Erica Morgan wrote songs to get through relationship problems and peer pressure in high school, but she never thought that her music would attract people’s attention once she got to college.

The FAU sophomore and communications major from Parkland recently released a country/pop single, “Did You Think,” which she recorded with some of the music industry’s most successful producers and musicians in Nashville and Florida.

Pete Masitti, who has previously worked with Hootie and the Blowfish and Shakira, produced the vocals on the single.

“I just wrote that song to get over a guy,” said Morgan, “I didn’t think people would actually like it.”

To her surprise, she has received several positive messages from strangers and people she hasn’t heard from in years.

“Did You Think,” which was officially released on Sept. 17, is available on iTunes. She is working to promote it through  Facebook, live performances and her website. Her single has a mix of country twang and pop sweetness, reminiscent of her musical influences Shania Twain and Taylor Swift.

Morgan has been singing her whole life, but started writing music during her sophomore year of high school when she found that she had different interests than most people her age.

“Music was my outlet to escape the peer pressure,” she said, “While everyone was out partying, I would go home and write.”

In August, Morgan competed in the Texaco Country Showdown, America’s largest country music talent search. Out of the hundreds of artists who entered from around the country, she was chosen as one of the 20 competitors.

“It was really exciting because I got a lot of votes and was able to compete,” said Morgan about the event. “All of my favorite singers have performed in the same place so being able to perform there was really surreal.”

Today, Morgan is working on developing her fan base in her local area on and off-campus. On Oct. 16, she will be performing at a Farmer’s Market near Grifs Western in Davie to promote her songs.

She plans to travel to Nashville within the next two months for co-writing sessions with established hit songwriters in the country music scene. She hopes to move to Nashville after graduating to pursue her career as a country/pop singer and songwriter.

Morgan hopes that her music will inspire her audience, especially the youth, to never give up on dreams or feel discouraged.

“I want to give people something to listen to that will make them feel like they belong,” she said. “That’s what music did for me.”