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 originally born in Pennsylvania, then my family and I moved to NYC when I was 11 years old and I grew up there until I went to Business school in OC at 18. I played classical piano from age 6 to 8 and used to perform at my elementary school assemblies. Then later on I picked music back up and recorded my first 3 songs for fun at a studio in New York before I went off to business school. When covid hit I decided to re-evaluate what career path I wanted to pursue in depth, I thought: “what do I really want to do for the rest of my life?” After starting to write songs and immerse myself into the music again, I decided to make the decision to transfer to a music school in LA and really go all in with it. I went to school for Production and Songwriting and fell in love with the process. I kept my word to myself that I would learn how to produce, engineer, and mix my own songs. It had always been a dream of mine to be able to create music that was done entirely by me.
Q: Did you have any formal training, or are you self-taught?
A: When I first began recording and songwriting I was self taught. I originally started out writing my music in a notebook, then I would record the song on voice memos. When I started to get serious about music as a career path I started working in the studio 2-3 times a week with a producer/mentor, where I met so many other talented artists I learned from as well. We recorded lots of different demos each week where I tried out many different styles, which helped identify my sound as an artist and what I was trying to convey to my listeners. The more I started to notice my improvement, the more hungry I was to learn about the music industry as a whole and how I can use that information to help build myself as an independent artist. After 6 months of consistently working in the studio I decided I wanted to enroll in the Independent Artist Program at a local music school in LA where I learned about music production, audio engineering, songwriting music theory, business entertainment, piano, visual media, and ear training. These classes built a foundation of information for me that significantly changed my perspective and opened me up to a whole new world as a musician. With the new ability to record and produce myself I decided to make a home studio with the equipment I need, which is when I started to produce and record demos everyday. I feel grateful that I had the opportunity to learn, in an organized setting because it built a foundation of information for me to continuously learn on my own.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: The first music I vividly remember listening to was Tom Petty’s album Full Moon Fever at around 4 years old. My dad would play the CD in the car all the time and I remember getting so excited when Running Down a Dream and I Won’t Back Down started playing. My parents played a lot of classic rock for me as a kid, but out of all the artists they played, Led Zeppelin was the other artist I would always sing along to as well. As I grew a bit older I was really into Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Britney Spears. I remember around age 8 I would listen to their music on repeat with my iPod Nano whenever I had the chance. I thought they were so cool and their music would always make me feel confident. I really looked up to them and I loved to sing their songs as a kid which showed me how much I actually enjoyed singing. Even back then I had dreams to make my own songs and be an artist like them. All of the artists I mentioned are still strong musical influences to me today. When I was in high school I started listening to a larger pool of musical genres. I got really into metal, grunge, and classic rock. Lil Peep was also a very strong musical influence for me, his music had such a distinct sound that was so much different from the other artists. It only makes sense why I enjoyed his music because some of his musical influences were Nirvana, Linkin Park, and Deftones who are artists I am also strongly influenced by. Limp Bizkit, Three Days Grace, AC/DC, and Bring Me the Horizon influenced my sound as well.
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘Ghost Girl’. Is there a story behind it?
A: “Ghost Girl” is written in the 3rd person about a girl who’s been through a lot but came out the other side stronger, wiser, and more independent/free. I began the writing process from the concept of a “Ghost Girl” which to me symbolizes the ghost of a girl who once put others before herself, reflected on the pain it caused her, which in turn taught her to love herself and empower herself in the process of moving on. The lyricism came naturally to me as that girl was once me. I wanted to share my perspective in the hope that my listeners, whether they can directly relate to the song or not, can take away that it is okay to feel sad, hurt, or vulnerable. Something valuable I learned is that facing the obstacle of “negative” emotions can help you to let go and discover a whole new side to yourself.
Q: Can we expect a new EP or even an album from you in the near future?
A: I have a lot of singles in the works that I will be releasing over the next year, however, I plan to drop an EP towards the end of 2023. Before I drop it my goal is to first build a larger fan base and gain more traction with my music.
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: I would consider my music alternative pop/rock with some trap elements and my writing as generally unfiltered, open, and unapologetic. I speak from the heart and reflect on relationships, love, heartbreak, betrayal, and self-love. When I first began recording I was going through a tough time, but music guided and grounded me. As I continued to grow as an artist, I also grew as a person. Being able to openly express myself through my writing has been a cathartic experience for me. My goal is to bring awareness about mental health and give my listeners a way to express themselves through my music. I have learned on my own mental health journey that the more I openly admit to myself and accept my emotions (the good and the bad), the more I continue to grow and strengthen my mental health. I hope my listeners find strength through my music to keep fighting for themselves and feel that they are not alone. That would make me feel complete.
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: Music gives me everything I’ve ever wanted: a sense of purpose, a passion, expression, an emotional outlet, and a strong work ethic. Since I decided to give my all to music and pursue it as a career path, I am the most fulfilled I have ever been. Music makes me whole and I feel blessed that I discovered my love for being an artist. The results I have seen with my music have been equal to the amount of work I put into it and that has only further motivated me to work harder.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do you usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: There are many different ways I go about writing a song depending on setting, mood, and when/where I get inspired. Sometimes I’ll be laying in bed about to fall asleep, taking a walk, etc. and a random melody will pop into my head. When this happens I’ll usually record it on voice memos and then build a song around it when I can sit down and produce/record it at my home studio. Other times I’ll produce a beat first, think of the emotion I want to convey, and I’ll record a few melody takes then write the song based off of the best take. I also have so many beats I’ve started so sometimes I’ll find a random one I forgot about and I’ll freestyle to it.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: I have struggled with anxiety and periodical depression which has been hard on me over the years, there would be moments where I felt very lost. When I was growing up I tended to feel like an outsider, not sure what group I fit into. I had to learn to put myself first in order to grow and become stronger. The beginning of my journey to find myself sometimes felt like an uphill battle but I didn’t let myself give up. This was deep rooted within me and I had to learn to love myself and feel okay being alone with my thoughts. I wasn’t always comfortable in my own skin but I have done a lot of self work over the years and continue to work on myself everyday.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: One of my proudest moments has been learning to produce and engineer my own music. When I first sparked an interest in singing/songwriting I had always dreamed of myself creating my own music from scratch and would fantasize about how cool it would be to be able to create my own sound. Now I am one year into production/audio engineering and I am really proud of my improvement… If the old me had known this would be where I’m at now she would be so impressed.
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