JEFFERSON HILLS, Pa. —
A senior at Thomas Jefferson High School gained viral fame after a video of her playing “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC on mallet percussion last year was reposted on social media last week, amassing millions of views.
“He sent me the link, and it had, like, already 6 million views, and I was like, aw, jeez,” Layla Clark said.
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Clark was excited but showed humility while talking with Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reporter Felicity Taylor on Friday. She said that mastering “Thunderstruck” was a lengthy process.
“It took forever to learn the song,” she said. “I’m going to be really honest. I don’t even have it perfected yet.”
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The video’s popularity has spread far beyond the Pittsburgh area, even reaching a famous football player.
“I just found out getting on the bus today that Taylor Swift’s husband (Travis Kelce) reposted my video and was talking about me, so that’s exciting,” Clark said. “That’s the first actual celebrity I’ve heard talking about my video.”
Clark also shared how her classmates have reacted to her newfound fame.
“I’ve heard people watching my video in the hallways, and they point and go, ‘Oh, that’s her,'” she said.
During TJ’s playoff win over Moon on Friday night, the band also performed songs from “The Wiz,” Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas” and “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus.
Clark credited her band family for her success and personal growth.
“I wouldn’t be the same without my band. I’d probably still be, like, the super shy, nervous kid,” she said. “I couldn’t have done any of this without them.”
Clark dreams of attending college next fall to become an exotic veterinarian and hopes her future school will also have a band.
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