We recently connected with Alayah Simone and have shared our conversation below.

Alayah, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

Unlike most parents, mine encouraged a career in the arts. Where I come from, a lot of parents push their children to pursue careers that are seen as traditionally lucrative in an effort to get away from the environment. My parents actually encouraged me to pursue music as well as anything else I wanted to do in life. They really wanted me to chase my dreams and they put me in environments where my talents could thrive. I was afforded a lot of opportunities because of the programs I was involved in at a young age. I dont know where I would’ve started if my parents hadn’t nurtured my desire for music in that way.

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.

Im Alayah Simone. Im an independent R&B singer and songwriter from Los Angeles, Ca. Ive been singing all my life. I come from a singing family so singing and music was a major part of my upbringing. I was adopted at birth and raised nearly as an only child. I was the youngest in the household so I had to find ways to entertain myself quite often. I always found myself turning to music. My sister had a pretty impressive music collection and I took advantage of it every chance I got. I also began writing really young. I started with journaling, and that turned into poetry. Eventually I started writing lyrics, while my mom was simultaneously teaching me the basics of piano. By the time I was in junior high school, I was learning music theory. That continued through my grade school years and into college. Ive never done much with my ability to read music, but its a nice foundation and Ive found it helpful in a lot of my music. Around 20 years old, I gave up on pursuing a career in music. I felt like it wasn’t realistic anymore. Ironically, I went against the thing I felt like my parents did right by teaching me to pursue my dreams. I guess life just got in the way of that. However, after several years, I came back to it and it was so natural and so fluid. I was so glad to be back in my lane. Some things are just meant for you and you can feel that. No matter how long youre away from it, when you reconnect with it, it just feels like home. Ive always felt like music is my home.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Its tough to tell someone how to support you, but as an independent artist thats just starting off in the industry, support and visibility are so important. I dont think people who aren’t creatives understand how imperative is for support to be visible. Unfortunately, we live in a time where people have to SEE to believe, Usually, its the artist versus the algorithm and the algorithm doesn’t account for quiet supporters. It promotes what people are making visible. So as non creatives, when you see creatives asking for your support in a way where it can be seen, its all for the sake of visibility. No matter how small your following is, you have a group of people that isn’t aware of what that artist is doing and maybe they need to. Maybe its what they or someone they know needs or has been looking for. So never think your audience is too small to share something you think is amazing. You never really know how that can change the course of someones creative career.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of my music journey is looking at the product I put out and being able to say “I did that” I am very hands on in my creative process. I literally do 90% of the work. If im dropping a single, I find a beat, write the song, record the song then send it to my engineer. While he mixes, I am setting up the photoshoot, putting my look together, and prepping for the shoot itself. Once the photos are taken, I get the song back and listen. I ask for changes and wait for the master version. While thats happening, I edit the photo into artwork. Then its time to upload the song. I upload it, make sure everyone is credited, and submit the lyrics, and then guess what? Its time to promote it. Its a long process and its so tedious and sometimes its very draining to be a one woman show. To be the artist, the singer, the writer, the manager, the digital creator, the stylist, the promoter…wheeewww. However, it makes the experience that much more special. Just knowing I taught myself how to do all of this work, and im getting better all the time and I dont really have to outsource for much. Then I get to see my artwork and my product out there for everyone to see and hear, and Im just like “yeah, I did ALL of that”.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alayah.simone/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@alayahsimone

Image Credits
Gabe Brown Taylor Watkins James Howard