Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Alisa. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Emily, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
My first dollar earned as a creative was actually on the side of a street in Downtown Phoenix. I set out one first Friday night to meet up with a group of friends. We were set to meet at the main stage but I was unable to get a hold of them. I am not originally from Arizona. I’m from Illinois so finding my way around Downtown Phoenix is still a bit of a struggle for me. I was on my way already, so I gave a friend who lives in Downtown a call to see if he just happened to be going that night, and of course he was. We parked and met up together to make our way into the first Friday scene. While chatting and walking, we stumbled upon a Van lifer. He was all set up with his amp, guitar and microphone. Being the artist we are, we stopped for a moment to appreciate this man’s beautiful sound. He offered my friend Ryan a chance to play a song and jam out a bit. While Ryan was strumming away, the van lifer then looks over at me and says, “What do you do?” I responded, ” Well I am a vocalist and a songwriter.” The man responds, “Do you freestyle at all?” At this moment I knew I had to at least give it a shot. Even though it is something I have not done before, I saw no harm in trying. So my friend Ryan, aka Rymo is diddling away and I start to sing and play around with the melodies. I sang probably two lines of a song total, and a bystander walking by stops dead in her tracks. I noticed her shuffle around in her purse a bit and she handed me a five dollar bill. I was struck, I had only sang maybe for ten seconds. She looks at me and says, “Keep doing what you’re doing , and never stop. It is so beautiful.” That was a very pure moment for me. She was not paying me because I was singing someone else’s lyrics, she heard my voice, my words, my sound and wanted to support me. That was the moment I knew I needed to continue to chase my artistry.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am from Illinois originally, and moved to Arizona in 2019. If I’m honest I was not moving here for music originally. I moved here for the beauty of the state, the opportunity, and the exploration of it all. It wasn’t until 2022 that I decided I wanted to make more of a name for my artistry. I remember feeling this urge to buy myself a piano, so I can accompany myself at shows. Little did I know the piano was going to open a whole other door for my artistry. At the time, I was going through a lot of hardship in life and honestly the piano was one of my saving graces. I began writing music, allowing myself to feel the pain I was going through. That’s how my songwriting started, I processed my pain and put it all into a song. That was only the start, I began to write more and more after that, and I found a love for songwriting. In 2022, I wrote a total of 4 songs, which was a huge leap for me being that the only other songs I’ve written in my life I was probably about 6 years old when I wrote them. I’ve always been a vocalist and sang in all the talent shows growing up but writing wasn’t something I thought I could do. Then in 2023, things started to take off even more. I met a woman named Stephanie who was starting a nonprofit program called OnStage Now. The program is designed to help independent artists get exposure for their music. She heard me singing at a few open mics, and wanted to help me record some of my original work. I’ve now recorded 2 songs with her and plan to release them sometime this year. I never thought I would record some of my own work but I am beyond grateful to have been given the opportunity to record. I believe we are given things that are meant for us, and this was an opportunity I simply could not pass up.
That same year, I also started marketing my vocals for wedding and event singing. I have had the pleasure to sing at multiple events and weddings thus far, and look forward to more in the near future. I enjoy singing music to help bring any event to life and it is a great joy to be considered for such special days.
All in all, being creative in this lifetime is both rewarding and challenging. I look forward to the future and what it holds for my artistry. One of my biggest goals within this creative endeavor is to help inspire others to chase their wildest dreams. No matter how big or small, a life lived to its fullest will leave you feeling whole. After all we only have one life, why not give it all you’ve got?
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part of being an artist has to be the reactions I receive from others. Some of my original work can be very emotional, and it can be a bit intimidating to share sometimes. I will never forget this specific encounter I had with a woman in the crowd. I was actually very hesitant on performing one of my songs that night, because there was a certain fear around sharing those emotions with, well complete strangers. I pushed through the fear and did it anyway, and after my set this woman came up to me and said “That first song… I have never felt so seen before in my life.” That right there was my confirmation. While I thought these people were complete strangers, I was utterly wrong. We all experience emotions in very similar ways, and my song touched a part of that woman that day. Now before I get onstage my thought process is very different. I think to myself, if I can touch one person’s soul tonight or help them through a tough time, I’ve done my job right. Music can also be so healing, it can help someone find the words to the emotions they feel but don’t know how to truly explain. That’s why I share my music, because it would be selfish of me to keep that all to myself.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In 2022, the year I started taking my artistry a bit more seriously, I was put in a really tough position. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to live in Arizona much longer, as I couldn’t find a roommate and rent was skyrocketing so living alone simply was not an option. This made me question my journey as a creative entirely, because of the whole starving artist concept and I felt as though I had fallen into that category. I was lucky enough to have a generous relative open their home for me to live in until I could get back on my feet. During that time instead of throwing my artistry down and completely walking away I continued to chase the dream. I had to develop some other skills to support the dream but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I feel as though my artistry is meant to be here in Arizona to thrive and it took a lot of resilience to get me to where I am at now. I chose to not let my circumstances stop me and continued on with all my strength to see it through. Since then I have performed all around the valley, at Crescent Ballroom for their Wednesday showcase, Rebel Lounge, and have sang the National Anthem for RUF MMA at the Celebrity Theatre. I am beyond thankful for those who have helped me get to where I am at. Not only does it take resilience, but also a full team of people who believe in you and want to see you succeed.
Contact Info:
- Website: emilyalisa.com
- Instagram: @Emilyalisa_
- Facebook: Emily Alisa
- Youtube: Emily Alisa