The musical styling of Ayrian Boyd, 21, will keep listeners captivated with her talents as a pianist and vocalist right in the heart of Wichita Falls.

Boyd showcases her talent in the evenings at Sakura Sushi Bar, located at 2617 Plaza Parkway, on Monday and Saturday at 6 p.m.

This relaxed environment fully welcomes her mellow sound that almost dances on the brink of perfection.

While enjoying a sushi dinner, one can enjoy Boyd’s soothing pianistic style and a voice that has a mouth-dropping range of sound while keeping in perfect pitch, having complete control of her voice.

In fact, if one didn’t realize there was a live artist snuggly tucked in the corner of the sushi bar, one might actually think a professionally-produced track is playing in the background—she’s that good.

Boyd has masterfully harnessed her voice to accommodate any type of musical genre without her volume level overpowering any light conversation the diners around her might be having.

Boyd began her journey into the music world by singing with her dad at their church at age four.

She was an instant sensation and has been singing in church ever since.

She didn’t actually start playing piano until she was 9 years old. She was encouraged by her parents, in that it would be extremely beneficial should she decide to pursue a music career.

“At first, I really hated it,” Boyd said, “But when I was 15, my dad began pastoring at a church and we had no musicians for worship service, so I started playing church music.  That was probably when playing really took hold of me and I began to enjoy it.”

According to Boyd, she only knew about three songs in her early days as a pianist in her father’s church, so they would just play those three songs until she learned more.

She admits the process was frustrating, but at some point everything just clicked and she loved it.

When she entered McNiel Junior High, she hesitantly joined choir. Boyd thought they would only cover extremely stuffy music, and she was more accustomed to gospel music at that time.

“I have to say that it changed my life,” Boyd said.  “I bonded so much with classical music that it’s what I based my future on.”

Boyd went on to make the All-State Women’s Choir two years in a row (2008-2009) at Rider High School.

She really wanted some scholarship money for college and was an average student, academically, so she threw herself into practicing her music at school.

“It was really stressful, but I was so proud of myself when I made it,” she said.  “It helped me to get a music scholarship at MSU.”

Her parents supported her every step of the way.  Her mom would attend auditions with snacks and provided special teas for her throat if she wasn’t feeling well.

According to Boyd, both of her parents never missed any of her concerts, and maintain that level of support to this day.

Not surprisingly, Boyd’s talent runs in the family.

Her father, Doug Boyd, is an excellent vocalist and bassist and currently plays bass in the popular local band, James Cook and the Audacity.

Boyd’s 16-year-old little brother, Daniel, is also a musician.

He began playing drums at 10- years-old and then he learned how to play both the acoustic and electric guitar.

Daniel plays along with his sister on Mondays and Saturdays at Sakura Sushi Bar.

According to Boyd, she really enjoys that, because adding a little guitar or percussion can bring in a whole new element that allows for more contemporary styles that the piano alone cannot accommodate.

“He covers some solo stuff like Bob Marley and Jason Mraz,” she said.  “He’s just an awesome musician.”

Boyd draws her musical inspiration from a whirlwind of styles ranging from gospel to indie.  Vocally, she patterns herself after Sara Bareilles.

“She is so smooth,” Boyd said. “While she can really sing from her gut, she also gets pretty mellow.  I like how versatile she is.”

Surprisingly, Boyd’s true passion for music lies in teaching.

A music education major, Boyd hopes to find a teaching job as soon as she graduates in May.

“The music industry is so fickle,” she said.  “I just don’t see myself as someone who gets famous.  I’d rather teach music more than anything.”

Boyd further explained that she really isn’t very interested in performing as a means for a career.

“I perform at Sakura because it’s light entertainment and I’m not all up in the spotlight,” she said.

“My favorite place to sing is at church.  Secular music can be fun, but to me, it just doesn’t have the depth and meaning that gospel music has.”

However, if she could dabble in a different genre of music, she would try her hand at more “bluesy,” Janis Joplin-styled music, she said.

Boyd said she can play the blues a bit since she grew up singing gospel music, but she would really enjoy letting-loose with a more grainy style like Joplin’s.

Boyd further explained she has written her own music and lyrics for gospel music and has even  been able to perform her original work at church.

Those songs are extremely personal to her, and since they are so close to her heart, are even more fulfilling to get to perform in front of the congregation.

“The songs I play at Sakura are usually all covers of artists that I really like,” she said.

“I’ve done Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michealson, Prescilla Ahn, Bon Iver, Coldplay and Wildchild.  Most of it is pretty mellow, but they all throw some fun stuff in their music.”

She also covers a few oldies, such as ‘Dock of the Bay’, ‘Georgia’ and ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ because she said people tend to know them by heart.

“People know and love these songs…and they tip for them!” she said.

When asked about her preference in music that she listens to, Boyd said that she loves Texas, but just can’t seem to get into the country music route.

Her roommate loves it, she said, so she is surrounded by it all the time, but not by choice.

“It all sounds the same to me,” she said. “I appreciate the talent, but I’d rather not have to endure the sound.”

While Boyd has a special musical talent by nature, she has worked her entire life to achieve being one of the most impressive acts in Wichita Falls.

In addition to her musical talents, Boyd divulged to the Wichitan a secret talent that the general public might not know about her.

“I make really awesome velociraptor noises,” she said with a grin.  “I can also make extremely convincing goat noises, but they aren’t half as cool.”