Local singer/songwriter Courtney Eoff gets Song of the Year nod with ‘My Luck.”

Courtney Eoff hopes to turn her recent success in music into a career. Photo/TSU Media Relations

TSU Media Relations

Special to Beneath the Surface News

It may not be long before music libraries in the vicinity include hits written and performed by full-time Tarleton State University employee and graduate student Courtney Eoff. 

Her work, including the award-winning “My Luck,” is already available on music streaming services. 

She recently added a Song of the Year selection and Texas Troubadour recognition at the Texas Troubadour Songwriter Classic at the Bosque Arts Center in Clifton to her resume.

The second-generation Tarleton State student heard about the annual competition online and decided to enter.

“It sparked my interest, and I knew I wanted to,” she said. “I had some music I was writing, so I went to the studio during the summer and put some songs together. I thought the contest would be a great opportunity to be around people with some of the same interests.”

The judges placed her performance in the top five of the competition, which meant she was invited to perform two songs in person. After earning a spot in the final two, she came back for a third show.

Her talent impressed the judges, leading to winning two of the three categories in the contest.

“My Luck,” was tabbed Song of the Year and is to be released this month.

“I was very shocked and very honored,” she said. “It was a great opportunity to network with people and celebrate music.”

Eoff, who works as a technical communications coordinator in Tarleton’s Division of Enrollment Management while pursuing a master’s degree, began playing gigs for gas money when she was 16.

“I was like, ‘Hey, this is kind of fun,’ so I continued doing that through college, working and played gigs all across Texas. In my free time, I write. I just love it.”

Not surprisingly, she comes from a musical family.

“I don’t think there’s ever been silence in the house,” Eoff said, “There’s always been lots of music playing.”

And since she was little, Courtney would add her voice.

“I’d always been singing,” she said. “My parents said I was humming before I could talk.

“I remember being little bitty and performing for my family. The first true performance I remember was when I was in kindergarten, and I sang ‘Amazing Grace’ with my dad on guitar.”

She began composing her own music when she was in elementary school.

“Songs about whatever happened on the playground or whatever you’re feeling at eight years old,” she said.

“As you get older, of course, you experience deeper things and have more to write about. I love telling stories. Some are the truth, and some are a little more on the creative side.”

Her parents, both Tarleton State grads, are her sounding board when it comes to seeking advice on her musical journey.

“Right now, writing is a solitary thing,” she said. “It’s my peace, my quiet time. If I have something I like, I’ll show it to my parents because I think they’ve got good musical ears.

“I’d love to eventually co-write, and there’s no telling what kind of opportunities are ahead.”

She knows who she’d like to record “My Luck” should the opportunity present itself.

“I really like Miranda Lambert and Lainey Wilson. They’re fun. I think the song sounds like something Lainey Wilson would do. It’s upbeat and kind of in that wheelhouse. I also have some songs that people like Miranda might enjoy. 

“That would be cool. I couldn’t even imagine that.”