 Loder 's younger brother taught her three guitar chords when she was 14 , and she received her first guitar later that year . She began writing songs at age 16 . Her first song , which was about a cousin who had died in a traffic accident , used lyrics from a poem by one of their mutual friends . With encouragement from her family , Loder concentrated on her singing and songwriting and performed this in addition to another she subsequently wrote for a friend 's graduation . 
