Tau Delta honor society for English majors, she said her goal is to establish a writing career in marketing while continuing to pursue music on the side.

"I researched a few programs at UT Tyler and English fit the bill for me. I've never been happier with a decision I've made,'' said Langlinais, who graduates this spring.

As an English major, she said she has received a solid foundation for her marketing career – and inspiration for her music.

"Studying the works of American writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman has definitely made me a better songwriter,'' she said, adding that her songs often focus on "relatable topics'' including navigating love and romance. "Almost every song we've approached as a band has been based on love because, even if they've never had someone to love, people still want companionship.''

She and Murillo restarted the band in 2017 and began planning their album. They wrote songs throughout that summer and then spent time recording in Nashville, Tennessee.

Langlinais' goal as a music artist "isn't necessarily to become famous,'' she said. "I want to give the world something they will enjoy listening to – whatever size that 'world' may be. It may be five people, it may be 5,000, but it will be enough. I just want to share my heart through my music.''

A member of the prestigious UT System, The University of Texas at Tyler focuses on student success and innovative research in the more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered. With more than 10,000 students, UT Tyler has facilities in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.