We recently connected with Alena Larie and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alena , thanks for joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

Honestly, can I first say that I absolutely love this question. My parents mean so much to me because I am very close with them, so to see this question warms my heart. I don’t even know where to begin, but at the age of three years old I began to sing, my parents picked up on my gift of singing right away, and by the age of six they had put me in local and school talent shows as well as singing in the church choir. By the age of nine I was singing solos, my main two songs were “He Is Lord” and “God Has a Plan for My Life”.

From then to the present, my parents have always supported anything that I wanted to do because they understood how important their support was to my development and my ability to succeed in life. They expressed that it was their job to help me to grow and to cultivate the gifts that I was given. And, as I grew into my teen years my parents noticed that my creativity went beyond singing, and songwriting, they saw my ability to effectively communicate and connect with people from all different backgrounds. They especially took note of the fact that I was not afraid to talk to large groups of people, and I did not have a fear of speaking and singing in front of large audiences. So, they encouraged me in whatever I wanted to do. When they saw that I had a heart for media, photography, videography, modeling, and pageantry, they got right behind me and supported me. With their full support, right in the audience rooting for me, I went on to win national pageant titles. Then, it was right back to the music studio to work on a new single or album project.

I think my parents did their best and continue to do so to this day. They still stand behind me and are my biggest supporters when it comes to my music and everything that I do.
What my parents did right from the start, and I give thanks to them, for letting me be who I am from as early as I can remember. They saw that my personality was big, and they did not want me to not be myself, so they protected me, encouraged me to be confident, and instilled the importance of humility; to let my light shine, and to encourage others to do the same.
I thank my parents for never trying to change me or my career paths, and for giving me the opportunity to choose.

Alena , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

What I want to share about myself is that I am a visionary, and I believe that every person has a purpose in life. I am a person of faith and believe that risks are required to be taken when you have a dream. So, even when you cannot see the road ahead you must keep moving forward, believing that you will make it, and you will.

When I was in my mother‘s womb, my mother told me that when my dad played his saxophone, I would start moving around to point that she became very uncomfortable, and she would ask him to stop playing.

By age four I knew I wanted to a singer, and today my heart and focus is my creative first love which is music.

My professional journey into the music industry was my freshman year of college when I was accepted into the music program at Central Washington University. However I recognized that the program for was not for me. I knew that I wanted to pursue the kind of music that tapped into my soul. So, I requested a change to my second creative gifting of communications.

After returning home from CWU, I knew that I needed to take my music career to a whole different level in the style, and genre. So I sat down with my mother, and we decided that she would become my manager, and we began connecting with music producers. At that point in my life, I was 20 years old, and I began to really tap into my love and gift for song writing. I recorded my first professional track with my first producer. We were not a match, so I was introduced to another producer who produced several of my 43 songs. I have used my personal life, experiences, trauma and the experiences of others life decisions to create music that I knew and believed in my heart would tap into the hearts of music listeners, particularly those who had heard and would listen to my music.

What makes me proud is that I have remained true to myself, and to who I know I am to be. My genres are Pop & R&B but I started with Contemporary Christian which was considered too worldly by some Christian and loved by others. Oftentimes people who listen to my music will approach me when I am out at the mall or doing an event, and say,” hey I listen to your music “ and share the name of the song truly love. it can be a song I wrote from my very first album “The Love Torn Project” touched my life for example “mirror mirror” a person told me that my

What I believe sets me apart from others, let me first say that everyone is amazing in their own right, and I honor celebrate other music artists and creatives like myself who are working and striving to be their authentic selves as they create, raw and beautiful art through all of the creative ways I in a world that tries so hard to make them into someone else.

What I can say that does separate me from others purpose because no one’s purpose is the same. My name means light, my name Alena means “torch” “Flame” and when you think of a torch in itself a torch it’s self is a bearer of light which means that I have a duty and a responsibility to shine and be a light in darkness. I am a flame that burns and I am light that cannot be hidden so for me

What I believe sets me apart as a musical artist is my ability to tap into more than one genre. I believe that my voice is also distinctive and recognizable, and I that within my music I am creating a genre within in itself.

I sing across three genres. I am a transparent musical artists and creative who has a choice to freely create however I want, and how important it is for me to stay on the path I have charted, and been chosen for. I understand that not everyone will understand me, but I believe I have music that most people can relate to.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

This is such a good question, and when I read it, I was reminded of this very conversation I had with some other artists; There is a desire for creatives and artist to receive support from society starting in their own communities, among family members, and their friends, people that you know. Often, people will wait until you become famous or super successful before they will support you. But I think the best way that society can help support musical artist and creatives in a thriving creative ecosystem would be to provide that support right away.

How to support artist and creatives could be purchasing our products, for an example, you can support a musical artist by streaming their music, purchasing their merchandise, and/or going to their shows. Secondly, people can support a creative, for an example, for content creators, by sharing their content, engaging them, learning and sharing their stories with other people that you may know. Things are different in today’s world, so encouraging society to engage music artists and creatives would for some mean stepping out of their comfort zones to explore new ways of expression.

Nowadays we have so many platforms where musical artist and creatives, whether it is art, music, or content, to name a few, can thrive and be successful. Society can simply participate by acknowledging, sharing, and actively supporting by being present online, or in person to let that artists know that their craft and their labor is greatly appreciated.
I feel that one of the greatest things societies can do for us artist and creatives is to show up.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Absolutely, I can personally speak to growing up and hearing different phrases from people who are non-creatives. And some things that they always struggled to understand is that the creative and artistic path may not look like the normal or usual career path according to what is expected in the corporate world, or some of the more traditional industries, but it is just as important.
An artist or creative spends countless hours developing their craft. In most cases, more time is spent than the time they spend in their structured class or program. So, for an example, that person, child or adult, who spends most of their time in their room drawing, making, music, singing, or writing is a creative. Countless hours are spent to succeed in their work. And well-many people and parents will say, “how about you get a real job or career,” because as a non-creative person they do not understand.
For those who do not understand, I would say, when you know someone who wants to pursue a career in the artistic creative realm, get behind them just as you would if they wanted to become a doctor, lawyer, teacher etc. because what they are doing is charting a true career path. So, there’s no back-up plan needed, and there may be  many different irons in the fire, but the creative route has been a mark of success for many nthat we look up to in our world today.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alenalarie?igsh=MTJ6ZDVwOWRwbm0yeg==
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/alenalariemusic/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alena-larie-13552960
• Youtube: https://www.YouTube.com/Alenalarie

Image Credits

Photographer credits:

Diana Bartos Photography – A Nice Evening with Alena Larie at Benaroya Hall

Chester West – Photoshoot images

W.T.M. Media Photography & Promotions – BTS Behind the scenes images

Team Alena Larie Management