We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alannah McCready. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alannah below.

Alannah, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

My parents will say they have always known since I could talk that I was going to be a singer for the rest of my life and I tend to agree haha. I have been singing for as long as I can remember. There are drawings my parents have that I did as a 4 year old where I drew myself singing in front of a crowd and wrote “I am happy when I sing”. growing up I always participated in musicals, extra curricular choirs and competitions. When I graduated college and was giving the opportunity to pursue music full time I took it and never looked back. I have been a professional artist for 10 years now and I cannot picture myself doing absolutely anything else.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a singer/songwriter based in Nashville, TN but am originally from Blaine, MN. I grew up with my mom, dad, younger brother and all of our dogs! I could not be more blessed or grateful for my amazing family who now includes my sister-in-law and nephew who is the absolute light of all of our lives. My parents have always been and continue to be the biggest supporters of anything my brother or I choose to tackle in life and I truly wouldn’t be where I am today without them. Growing up I played hockey as majority of Minnesotans do as well as sang in choir and musicals which was definitely not a combo anyone had seen before, at least in my hometown. I always knew I wanted to sing professionally someday and I thought I’d also play hockey along the way because why not? We can achieve anything we put our minds to. In high school I would perform in musicals and choir as well as sing the national anthem in my goalie equipment before playing in the game. I get asked a lot if the amount of sports and music i did in high school hindered my social life as a teenager and my answer to that is no because from a young age i knew what i wanted to achieve and i knew there would be time for a social life once i got there.

After graduating high school I was fortunate enough to play D1 Women’s Ice hockey at the University of Wisconsin – Madison on scholarship but unfortunately that meant putting music on the back burner for a while. In my years at Wisconsin we were able to win 2 NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey National Championships which have become core memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. Playing an NCAA sport is like being in college and having a full time job at the same time and I loved every minute of it. I journaled a lot in college which i didn’t know at the time would end up being some of the first songs I’d ever written and end up as part of my first album. So in a way i was still doing music even if it was in private. I still knew and promised myself i would make it my career one day. I am beyond grateful for my college experience because i think it plays a major role in how i live my life today as an independent artist.

After college I moved to New York and did PR for a sports management company where I managed the day to day lives of NFL players. I loved my job and New York but as soon as I got an opportunity to go to Nashville and record music for the first time i jumped on it and didn’t look back. I recorded for the first time in 2012 in Nashville and it just felt like home. I spoke with the producer afterwards and said “do you think i could do this for a living because i think it’s what I’m supposed to be doing”, he agreed with me and that reassurance along with knowing i had the support of my amazing family and friends was all i needed to quit my job and begin doing music full time and I haven’t stopped since.

Since becoming an independent artist I have released 2 full albums and 1 EP and i couldn’t be prouder of the music i have written and created. I currently reside in Nashville and regularly play live shows and writers rounds. I get asked all the time how my athletic career plays into my music one and to be honest it helps every single day. As an athlete at a high level as well as an independent musician the mental aspect is very similar. In both cases no one is going to do it for you, they require self motivation, mental toughness to be able to handle the highs and lows of the industry and the will to be the best at your craft you can possibly be. I am very blessed to be able to write, sing, and perform every single day as my career and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
When I’m not touring/writing I love to travel and spend time with my family, friends and of course my fur baby, Zoe. I still play hockey in my free time and love sports in general.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

In my opinion the best way you can support the artists you love is to stream/buy/SHARE their music as much as possible. As artists and especially independent artists we don’t make very much income just based on streams so sharing and helping your favorite artists get their music to as many people as possible is the best way to support them!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My entire life I played hockey and sang until college when I had to set singing aside to focus on hockey because that’s what my scholarship was for. Once I graduated I began working for a sports management company in New York until I made the change to pursue music full time. making that transition was the scariest but most incredible decision I have ever made and I am forever grateful to 25 year old me for having the courage to take that leap and not look back.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alannahmccready.com
• Instagram: @alannahmccreadymusic
• Facebook: AlannahMcCreadyMusic
• Twitter: @lanamccready
• Youtube: Alannah McCready

Image Credits
4th photo is Gene Reed Photography