Oak Park teen's 'extreme drive' fuels effort to be 3rd generation music star

An Oak Park teenager's relentless drive is shaping a path toward becoming a third-generation music star. Inside an at-home recording space in an upscale Oak Park home, 16-year-old Charlotte "Lottie" Houlihan and six bandmates rehearsed ahead of a show scheduled for Lottie and The Drama. Their first full-band performance took place last week at Robert's Westside in Forest Park, where they covered roughly a dozen songs during the hour-long set. Houlihan is using earnings from the gig to fund a trip to New York for a two-week songwriter workshop at New York University led by Grammy-nominated Phil Galdston. From June 15 through 26, about 50 participants will take part in in-depth sessions, with costs totaling more than $3,000 for Houlihan. She expects to graduate Trinity High School in River Forest in 2027 and plans to double major in psychology and songwriting at NYU, aiming to be a therapist for neurodivergent kids while continuing to perform. While in New York, she hopes to network with potential collaborators and meet future partners who can support her journey as an artist. Her path to NYU began with a late-night online search for programs; she found the NYU workshop and, despite missing the April 1 deadline, submitted an application and received an acceptance email weeks later. Parents were unaware of the application until the news arrived, making the moment especially emotional. Houlihan describes the program as a chance to immerse herself in the city and chart a life that blends clinical work with music.