Teen's song honors Malala and America

She wrote the song, 14-year-old Ayla Potamkin said, because of Malala, because of the Pakistani activist's determination to fight for girls' rights even after being shot.

She thought about how people in the United States sometimes take their freedom for granted, and the lyrics flowed.

Call it a message from one teenager to another - a paean to liberty in a guitar-and-piano power ballad called "America."

On Tuesday, 17-year-old Malala Yousafzai, who this month became the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, will receive the Liberty Medal at the National Constitution Center. Chosen to help open the ceremony is the song of a budding performer whose family roots run deep in Philadelphia.

"I'm really excited for Malala to hear my song," Ayla said in a phone interview from her home in Aspen, Colo. "She's the one I did it for, mostly. I hope everyone likes it."

A video of Ayla performing her song will be played on a giant screen on stage. She won't be the first of her family to see her name in lights.

For decades, the Potamkin name was synonymous with Philadelphia-area auto sales, made familiar through torrents of TV, radio, and print ads for what remains one of the nation's largest dealerships.

Ayla's father, Robert Potamkin, cochairs the company with his brother, Alan. Her grandfather, Victor Potamkin, built the enterprise after a start as a South Philadelphia fish-and-chicken salesman.

Today, the company operates 40 franchises in five states, with annual sales of more than $1.5 billion.

Ayla - in music she uses only her first name, like Madonna or Beyoncé - said she didn't know much about her family history. She's more interested in playing piano and guitar, snowboarding, running track, and hanging with friends at Aspen High School, where she's a freshman.

She's performed at school, church, and a retirement community, and so far has written about 10 songs. Friend Angel Elizalde composed the music for "America."

"We have a lot of great patriotic songs," Robert Potamkin said, "but none of them say the one thing parents always tell their kids: Do you know how lucky you are to live in America?"

Ayla heard about Malala in current-events class:

The girl was little-known outside Pakistan, a 15-year-old blogger who wrote about how the Taliban closed schools to keep girls from learning. In 2012, as she gained wider attention, a Taliban gunman stormed her school bus and shot her in the head - sparking international support for her causes.

Since her recovery, Malala has become a worldwide force for young women while continuing her education in England. She was in chemistry class when the Nobel Prize was announced.

"The message Ayla conveys through her lyrics will be a fitting tribute," said Vince Stango, chief operating officer of the Constitution Center, "as we honor a young woman who has demonstrated incredible strength in the face of adversity."

After hearing "America," Ayla's parents talked about the possibility of its becoming part of a national political convention, because the lyrics could appeal to either party. Friends in Philadelphia mentioned the song to officials at the Constitution Center, who contacted the family.

"I think we need a song like this right now," said Ayla's mother, Lexie Potamkin, a minister, author, and former Miss World USA.

Ayla's parents, along with her twin sister, Alura, and 11-year-old brother, Alex, will be in town for the Liberty Medal event.

She hopes to have a music career, and, through that, to inspire others the way Malala inspired her. "She's someone who stands up for what she believes in," Ayla said. "Even when she was shot in the face, she wasn't scared to stand up for girls."

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@JeffGammage