Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I was born and raised in Florida, where I kept multitudes of journals full of short stories, lyrics, and poetry. I was always writing but never really publicly shared anything. I think the drive for actually putting my music out there came during the pandemic when I had to move back home with my parents. I felt like I had lost a lot of my sense of independence and livelihood so I just began to write and couldn’t stop. I would share what I had made with my friends and they were the ones who told me I should seriously consider recording professionally. Cut to two years later, I have three songs out and more on the way! It’s honestly surreal to me to think that all of this started in my living room on my childhood piano. I’m extremely grateful for all that’s coming my way.
Q: And what other artists have you found yourself listening to lately?
A: I am absolutely infatuated with Abby Holliday. She’s a new find for me and I cannot get enough of her. “Ohio Laundry Room” is one of the most painfully heartbreaking songs I’ve heard in a long time. I’m also really loving Ber’s newest EP and have found myself going back to Sabrina Carpenter and Holly Humberstone’s discography. In short, I really love my sad girls.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: So my dad was a huge rock music fan and my mom loved musical theater and singer-songwriters of the 70s so my influences were all over the place. I’d go from listening to Green Day to James Taylor and then I’d be singing the scores of Wicked and Phantom of the Opera. Needless to say, I was a very interesting kid. I would say that first and foremost, I’m heavily inspired by strong lyricism. That’s probably coming most from my musical theater background, but that’s definitely most important to me when I write for myself.
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘Resist You’. Is there a story behind it?
A: Haha ugh yes there is. To sum it up, Resist You is my personal “I got back with my ex and I’m realizing it was a bad idea and this is totally toxic” song. I wrote it one night when we were supposed to go on a date but he slept through it. All of my insecurities came out full force while waiting to hear from him and I thought “I need to get this out somehow or I’m going to implode.” The rest is history, and so is he by the way.
Q: Can we expect a new EP or even an album from you in the near future?
A: Ohhh yes you can! My first EP will be released in the fall. I am so proud of it. My cowriter/producer Brandon Lew encouraged me to touch on some subjects in my life that I’ve been afraid to face, and that’s what this EP will be about. It feels like a cathartic release to be getting them out through these songs.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: Like I said, lyrics are really important to me. I can sense when I’m being dishonest with myself and that’s not something I want in my music. I really want to relate to those who feel like they’re hurting either personally or in their relationships. I’ve found myself in some difficult situations and I want my music to create a space where it’s safe to talk about it all. I want it to feel like a release to the listener as much as it does to me. I’m definitely in the sad girl pop genre. If it were up to me, everything I write would be some lyrically dramatic ballad, so I’m grateful to be working with people who push me out of that to explore what else I’m capable of.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: That’s a hard question. I feel as artists, we are so naturally dissatisfied and hoping for the next best opportunity. I got into this for myself and have caught myself getting wrapped up in worrying about what other people think since I’ve released my music and I hate that. But I think ultimately the answer for me would be yes. The creative process has been so extremely empowering for me. I feel more in control of my life than I ever have. I look back thinking of the version of myself playing her childhood piano, too afraid to put anything out and unsure how to start. I like to think that she’s extremely proud and that alone means the world to me.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: It ranges song by song. I think I typically start with the chorus and go from there. I’ll send a super bare bones recording to Brandon and then within the hour he’ll have worked his magic and created some stunning arrangement that knocks me off my feet and then I normally race my car to his house and we finish the rest of the song before we implode. Sometimes it takes days or weeks and sometimes it only takes an hour to figure out. The songs typically come the fastest when I push myself to be brutally honest, despite how uncomfortable that may feel. But that’s when the song works best!
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: Learning to trust. The process, the people I decide to work with, the people I date, myself. It’s been really hard. Imposter syndrome is something that rarely goes away so I convince myself that when a good opportunity arrives for me it must be a scam or someone wants something out of me in return. I’m working on trusting and believing that what i have to offer is good and valid and respected.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: I released my first single “It’ll All Be Over Soon” last year. I wrote that song while sitting in the ER waiting to get stitches on my eye (long story). I really didn’t think anyone would listen to it or resonate with it that much. I truly put it out for me. About a month after the release, I got a message from someone in London, telling me how it had spoken to them so deeply and it was their favorite song of the year. They thanked me and encouraged me to keep writing. I cried when I read it. I still have the message saved and I read it every once in a while to remind myself that I am doing what I sought out to do: give a voice to feelings and situations that feel like they need to be released in order to move forward.
Thank you so much for choosing to feature me!
