Fifteen seconds of fame, the lime light, extraordinary talent; they’re seen them every day, every second, every hour, yet it never seems truly a part of the everyday world.

It’s always on the other side of a screen, on the other side of a speaker, on the other side of a magazine page, and it never occurred to most of us that there was a shining star waiting to be seen right under our noses.

A student seemingly just like any other has had a taste of that world. Taking her first step towards becoming a professional recording artist, Alexandra Maryanopolis has just recently recorded her first album, Next to You, on iTunes.

As if recording an album on iTunes wasn’t incredible enough, she’s not just a singer. Each song on the album, though edited and perfected by those assisting her, was constructed with her own lyrics.

“Since I was eight I started writing songs,” Maryanopolis said.

When she says writing, she doesn’t just mean lyrics. She writes the chords for the guitar that she also plays in the recordings. With these skills already under her belt, one would think she strode right in with unfaltering confidence, but like any newbie would be, she was humbled by how immense the opportunity was.

“It was really nerve racking going into the studio,” Maryanopolis said about her first session, which isn’t surprising. A dream she’s had since childhood is finally becoming reality after years of believing that it was just a dream. There’s more to recording a song than just standing in a sound proof room and singing your heart out.

“I had to pick the best songs,” she said, “and every song needed a little tweaking. Then there was finding a band. My guitar teacher helped with that.”

It’s really a process, a science almost. There’s a certain order and placement of key musical elements. The drums are first to keep the beat, then the guitar joins in, followed by the key board. Only then does Alexandra join the mix. She even does her own background vocals, harmonizing to her original melody.

Like most things in life, this dream-come-true came with a price.

“It got really expensive,” Maryanopolis said. “But I just have to keep advertising and send it in the record label.”

It’s not clear whether we’ll get to hear another collection of her work, but even if it doesn’t spread like a wildfire on the business side of things, playing music will always be a part of her.

“If it sells well, I’ll continue,” said Maryanopolis.