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The Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project

2025 Songwriters

Millie Bugler (Rocky LeRoe)

Rocky LeRoe is originally from central Indiana and has set roots now in Nashville—reviving the familiar 70s sound everyone knows and loves. Performing constantly in local clubs and venues, she and her band capture the passion and connection of a bygone era. In April, she released her debut studio record, Tambourine, to audiences, showcasing her storytelling and talent in 8 original tracks. With every project and performance, Rocky strives to create an experience that’s felt, seen, and heard—drawing people together through peace, joy, and shared vitality. She collaborates with many other Nashville-based musicians and writers, finding great value in community within her art. LeRoe has made her mark in Nashville by hosting a series of writers’ nights at local cafes and headlining shows, sharing the stage with likeminded artists. She has every intention to remind people what music is all about. Her artistry embodies a Woodstock-era spirit, bringing the thrill of live energy to life in a way that inspires and uplifts. Raised on the Beatles and James Taylor, and later influenced by Greta Van Fleet and John Denver, her sound reflects the beauty and emotion of those voices—reviving a golden era in everything she performs.

Stephanie Carlin

Stephanie L. Carlin [they/she] is an autistic and queer composer, writer, sound designer, and orchestrator based in New York City, NY. They’re currently writing and composing Spectrum: A New Musical, a queer neurodivergent comedy which has been presented at New York Theatre Barn’s New Works Series, Barn on Fire (in collaboration with the Fire Island Pines Project), and most recently at Green Room 42. Other work of theirs has been presented in various venues across the US including Symphony Space, New York Conservatory for the Arts, Theo Ubique Theatre, Joe’s Pub, and 54/Below. Recent sound design credits include At the Barricades (MITU580), Until Dark (Out of the Box Theatrics), and Fry Bread Queen (Theatre for a New Audience). Stephanie has also scored a few short films, including “Two Anxious Bisexuals” which was a 2022 Cannes Short Film Festival selection. She is an alum of The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music. They are hoping to create shows, songs, and scores that everyone can enjoy.

IG: @sleotacarlin      stephanielcarlin.com

Jackson Craig

Jackson Craig is a songwriter and composer crafting vivid, emotionally rich music that blends folk storytelling with avant-garde production. Performing under his given name, as well as with an art-school punk band called Next Life Delivery, Craig weaves sharp lyricism, surrealist imagery, and striking melodies into songs that feel both timeless and unconventional. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Craig’s early years were shaped by the city’s eclectic music scene and DIY ethos. He later moved to New York City, where he refined his songwriting and production at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute. Now based in Los Angeles, Craig continues to push his creative boundaries, performing as a multi-instrumentalist for LA folk staples Meels and j Solomon, producing original music for film and TV, and dabbling in visual arts. His music explores themes of nostalgia, modern disillusionment, and the absurdity of contemporary life—whether through the intimate folk ballads of Jackson Craig or the boundary-pushing soundscapes of Next Life Delivery.

Emily Drossell

Emily Drossell is an award-winning lyricist and bookwriter, recognized by the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts as an Across a Crowded Room Fellow, as well as The York Theatre as a NEO (New, Emerging, Outstanding) Artist. Her works have been produced throughout the city, including Lincoln Center (Face to Face; Helen & Cassandra), The York Theatre (More Than This World; Alice; The Northern Skies), The Tank NYC (Pre-Scripted), The Paradise Factory (Miss March), and Mustard Lane (Truth, Dare, or Lesbian). In addition to her work as a librettist, she is also a resident dramaturge at The York Theatre in New York City and has worked as a script consultant at New World Stages, Pioneer Theatre Company, and Theatre Dance Vietnam. She is a proud member of Maestra Music and Ring of Keys and an alum of Vassar College and the Berlin Opera Academy. As a queer, gender expansive writer, Emily’s interests lie at the intersection of subversion and inclusivity, and she strives to add femme forward fantasies, farces, and fictions to the musical theatre canon. She is also a contributing writer for The Broadway Beat, a satire account with over 34K followers on Instagram. You can learn more at emilydrossell.com or on Instagram @emily_drossell.

Julian Galkin (Julian Harper)

Julian Harper is a 21-year-old pop star, songwriter, and producer based in New York. He is known for his grandiose, starry aesthetic and meticulous sonic craftsmanship. With roots in high glam and musical theater, Harper pushes the boundaries of contemporary pop music. His sophomore EP, Perversions & Reversions (September 2024), draws from synthpop and glam rock influences to explore themes of queer identity and relationships. The project has garnered over 850,000 streams worldwide and cemented Harper as a vital voice in modern pop. Julian is currently studying at NYU Tisch’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. He is the President of the award-winning N’Harmonics a cappella group, with whom he has performed at iconic venues including Radio City Music Hall, Joe’s Pub, and Yankee Stadium. Julian is deeply committed to academia, even drawing creative inspiration from modernist authors like James Baldwin and Joan Didion. In a recent interview with Washington Square News, Julian said, “I think music is the greatest form of connection we have. It makes us understand worlds that we wouldn’t otherwise.” He seeks to further this connection through his live performances, which are an essential component to his artistry. He has become a legendary figure in NYC’s live music scene, selling out shows at Mercury Lounge, Club Cumming, and Heaven Can Wait. His upcoming single “American Heart,” a pure pop satire on the post-truth era, will mark the dawn of an audacious new chapter in his ever-evolving artistry.

