Gregory Maneikis, originally from Neponset, is now an aspiring musician in Austin, TX and his song “American Dreams (Over you)” has been nominated for song of the year by The Austin Chronicle. He started to find his voice as a student at Boston College where he developed a deep interest in creative writing, which became a therapeutic outlet, and eventually he found the courage to speak his written words out loud at BC.

The discovery of spoken word at BC transformed into a fully developed voice in Austin as he reached his comfort level creating his own unique musical sound. “My biggest influence of recent years was probably this man Professor Lyrical because he is a college professor and an amazing rapper,” said Maneikis. His genre is technically considered Hip Hop, but his style dances between the lines of rap and spoken word. Maneikis loves music and hopes to pursue it in the future, but it is not his only passion. He teaches English at a local high school in Texas and coaches their varsity basketball team, where he finds inspiration for music in his students.

Maneikis is asking his Dorchester supporters, neighbors and friends, for their vote.

Visit www.austinchronicle.com/polls/musicpoll/15/ and next to “Austin Song of the Year” type in the words, "American Dreams (Over You) by RNAtheMESSENGER ft. Bateau.”

Fill out the rest of the required information and hit submit. Voting closes on Feb. 1 so make sure to hit submit sooner rather than later. To listen to the song, visit www.soundcloud.com/dnatheg/American-dreams, and if you love the song, buy it on ITunes at https://itun.es/us/eGbsab?i=1078466566.