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 grew up in Orlando, FL, and moved to Brooklyn when I was 20, and have been here for 6 years now.
I always knew I wanted to pursue music since I was little, I would constantly be singing and writing my own songs. I always dreamed of releasing my own music and performing it one day, singing has always felt like the best way to express myself.
Q: Did you have any formal training, or are you self-taught?
A: I took voice lessons as a kid, but I kind of taught myself and learned more about my voice over the years. I took piano lessons as well but ended up quitting when I was little, and realized as I was playing more that I can play by ear. I would hear a bunch of my favorite songs on the radio and then go to the piano and just be able to play them without sheet music. I got my first guitar in 2019, and the same thing happened with playing by ear. Everything is by ear for me. I cannot read notes.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: Avril Lavigne, Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, and Ariana Grande were some of my biggest musical influences growing up. I loved Avril’s emotional ballads and upbeat angsty songs, Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus’s stuff was always just so fun to sing and dance around to, and listening to Ariana Grande taught me how to start riffing, and her songs about love and heartbreak really inspired me. I also have been doing theatre since I was 7 so I was inspired from being in that world as well.
Q: You have just released your new EP, ‘maybe i’ll feel better’. Is there a story behind it?
A: Yes, I wrote the song “serotonin” that it opens with back in March of this year that kind of inspired the whole idea, March 13 daylight savings started and I heard birds chirping and I started playing guitar writing the line “the sun is setting at seven again, maybe i’ll get some serotonin” I get really bad seasonal depression and so for me it just felt like a fresh new start and I could enjoy the sunsets again, and it felt like the perfect intro song. From there I had this idea of tying into mental health and relationships, it starts off with the flashback of being in an unhealthy relationship and then transitions to a fresh start, the “honeymoon” feeling where all you can think about is how much you love this new person. There is this idea too that if you’re unhappy in your life, maybe being in a relationship and being loved by another person will make you feel better, I think reflecting on the different stages of being in a relationship and noticing when it takes a wrong turn is in an interesting take, so I wanted to go that direction instead of just doing a break up album. It took me a while to come up with the title but I found myself writing the lyric “maybe i’ll feel better” in two of my songs, so it kind of spoke for itself. The EP also starts and ends with the title in the lyrics which I love.
Q: Can we expect an album from you in the near future?
A: Yes, that is definitely one of my goals, I hope to make a few! I really enjoyed the process of finding out how my songs flow together one after the other, so I really enjoyed working on that.
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 am very honest in my lyrics, they are about personal situations that I’ve been through or feelings I am experiencing, I hope no matter what mood my listeners are in, or if they are really going through it, that my music can be there for them. I would describe my sound as sad and nostalgic, but if you’re a fan of Olivia Rodrigo or Lizzy McAlpine, or even Taylor Swift I think you’ll like it.
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: Releasing it and sharing my story is always a reward for me, but I think sometimes I get in my head about how many streams I’m gonna get after it’s out. I put a lot of time and work into making sure the songs flow and the visuals match the energy. I am expecting one day to be featured on a spotify editorial playlist, and that will happen when it’s meant to.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do you usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: I usually start with the melody so I can feel if the chord progression fits the mood I am trying to convey, and then I’ll go in with lyrics and see where it takes me. I used to have a hard time writing a full song when I had a new idea, and now when I write a song I make sure to write a full song so I can go back and change things later, and at least with that I have a rough draft. Sometimes I’m able to write a song on the spot, other times I just jot down lyrics on my notes app while I’m out if lyrics start to come to me.
I guess also if I’m in a really specific emotional state lyrics will just pour out. I wrote the song “26” right before my Birthday because I was not looking forward to it, and I wrote that in one day.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: Most difficult thing I’ve had to endure in my life is experiencing a lot of trauma and now dealing with the repercussions of it. I’ve struggled with Anxiety and Depression since I was in elementary school, and now even PTSD. I’ve always wondered how it would feel to not have trauma and how life would feel different from it. I am generally a very sad person so I feel like if I didn’t endure all this trauma I would feel lighter maybe i don’t know.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: Releasing this EP for sure, I had no idea that this was even going to happen this year, it was an option I just didn’t think I was ready for. But I am extremely proud of it, from everything to the songs and the visuals, I had a specific idea the whole way through and the photographers I worked with did such an amazing job in bringing my vision to life.
I also recently hit 3,000 streams on my single “valentine’s day” that I released back in Feb and that felt really good to see that progress.
