We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amanda Victoria a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Amanda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

Am I happy? That changes on a day to day basis. Sometimes, I’m so thankful to myself for taking one of the scariest leaps I’ve ever taken in my life to quit my job and do music full time. But sometimes, like this week in fact, I loath myself for putting myself in this position! Putting the pressure of paying your bills on the notoriously delicate process of creativity can be one of the biggest killers of inspiration. I’m an independent artist. I’m not signed to a label, I do have a small management team, but every day consists of me forging my own path in the music industry, which can sometimes look like an endless void of untapped potential. Here I am in a little dingy of a boat attempting to sail all seven seas! Who do I think I am? But in those moments of anxiety, I have to remember that this time last year, I was depressed out of my mind staring at a screen for 8 hours every day. And if at any point, I really can’t take the heat, no one is stopping me from getting out of the kitchen. I can go back to corporate America any time I want. And there’s no way I’m doing that until I see this dream through! I may not be happy every day. That’s ok. Because I know without a doubt, ten or twenty years from now, I will be so happy that I gave it my best shot.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m an independent pop artist based out of Fort Worth. I won’t hear a lot of music like mine anywhere else. I like to mix cinematic sonic elements with moody somber lyrics to form what I like to call “drama pop”. I’m often told at live shows that I bring my listeners to tears. Most of my songs are written in the quiet hours of the night when my brain won’t stop spinning. Without getting into the gritty details, I grew up in an environment that created a girl with big dreams but a very small ego, and a lot of my songs battle with that tension along with the soul-crushing throws of heartbreak (an emotion that I’ve thoroughly explored!)

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

It’s easy to get lost in the day to day and wonder why I’m putting myself through the throws of vulnerability and rejection that the music industry offers. Then I remember that 12 year old girl finding herself in music, using lyrics and melodies that other people wrote to figure out who I was and what I wanted from life. Music is how I process every aspect of my life. I’m known by my friends for always creating the perfect playlist for every moment. All I want to do with my life is help people discover the best version of themselves and their life. I’ve always done this through music and I hope my music helps them do the same. Whether it’s a song that inspires fun and joy or a song that confronts the pain that you’ve been avoiding, my goal is to bring connection and breakthrough.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Insecurity can be a career stopper. One lie that I believed for a long time is that no one wants me here. Regardless of what room I walked into, I always felt like I was taking up too much space. You know that thing that people say about spiders or small pests: “They’re more afraid of you than you are of them.” I like to remember this concept when I walk into a room that I feel out of place in. And in the music industry, you have to walk into a lot of unknown rooms. Most people are more friendly than you expect and people want to help each other out. So walk into a room confident and be one of those people!

Contact Info:

• Website: amandavictoriasound.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandavictoriasound/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaVictoriaSound/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAfyi1XuGuF0H1TnczL6_Vw

Image Credits
Macka Photography Vision by Mitch The Dream Experiment TRVR