Italene Gaddis practices what she preaches when it comes to the songs she sings.

Last Friday Kirklanders at the Aegis Center in the Totem Lake neighborhood got the opportunity to listen to the 90-year-old Kentucky native and Newcastle resident play one of the many songs she’s written over the years on the autoharp. First performing in her 60s, her song titles, “Dare to be Different” and “If You Are Grateful” reflect her perspective on life.

In addition to writing 300 songs and poems, she also has a published book of poetry, “From My Heart To Yours,” has her own YouTube channel, and efforts have been made to get her on the Tonight Show.

Although she’s been performing since her 60s, Gaddis said she first started writing her own songs when she was 14 for her mother.

“I write what I write in about ten minutes,” she said. “It’s a feeling. Words are feeling. Sometimes i’m surprised at the ending of my songs. Sometimes I laugh right out loud.”

It was decades later – after she had married, worked a job in creative sales, raised two sons, and then moved up to the Seattle area to be with her eldest son after her husband of 40 years died – that she started to play them for others, though her sons encouraged her when they were kids.

“He (her son) said mommy you should share those,” Gaddis said. “When he was 16 he said, ‘You need to copyright those.’ From the start he was my fan.”

Things finally materialized after her sons bought her an autoharp at 61 and then convinced her to enter into a music contest that offered a recording contract.

“I thought ‘I’ll enter in and it’ll be the end of it,’” she said.

Instead, despite not knowing a note of music at the time, she won the preliminary, semi-finals, then the finals by two points.

“I said to the recording people, I’m not a singer, I’m a writer,” she said. “The man looked at me and said, ‘Neither is Willie Nelson a singer but look at what he did.’”

From that day forward, Gaddis has been performing at retirement places and birthday parties. Now, she says she performs almost every day.

“They all make a good point,” she said. “I speak and sing to where people can understand my words… My mother taught me always choose the positive because everybody wins. Nobody chooses the negative because everybody loses, including you. And you don’t have to be smart to figure it out.”

One of the appeals of her performances, she says, are the lyrics to her songs and the way she encourages people to pursue unfulfilled dreams. One woman, she said, was inspired by Gaddis’ own life to become a children’s author after working in banking.

“I encourage them,” she said. “That’s what I am about. That’s the only reason I do it. Next to love, that’s the greatest thing you can give them.”

Being different is also another theme in her songs and life perspective.

“We were born different for a reason,” she said. “The world needs the difference. I believe that when you have a life, you use it and live it and try to make a difference in the world when you leave. To me, it’s a waste of time to do nothing. Life is for having fun.”

As for the attempts to get her on the Tonight Show, Gaddis said it would be nice, but she sees it as a way to reach more people. Gaddis is also quick to credit other people in her life, including her mother, for helping her.

“I couldn’t have done it without help from other people,” she said. “She (her mother) said give credit where credit is due. And we often don’t.

Despite recently turning 90, Gaddis isn’t letting old age slow her down one bit.

“I don’t believe in quitting until that man upstairs tells me it’s time,” she said. “And then I’ll find something else to do. I’ll write children’s books.”

Nor is she letting her age define her.

“I’m not 90,” she said. “I’m Italene.”

For more information, go to italene.com. Her YouTube channel can be found at youtube.com/channel/UCyFElP99BRv8W3OV5K7goUQ.