Naomi Ruzek

Tulane University junior Ciara Pruett — known as Ciara Elise on stage — recently released her debut album “Splinters and Other Keepsakes,”  an intimate indie-folk soundtrack inspired by a lifelong passion for music and an introspective spirit.  

An Oregon native, Pruett has been playing guitar since age 12 and, while partially self-guided, got early musical training where many young musicians do — School of Rock.  

“It was self-taught but also structured in that I was required to learn certain songs, and I could get support from instructors if I was having trouble,” Pruett said.   

Even with some formal education, singing was a natural development, born from a love of music. Her airy voice floats intentionally through her songs, filled to the brim with emotion. 

“It’s mostly intuition, the way that I sing,” she said. 

While she has been playing music for years, writing has been a recent development. Though she tried her hand at it around 15 years old, it wasn’t until college that she wrote songs that she felt proud of. 

She recalled the plane ride back for Thanksgiving break during her first year at Tulane, writing in her Notes app, when the words suddenly became lyrics rather than just thoughts. 

“I got home, and I wrote the song, and I was like, ‘holy shit, I can write music,’” Pruett said. “It felt like something had just clicked in my brain that made it something that I wanted to do all the time.” 

Pruett’s recent album — which she wrote during her first two years at Tulane —  explores the emotions that come with the transition to adulthood and moving away from home. 

“It feels like documenting a very transitional period of my life,” Pruett said. “I had a close friend that died when I was in high school … it was also very much about grief and processing that.” 

Pruett cites musical influences like Haley Heynderickx, Joni Mitchell, Jeff Buckley and, most importantly, her friends.  

“Splinters and Other Keepsakes” required more than just her own talents to become the story-driven record it is. Its creation was extremely collaborative, featuring many of her friends on bass, drums and trumpet.  

Apart from her solo work, Pruett also plays in Life of Riley, a rock-oriented band with Loyola University New Orleans student Aidan Harris and fellow Tulane students Noah Sparrow, Sam Harris and Noah Finchelltub. 

“We didn’t write music together for a long time just because we all play such a similar role, where we play guitar and we sing,” Pruett said. “But we figured out a system where it’s sort of like an artist collective where each of us … bring songs to the table and then we’ll figure out how to fill it out.” 

Although she did not start taking music seriously until after her arrival at Tulane, the location was advantageous.  

“I think New Orleans is so kind to small artists [and] I really can’t think of anywhere else that I would want to be,” Pruett said. “Being in this city surrounded by so many amazing musicians definitely inspired me to take the music route more than the academia route.” 

Pruett continues to write music and play at the Rook Café every Sunday from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., where listeners can buy collaged lyric booklets and screen-printed T-shirts. 

Pruett came to Tulane as an international relations and Latin American studies major but recently added a music science and technology minor.   

“I want to get into audio engineering and [have] a little bit more autonomy over recording choices in my music,” Pruett said.  

It was also a practical choice for her. Understanding that the music industry is a difficult one to stay afloat in, Pruett sees value in having these skills to help other musicians.   

Although she is not writing off an academic career, music remains Pruett’s main passion.  

“I feel like the greatest thing that I have to give is music. So, I hope that I have the means to [pursue it] in the future.”