Emily Hsiang

Emily is a 24-year old singer/songwriter and composer from New Jersey whose writing spans jazz, indie-pop, and musical theater. After her first original songs went platinum in the Hsiang household as a grade-schooler, she really got into songwriting when performing at open mic nights in high school. Emily went on to major in music and anthropology at Haverford College, graduating in 2023. For her senior project, she wrote and directed an original one-act musical called Franny based on J.D. Sallinger’s short story of the same title. Other works include two indie-pop EPs and her first original musical theater concept album, released in 2020, based on Disney-Pixar’s The Incredibles. Emily has been lucky to perform her original songs at Haverford College’s Haverfest, at Green Room 42 with Cabaret on the Couch, and as opener for electronic-pop band Korine. Emily is also a 2024-2025 Maestra Mentorship Program participant and is very excited to now be a part of the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project!

Victoria Hunter

Victoria Hunter is a 22-year-old singer, songwriter, actress, and model from Detroit, Michigan. She will graduate in May 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in Musical Theatre from Howard University. Victoria’s passion for performance began at age three when she received her first piano. Since then, she has trained under esteemed mentors and performed on stages across the country. In 2019, she was featured as a soloist with the Detroit Youth Choir on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, where the group earned 1st Runner-Up, followed by a Las Vegas Residency where she performed with other talents of the show for two weeks. Most recently, she took the stage at New York’s iconic 54 Below for two standout performances in 2024. Her voice can also be heard in local TV and radio commercials across Metro Detroit, and she continues to build her presence as a model and brand ambassador. As a singer-songwriter, Victoria hopes to connect deeply with audiences through storytelling. She’s committed to writing music that reflects real experiences, carries a message, and evokes genuine emotion. Her goal is not only to do what she loves, but to inspire, heal, and relate to others through her lyrics. With every step, Victoria continues to evolve as an artist who leads with heart, honesty, and purpose.

Hayes Ji

Hayes is a singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Long Island, New York, and is currently a rising sophomore at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music in NYU. Starting with taking vocal lessons and playing the piano and cello from a young age, he was introduced to music with classical training. Then after attending a songwriting summer camp in middle school, he picked up the guitar and developed a voice for writing original music. Since the age of thirteen, Hayes has built up a repertoire of songs, drawing inspiration from many folk artists, such as Adrianne Lenker, Ryan Beatty, and Sufjan Stevens, as well as his background in musical theatre. Hayes aims to write music having both lyrical intention and melodic intricacy, focusing on introspection and honesty. He hopes to release his first single in the coming months after years of accumulated songs, aspiring to be a well-rounded songwriter and artist.

Jimmy Kohlmann

Jimmy Kohlmann is an NYC-based writer and musician. Born to the Great Lakes region, Jimmy also has roots in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. Jimmy got his start writing and top-line composing for high school theatre classes but didn’t actually start teaching himself to play guitar until his senior year when one relationship changed his life forever. What started as a forceful, desperate effort at self-expression has steadily grown into a creative lens that he enjoys exercising and sometimes other people enjoy listening to. What matters most to Jimmy about music is not just the rush of writing a song or putting it to music but all the living that happens before and after. The story in fact continues off the stage and in the moments between, and the songs are just proof that it happened. The highest highs and the lowest lows are all part of the journey and Jimmy feels so lucky to capture it and share it with others. Music and stories have always brought his favorite collections of people together and so he hopes to continue the tradition for the next generation to come. Certified member of MUNA Nation and always playing the poet game, Jimmy Kohlmann would be nowhere without his family, friends, and all of their eclectic musical catalogs that he so happily absorbed.

George Luton

George Luton is a musical theatre composer, arranger, orchestrator, and conductor based in New York City, where their original scores have been heard off-Broadway at the York Theatre (More Than This World), at Theatre Now (The Moon Illusion, Roommate Horror Story), at the Tank NYC (Alice, Of Sleepless Nights), and at Lincoln Center (Helen &Cassandra: Gifts of the Gods, Face to Face), at which they were awarded the Across a Crowded Room artistic fellowship through the NYPL of the Performing Arts. Favorite regional premieres include productions at Stage 284 (Earhart, Stiltskin), Moonlight Productions (Nottingham: The Legend of Robin Hood), ACTMV (Boots, The Untold Story of Treasure Island), and In Vivo Productions
(The Conditions of Readiness, Face Work). As a music director, George has worked with Prospect Musicals (Move Meant), Off the Lane (Ghost Quartet, Truth Dare or Lesbian, Hootenanny Tonight, Open Stay), the Powerhouse Theatre (The Spitfire Grill, Melancholy Play: A Chamber Musical), the Susan Stein-Shiva Theatre (The Rocky Horror Show, Formerly Known), Columbia University (The Visit, The Bakkhai, The Trojan Women) and more. George is a two-time recipient of the Jean-Slater Edson Prize in Composition and a member of the advanced BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Writing Workshop. They currently serve as a musical arranger for the A24 animated show Hazbin Hotel now streaming on Amazon Prime. When not writing, arranging, music directing, or teaching, George tours as an improvisational pianist with Broadway’s Next Hit Musical comedy show. Follow George @GeorgeLuton.music or learn more at www.GeorgeLuton.com.

