Voyage LA
Published: January 6th, 2021
Hi Ali, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Since I was a little girl I sang, danced, and was and still am an avid animal lover. I was involved with choir, musicals and plays growing up, had dreams in the back of my mind of being a singer for a living but sort of pushed it down and was convinced I’d go into animal rescue for a career. After taking my first year of college abroad and then spending a semester of college in San Francisco, I decided I wanted to volunteer for an animal rescue program to determine if that was in fact what I wanted to commit to. I spent six weeks in Capetown, South Africa at a penguin rescue center. It was an invaluable experience and one I will never forget but I still felt like something was missing. So I regrouped in Chicago (where I’m from) and had an impactful conversation with my brother, who encouraged me to explore music more seriously and try out living in New York City. I finished the last two years of school there and stayed another three years after that, performing my original music for the first time. After NYC I lived in Oakland, then after a very inspiring visit to LA, I decided to follow my gut and move there to take my music path to the next step.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a winding road with peaks, valleys and in betweens. I’m deeply grateful for the rich experiences I’ve had and the path that I’m on. It’s what allows me to share what I have with the world and empathize with people.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a singer/songwriter, musician, actor and dancer. I’m most proud of my new album “Blood”. I saw the vision clearly and mustered up all my courage to make this record. I had to overcome my fear of asking for help by organizing an indiegogo campaign to raise money for it. It’s a very personal, cathartic and empowering album for me. What sets me apart from other artists is that regardless of the production or sound that ends up in my songs, everything comes from my heart and soul. I want to share my vulnerability and joy through my music and creativity in order to connect with others as well as share about subjects that matter to me.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Believing in myself.
