We were lucky to catch up with Aalisha Jaisinghani recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Aalisha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I’m definitely extremely fulfilled as an artist. I’ve had a glimpse of what my life could look like in a “regular” job, but it has only confirmed that music is and always has been my destined path.
I have always loved math and had a strong affinity for STEM in general, a passion my mom instilled within me from an early age. I pursued a dual degree at Washington University in St. Louis, earning a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance alongside a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics. I really loved number theory/cryptography amongst other topics. One of my alternative career path aspirations was to work with Artificial Intelligence, primarily on an ethics team focused on restraining dangerous developments.
However, throughout my entire life, music has always remained at the forefront of my passions. No matter the journeys that my other interests took me on, music was consistently my priority.
Of course, pursuing any art full-time as a career comes with extreme stressors. The greatest challenge for an artist remains financial stability. After grad school, I spent plenty of months struggling to figure out what to do. It was the most uncertain, scariest time of my life, filled to the brim with the most self-doubt I have ever experienced. I once again briefly considered pursuing a STEM career for stability, but I was worried it would consume all my time, leaving my artistic aspirations in the dust. I also knew my heart wasn’t truly in that, and that I would have been pivoting to STEM out of fear alone.
Film scoring, though fulfilling, doesn’t always pay the bills. I currently work multiple part-time jobs – a busy lifestyle that reflects a busy city! Alongside my indie film scoring and songwriting and performance, I work remotely part-time for Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design (RMCAD) in Colorado, building an online Screen Scoring undergraduate course from the ground up, as well as teaching its first iteration. I also teach a myriad of private piano students around Manhattan, and group piano classes in Williamsburg.
My timetable is a whirlwind, with every day holding a different routine. I’ve come to realize that the conventional 9-5 structure was never my cup of tea. As an artist, my mind is always buzzing with new ideas, and their timing can be unpredictable. Having each day be a unique experience helps me stay energized and creative. Juggling my multiple roles may be a pain when it comes to handling taxes, but each role involves something I care deeply about, keeping me on my feet and running in what I love to do the most!
In the end, the challenges have been worth it. I genuinely have no regrets in avoiding a financially stable STEM career. The unpredictability of this path is completely outshined by the immense fulfillment it brings.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
From the outset, my affinity for music was clear—I first answered the age-old question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” with a resounding “rockstar!” I am a screen media composer, a singer-songwriter-performer, and a classical and jazz pianist. I never know how to put it more concisely!
Regarding my work today…
I have scored dozens of short films, animations, and other screen media projects, and am best known for my experimental horror and thriller scores. I always strive to create visceral sounds I wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere, and love to manipulate my own vocals to create otherworldly soundscapes. I believe the human voice can evoke a universal familiarity across audiences, even if subconsciously, whether in a comforting or terrifying way. Many of my most acclaimed scores feature my voice in ways that are almost completely unrecognizable.
I won “Best Music Score” in the MultiDimension Independent Film Festival in May 2023, and was nominated for “Original Music” at the Watersprite International Festival in February 2024 in Cambridge, UK. My other accolades include my nominations for “Best Music Score” for three different short films within the span of two Organization of Independent Filmmakers (OIF) Orlando festivals, preceded by an FMF YTA Screen Scoring Honorable Mention Award from the Krakow Film Music Festival in May 2022.
When it comes to my songwriting, I am unable to pinpoint myself within any singular genre. My public discography consists of over 30 released tracks, including rock, jazz, and most recently alt pop songs, which I often record, mix, and produce myself, usually mastered by mentor and collaborator Jamie Lawrence. With my love for collaboration and learning from my peers, I am expanding more of my work moving forward to incorporate and feature other artists! I have a diverse set of records in development for 2024, and can’t wait to start releasing them.
I love to mesh my multifarious influences, rather than sticking to the unspoken rules of any one genre. I wrap my vulnerabilities into riddles, and hide easter eggs in my songs—references to overly specific moments in my life or callbacks to older tracks. Even though the styles of these songs are so varied, I see all my songs as connected.
In addition to my solo artist career, I have fronted, led, and written songs for multiple rock bands. I frequently perform with my current band DUCK! around New York City, and we are excited to record our first EP in the coming months.
About my journey…
My parents were incredibly supportive, and started me with piano lessons at the age of six. I attended a performing arts middle school for piano, and subsequently was accepted to Dreyfoos School of the Arts, the perfect fast-paced creative environment to further nurture my dreams. I delved into jazz piano, expanded my repertoire to include my love for rock and contemporary music, and further explored my lifelong dream of songwriting.
I pursued a dual degree at Washington University in St. Louis, earning a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance alongside a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics. Under the guidance of esteemed mentors such as Amanda Kirkpatrick, William Lenihan, and Kara Baldus-Mehrmann, I continued to refine my skills in classical and jazz piano, and even had the opportunity to form and front two rock bands, the first step of fulfilling my childhood rockstar dream.
At WashU, I became the sole undergraduate student selected to teach an Intro to Jazz Theory and Ear Training course for other undergraduates, a position typically reserved for graduate students. This experience not only allowed me to share my knowledge and passion for music with others but also ignited a love for teaching.
