Maura Streppa and Claire Kelly have earned pinnacle honors withinside the American Songwriter Home Sweet Home Song Contest with their heartfelt track “My Hometown.” The track explores the bittersweet feelings tied to returning to one’s youth community and looking at the way it transforms over time. In a current interview, the duo shared insights into their songwriting trips and the private testimonies that formed their prevailing entry.
Maura’s ardour for songwriting commenced early, as she composed her first track across the age of 3 or four. By 7th grade, she turned into dedicating herself extra critically to writing music. Claire commenced writing songs in center college and collected guitar for the duration of excessive college. Her pass to Nashville in 2017 marked a turning point, deepening her dedication to music. When the competition theme “Home Sweet Home” turned into announced, Maura straight away related it to her native land of Lake Bluff, Illinois, which have become the emotional basis in their collaboration.
The notion behind “My Hometown” comes from Maura’s enjoy of leaving Lake Bluff at age 12 and noticing how a whole lot it had modified with every go to back. The track displays on how bodily and social landscapes evolve at the same time as humans regularly hold to youth recollections of those places. Both Maura and Claire, raised in specific Chicago suburbs, located not unusualplace floor in this sense of nostalgia and change, crafting a track that resonates with many who’ve witnessed comparable transformations.
During their discussion, they expressed admiration for famend songwriters consisting of John Prine, Bonnie Raitt, Natalie Hemby, and Patty Griffin. These artists are celebrated for his or her sincere storytelling and emotional depth. Maura and Claire credit score those impacts for shaping their personal technique to songwriting—one which values proper lyrics and significant reference to listeners.
Looking forward, Maura is ready to launch her 2nd EP titled “The Skinnier Tapes” this November. Claire is presently running on a brand new album deliberate for summer time season 2026. Both inspire fellow musicians to take part in contests like American Songwriter’s, highlighting how such systems can increase artists at any level with the aid of using sharing genuine testimonies approximately domestic and identification with wider audiences.
