CARLTON — The more Abrianna Schmidt has seen of the world, the more she’s grown to appreciate her hometown of Carlton.

“I love getting to experience new places,” Schmidt said. “But whenever I was visiting them, I always saw myself really appreciating and valuing where I grew up, and kind of yearning to be back home.”

That yearning to go back home inspired Schmidt to pen the song “Small Town Girl,” which was recently announced to be the winner of the Country Music Hall of Fame’s “Words & Music: Journey of a Song,” a national lyric writing contest for teens 13-18.

As the winner, Schmidt will travel to Nashville on a full scholarship in June for the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Summer Songwriting Camp, which hosts more than 10,000 aspiring songwriters ages 11-18 annually. Schmidt will be mentored by songwriters, producers and music industry professionals. The week will culminate with campers performing their songs at the Ford Theater in Nashville.

Schmidt, a senior at Carlton High School, was encouraged to apply for the competition by her father, who found an advertisement for the contest on Facebook while they were on a trip to Nashville. Schmidt had shared some of her music locally, but never on anything of this scale. She didn’t think she stood much of a chance but decided to try anyway.

“I figured I’d give it a shot and put myself out there. I’m trying to always push myself out of my comfort zone when it comes to sharing art,” she said. “It’s a very vulnerable experience.”

When she returned home from Nashville, she recorded the song on her phone and submitted it to the contest. After a month of silence, she assumed nothing would come of it. Then one day while Schmidt was doing her homework, she received an email informing her that she won the contest.

“I was ecstatic,” she said. “I think that I was really honored and surprised and I texted my parents and I called my mom and I was crying tears of joy.”

Her winning song is an homage to her life growing up in Carlton. It’s about returning to your roots and appreciating the town that made you, Schmidt said.

“It’s sure been fun to travel this whole world, but deep down I’m still a small-town girl,” she sings.

She wrote the song in January after traveling to cities such as Los Angeles, Nashville, Dallas and Oklahoma City. Though she enjoyed being able to see more of the world, the experiences left her appreciating the little things about her childhood and life in northern Minnesota.

Schmidt considers herself a country and folk singer and draws influence from artists like Judy Garland, Fleetwood Mac, Chris Stapleton and Kacey Musgraves.

As a songwriter, inspiration strikes Schmidt at unexpected times. Sometimes it is a word that someone says in a conversation or an unnamed melody that starts humming in her head.

“Something that pops into my head so often, whether it’s lyrics or a melody, and I just kind of have to get it down on paper or record it,” she said.

Schmidt grew up dancing, singing and performing in musical theater. She started playing guitar when she was 9 years old and began writing songs when she was 13 as a way to offload her thoughts.

For Schmidt, writing music allows her to examine emotions that can’t readily be summarized by a single word. By exploring the workings of her mind through music, she feels she connects with others in a way she otherwise wouldn’t be able to. This is what inspires her to continue to write music.

“I think it’s such a unique way to connect with others,” she said. “And I think that’s what prompted me to song-write in the first place and what makes me continue to song-write.”

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