The onset of COVID-19, of course, universally threw a wrench in everything. With the cancellation of numerous performances, I found myself at a crossroads. It was during this period of uncertainty that I made the decision to apply to grad school! I initially planned to audition for piano performance or apply for concert composition at a couple institutions. However, I confessed to my composition professor at the time – Chris Stark – that I wasn’t satisfied with my next steps. He encouraged me to explore the world of film scoring—a total turning point in my career. It dawned on me that film scoring serendipitously encapsulated all of my passions. With a lifelong love for storytelling, fueled by my avid reading and creative writing background, the opportunity to craft music for these narratives was a natural fit.
I found myself enamored with New York University’s Screen Scoring curriculum, and immediately rerouted my focus to prepare for the graduate school application with the little time I had left. Once accepted, I was quickly immersed into this fantastic world, and spent two fruitful years working towards my Master’s degree. At NYU, I had the privilege of studying under esteemed faculty such as Jamie Lawrence, Kevin Killen, Phil Galdston, and Ariel Marx, as well as the opportunity to lead exciting recording sessions with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. I also spent much of my time exploring experimental soundscapes and diving into the realm of horror film scoring—a genre that resonated deeply with my creative sensibilities despite my heavily classical background. Throughout all of this, I fortunately was still able to prioritize my own songwriting as well, releasing multiple indie and alternative pop records.
Today, I find myself balancing multiple roles—composer, educator, songwriter, and performer—all while pursuing my solo art. The balance has become second nature to me now — a busy chaotic life fits comfortably into a busy chaotic city! Alongside my scoring and songwriting, I’ve enjoyed working with Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design (RMCAD). With RMCAD, I have been building an online Screen Scoring undergraduate course from scratch, and am teaching its first iteration. Additionally, I teach private piano lessons to students between the ages of 6-13 across Manhattan, and my involvement with a small Williamsburg music school has me leading group piano classes for kids.
In addition to my multifaceted career in music education and composition, I’ve found creative fulfillment having formed the rock band “DUCK!”. Collaborating with talented musicians Ethan Saffold, Justin Ma, Michael Hernandez, and Alena Kutumian, we’ve crafted an original sound that blends elements of indie rock, pop, and alternative genres. From performing at venues like FirstLive to recording our eagerly anticipated EP, “DUCK!” has provided me with not only an outlet for collaborative creation but also wonderful friends to share my passion with!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
The biggest lesson I’ve had to learn is that you cannot control your life’s timeline. As my good friend Nick once told me, “The tighter you try to grip sand, the faster it slips through your fingers.”
I’ve always been incredibly ambitious, but that also means I tend to be too hard on myself. I had to rethink what “success” really means—or at least, adjust my own definition. It took me a while to accept that there’s no magical age when everything falls into place.
In a society where aging, especially for women, is often treated as taboo, it feels like I’m constantly racing against the clock. When I hit the milestone of 18, I wondered, “Shouldn’t I have achieved more by now?” Now, at 24, I understand that the idea of “making it” is just an illusion, and everyone’s journey is unique. You can’t force your timeline to conform to any specific mold.
Using timelines to structure my goals, though, generally proves helpful. I’m deliberate about the dates I choose to release my songs; they always carry significance or relevance to my work. As a mathematician, I have an affinity for finding patterns in numbers, and I incorporate the release date into the creative or emotional process. However, this approach has sometimes boxed me in, leading me to rush to meet self-imposed deadlines. While I still create ambitious deadlines, I’ve learned to grant grace to myself if the music isn’t ready. Ultimately, the quality and integrity of the art matter more than adhering to a strict timeline!
In an ideal world, we creatives could spend all our time focusing on art. However, in reality, we must do so on top of our responsibility to maintain stable lives for ourselves. Uncertainty is a constant in this field.
As a musician and creator, I’ve found passion in exploring various mediums. In academia, exploration is encouraged, since there is a clear goal post to work towards – graduation. This may have been a factor in my choice to apply to grad school during the pandemic, since post-graduation, that goalpost disappears, replaced by the pressure to streamline goals for sustainable financial stability, as well as truly contemplate long-term plans. It can be and has been discouraging at times when personal projects must be put on hold, but everything always comes to fruition at the right times!
The greatest advice I can give to anyone, including myself, is to keep your head in the game, work hard, and allow your path to unfold the way it’s meant to. What’s yours will find you!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I once came across a statement that artists create out of necessity. It struck a chord within me because I feel that relentless urge to create. Music is my language for everything elusive, filling in ineffable gaps. The desire to be understood has forever run deep within me, and it’s through my music that I can express myself fully. It’s a gratifying journey that often leads to a deeper understanding of myself.
Another fulfilling aspect is the longevity of our creations. Completion of a project doesn’t mark its end; rather, each piece of art takes on a life of its own once I let it out into the world. I’m reminded of this when an old song of mine is licensed for a new indie film, a testament to how my past self unwittingly planted seeds for future endeavors. Similarly, it is immensely rewarding to witness films I’ve contributed to continue making waves in festival circuits even years later.
All of this serves as a poignant reminder of art’s enduring impact. It transcends the transient nature of today’s anxious world, offering a lasting connection that resonates with people — especially in a world of fleeting moments and short attention spans!
Contact Info:
- Website: AalishaMusic.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/aalishajai
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aalishajai
- Twitter: twitter.com/aalishamusic
Image Credits
Alexa Whyte, Candice Wu and Joshua Reed