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

Hi Allyson , thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I first realized I wanted to become a recording artist about 2 years after graduating college. I had always written songs and performed as a singer, but never took songwriting and recording seriously. It wasn’t until around 2019 when I had just won a talent show at my former job. I performed one of my original songs that I recorded on my iPhone, and the reaction was very encouraging! Many were asking if the song was available on streaming platforms — but it wasn’t. From then on, I decided to take my talents to the next level. I was gifted some equipment for a home studio that Christmas, and immediately started learning how to make beats and record my vocals. I quickly realized that the process would take a while to learn, so I looked to others for help. I have a close friend, J Wall, who is featured on my first project. He was able to help me tremendously in getting started with my independent journey in music and I’m forever grateful for our connection. He gave me tips, helped create my first song with a feature and introduced me to others in the business. About a year and a half later of writing songs, getting rid of songs, and working a full-time job during covid-19, I was finally ready to drop my first project, a self-titled EP “TheeAllyE”.

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?

My name is Allyson Zenobia Edmonds. Many know me on the stage as “TheeAllyE” — thee, not the, and Ally E. for my first name and last name initial. I am 28 years old and I was born and raised in Indianapolis.
All my life, I have been into music and singing. It started in the church choir at the young age of 5. I was active in choir for elementary, middle, and high school. I am a proud alumni of Warren Central High School where I was a member and lead soloist in the Connection show choir. I am also a TV news producer.
As much as I focused on music, I also focused on television. Being a part of the news teams during my time in school was very important to me. I attended Ball State University and double-majored in journalism and telecommunications. I currently work at FOX59/CBS4 as a morning show producer.
Balancing a career I went to school for and my dream career can create a pretty hectic and heavy workload. My heart and passion is in music, and I strive to create a performance that will keep my audience coming back for more. Being an R&B artist can be tricky in this generation, simply because many are looking for songs in the hip-hop genre. I try to mix the two to create a unique sound my listeners will know me for. Being able to work at a tv news station has also given me opportunities to be on air and promote my work and my shows. I’m proud to be an artist in the LGBTQ community and want to continue to write songs that uplift, inspire and simply make you feel good.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Many times you’ll hear people speak negatively about the benefits and rewards in the music business. I want to try to change that perspective for some. Music and performing are my passions. It is the sole reason why I do ANYTHING I do, especially when sometimes it’s for free. Getting started in this business can be tough as a new artist working to gain the trust of others. The most rewarding aspect for me is the reaction I receive from those who watch me perform and listen to my music. Seeing my parents, family, and friends at my shows, singing my songs front row, is one of the best feelings. My mom has always been my biggest fan, and she has been one of my biggest supporters. My dream was always to have my songs on Apple Music and YouTube. The reward is being able to share my God-given talents with the world and knowing I can make a difference for someone with my voice and my smile.

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

I will admit, that music is a tough business when it comes to making this a full-time career. Many times, I have been asked to do a show unpaid. I’m not the kind of artist to say I won’t do anything without a paycheck, but I do take the time to make sure it benefits me before I accept a job for free. In those times I chose not to accept, I think this is a good time for the venue or party promoter to take time to consider adding a price to the budget for the artist. Shows should never be unpaid, but if they are, again, it needs to be a big benefit for the artist (promotion, connections, free food, tickets, etc). Also, it would help people outside of the music industry to show more love to local artists. I see many times that local artists and creatives are the main ones supporting other local artists. This keeps our industry looped instead of bringing more people into the circle. I think we are doing a good job of including local artists in events around the city, however, there is a lot of room for opportunity and growth in this area. Also, local radio stations and TV networks should come together to find a way to promote local artists. Shows like Indy Now, Lifestyle Indy, and All-Indiana do a great job at this. Radio stations could do a little more to make sure artists are getting the credit and recognition they deserve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/theeallye/theeallye
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeallye/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theeallye777
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allyetv/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheeAllyE
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theeallye

Image Credits
The cover photo and the one that looks similar to it (both dark with purple hues) those are credited to Kennedy MaKay Weaver. The black and white photo and the photo with the golden mic – credit to Jay Christine The others have no credits. Let me know if you have questions on this.