Oliviana Marie

Oliviana Marie is a composer, conductor, lyricist, librettist, trumpeter, and pianist, as well as an accomplished singer, dancer, and actress, and recent graduate of USC’s Thornton School of Music, majoring in composition. In 2024, Oliviana became the youngest winner of The ASCAP Foundation Sammy Cahn Award (past winners include John Mayer and Cinco Paul) and in 2023, she was the only composer to ever win two awards in the same year for ASMAC’s Composer Competition (The Ray Charles Vocal Arranging Award and The Bill Conti Big Band Arranging Award). She is a four-time Marvin Hamlisch International Music Award nominee in jazz, contemporary pop, classical composition, and winning in 2023 for best R&B song, presented by Clive Davis. Oliviana is the first female composer to be commissioned by the award-winning Camarada Ensemble and composed “The Elements,” which premiered in October 2024, in
celebration of Camarada’s 30th Anniversary. Oliviana has written four award-winning musicals! At age 15, Oliviana’s first musical THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE was mentored by the legendary Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) and presented at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Her most recent musical, “CORONA’S CABARET: An Act of Destruction,” where Oliviana portrayed the Coronavirus as a nightclub singer, was the winner of PLAYBILL’S Virtual Theatre Festival. Most recently, Oliviana was awarded Best Pop Song, as well as the Audience Favorite Award, in the American Pops Orchestra’s Inaugural Ruth Wales du Pont Collegiate Composition Competition.

IG: @oliviana_marie      Website: olivianamarie.com

Chloe Meinershagen

Chloe Meinershagen is a graduating senior obtaining a BFA in Musical Theatre at Texas State University. Chloe grew up surrounded by a family of musicians and has always had a love for music and theatre. In 2021, Chloe was named a Silver Finalist for the National Young Arts Musical Theatre Competition and was prompted to write a song for the devised program. Since then, Chloe has loved songwriting and co-founded a Songwriting Club at TXST University for musical theater students to share their music and perform in an annual showcase of original songs. Chloe is currently finalizing the release of One Little Weed, a TXST Honors Thesis Album journeying the start and end of a fictionalized relationship through nature metaphors in a singer-songwriter style. Chloe is honored to be part of the Songwriters Project 2025! You can find more information on Chloe’s Instagram @chloe.meinershagen and website: chloemeinershagen.com.

Mystique Niles

Mystique is an emerging music artist from Grand Rapids, Michigan, now based in Nashville, Tennessee. She began writing music during her sophomore year of high school, when she discovered her talent for singing and songwriting. That pivotal moment ignited her passion and set her on the path to a professional career. Now based in Nashville, Mystique is also pursuing her degree as a commercial music student, honing her skills and deepening her understanding of the industry both artistically and academically. After graduating high school, she released her debut single, “Who Are You?” in August 2023, followed by a music video in November. Her latest single, “Honestly,” dropped in November 2024 and is now available on all platforms. The track resonates deeply with the experiences of newer generations, offering an authentic take
on modern relationships. She’s currently working with her team on a music video for the single – so be on the lookout! Mystique’s talent has earned her notable recognition. She has been featured on WYCE 88.1 and interviewed by VoyageMichigan Magazine, The Sun and News, Local Spins, and CanvasRebel Magazine. She’s known for her bright, vibrant tone and captivating stage presence. Her sound blends pop and rock, and has been described by fans as fun, playful, and energizing. Mystique draws inspiration from artists like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Olivia Rodrigo.

Laura Steadman

Laura Steadman is a songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist currently studying Songwriting and Music Technology at Belmont University in Nashville Tennessee. For her artist project, soupophobia, she writes songs that land somewhere between Big Thief and Pierce the Veil, blending esoteric optimism with brazen angst. Her songwriting is a treasured practice that connects her to something bigger, a reward in itself. She hopes whoever’s listening can use her music as a vehicle for connection too. Her indie/garage band Robot Tennis Club released a full-length LP when Laura was just 17, playing regional tours, local festivals and notable theaters in Colorado. Outside of her personal musical projects, Laura writes in various genres spanning from country, pop, EDM, and R&B. This October, she had the pleasure of writing with Agnez Mo for a We Make Noise Camp. She’s always excited at opportunities to collaborate with producers and songwriters from different genres and backgrounds.

Dante Walker

Hello everyone! My name is Dante Walker. I was born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia, and I’m a Senior Piano Performance Major at the illustrious Howard University. I’ve been playing the piano for the past sixteen years and it’s given me the opportunity to meet some amazing people and play in some interesting venues. Though I’ve written a fair few songs, I haven’t released a single one. I’m hoping this event I’ll have the pleasure of partaking in will give me the confidence necessary to record and share my story with the world.

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