We were lucky to catch up with Alyssa Newton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alyssa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

After graduating from Belmont University with a bachelor’s degree in Songwriting, I lived the “Nashville dream” for a few years (waited tables part-time / created music & performed around town part-time). Some fellow writer friends introduced to a custom-songwriting company called Songfinch. Songfinch pairs people who’d like their love story turned into a song with artists like me who can write and record these songs for them. They simply fill out a questionnaire with details about their story and then I do the rest! Once I started teaming up with Songfinch, the songs started coming in and they didn’t stop! A few years and 1000+ custom songs later, I’m making music full time and using the money from the custom writing to fund the music I release on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.

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?

Hey! Alyssa here. Here’s a quick run down about me – I grew up in New Mexico, in a great city called Las Cruces. At 18, I made the big move to Nashville to pursue my dreams in music at Belmont University. I graduated in May of 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in Songwriting and a minor in Religion & the Arts. On the other side of school, music has taken me on some pretty cool adventures – touring across the USA, playing international songwriting festivals in the UK, writing & recording new projects for myself and for others, and even spending a little time in Hollywood as a featured contestant on Season 2 of NBC’s “Songland” show.

I’ve been hard at work on my debut album – “Stand Up Tall” – which is OUT NOW! Can’t wait for you to hear it!

In addition to creating my own music, I contract out musical work to other people through Songfinch & SoundBetter:

I write custom songs for people through an online company called Songfinch. I’ve done anniversary songs, proposal songs, graduation songs, birthday songs, and just about everything in-between! Request me to be your artist on Songfinch and I’ll turn your story into song!

I help other songwriters and artists with their projects through an online platform called SoundBetter. I provide a wide array of services. To name a few… co-writing songs, producing demos, recording vocals, etc. Hire me on SoundBetter to take your song to the next level!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is sharing a piece of my heart in my music and finding that it resonates with someone else. It’s a wild, magical, beautiful thing how our stories sometimes transcend ourselves. It gives the good times extra celebration and the harder times added purpose – nothing is wasted!

Contact Info:

• Website: alyssanewton.com
• Instagram: @alyssanewtonofficial
• Facebook: Alyssa Newton Music
• Youtube: Alyssa Newton Music
• Other: Tik Tok: alyssanewtonofficial

Image Credits
Dan Russo for all promotional shots. Alexa Campbell for the live performance shot.