We recently connected with Alayna Carroll and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alayna, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Before I moved to Nashville, I had only visited the city twice. I really didn’t know anyone in the music business at all. I had no idea where to go to perform, who to talk to, who to write with, or who to go to for help. The two trips I took were very short, too. I flew down one time and got to spend a day and a half there, and only did touristy things. The other trip I took by myself, flying commercial and staying with the relative of a friend who wasn’t in the music business.

It was very risky to move to Nashville by myself without having much knowledge of the music business and where to go. What if it didn’t work out? But I went to the NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) building and found a physical list of all the local open mics. Within the first three days, I was out at my first writer’s night. I had moved on a Thursday, went to NSAI the next day, and on Sunday night I went out. I submerged myself into the music community. Songwriters were mostly welcoming, which was great.

The move to Nashville completely changed my life for the better. I’ve learned so much from being here, surrounding myself with some of the best songwriters in the world. I don’t think I would trade it for anything. I’ve grown from watching others, and doing the work. If you have a dream, just jump in and go for it!

Alayna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Alayna, and I’m a country artist and songwriter based in Nashville, TN. I am self-taught on guitar, took classical piano lessons from age 7, & I can also play a little bit of mandolin. My hometown is Butler, PA, about an hour north of the Pittsburgh area. From a young age I’ve pretty much always been interested in music, especially contemporary music that’s heard on the radio. I kept many journals and I wrote my first song at age 12, but didn’t write another song until a few years later. I didn’t understand what I was doing, and that I had even really written a song.

I was told many times by my own family that I wasn’t any good at singing and that I should stop, but I loved it too much to care what anyone thought. I tried to do what I could on my own without much support behind me. My childhood consisted of a lot of verbal abuse, and some physical abuse. I’m proud of myself for getting through that the best I could. Because of this experience, it seems like I always have things to write songs about. Sometimes my song subjects are deeper than surface level, which I think sets me apart from other country artists.

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

Because of my childhood I’m very passionate about being an inspiration to others. I’d like to show listeners that you can get through anything, no matter what. Not every child has the same opportunities as another and it’s important that we inspire the next generation and help them in any way we can. If I can write songs that make people feel empowered, I will have done my job.

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

When Napster hit, it changed the entire music business. People were able to download songs for free, basically stealing from the artist and everyone behind them. It almost seems that now the expectation is that music should be free. While I believe that music should be affordable, unfortunately if no one pays for music then it’s going to be hard to continue making and releasing music. One Spotify stream is a fraction of a penny, so that doesn’t pay very well either. Downloading a song for $0.99 would be way more helpful.

Since streaming has significantly reduced the amount of money flow in the industry, labels are less willing to take a chance on new artists. The artists they do sign have to already have a ton of fans and lots of buzz around them. To help these artists, please consider purchasing their music, attending a live show, buying their merch and/or promoting them online. Labels are watching social media for the next big artist to break.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.alaynasmusic.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/alayna924
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alaynasmusic
• Linkedin: N/A
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/alayna924
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/alayna924
• Yelp: N/A
• Soundcloud: N/A
• Other: http://www.tiktok.com/alayna924

Image Credits

Photographer: Chaz Mazzota