Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Larrissa. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Larrissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I grew up in my church choir but never considered myself a singer. I danced competitively until college, then the title morphed into NCAA cheerleader. Outside of movement, my expression was mainly channeled into poetry and theater until August 2023. Last summer, my marriage was falling apart and the upright piano in my living room was my only reprieve. Turning poems into songs helped me navigate heartbreak. Once I learned how to write a song, I couldn’t stop.

A musician friend advised, “the best rehearsal is in front of an audience” so I started attending 2-3 open mics a week. I would strap all 88 keys to my back and march around Oklahoma City singing my personal diary in real time. It was the ending of a decade-long love story and the beginning of a whole new one.

Larrissa, 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?

People call me country but it’s just in my blood. Reba McEntire and Leann Rimes taught me everything I know, so it’s no surprise that I bring a twang and a toe tap to even the most tragic of tales. I honestly thought I would be a wife and mother by this point. But alas, instead I’m playing music with dear friends every night and thanking God for it every morning. I’m on a mission to strengthen other women’s voices, to tell untold stories, both the lighthearted joys and the rage we don’t often feel safe enough to fully express. Music heals and unites us, even the most polarizing conversations have simple solutions in the right key.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Like I said, I only ever wanted to be a mother and a wife. It drove every decision I made, but when neither of those dreams worked out, I was lost. I had to learn how to ask myself what I wanted for breakfast. I had to learn how to choose a five year goal regardless of who is beside me. I traded my cozy, historic bungalow for a 400 square foot stark-white loft but this is where I am, for a reason. I’m now more engaged with my community, a better friend, and channeling my love into art that I get to share with others who need it. Don’t get me wrong, I will always be a hopeless romantic, but there’s more to life than who loves me back.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The people, hands down. Oklahoma City is thundering in a really cool way these days. Nearly every night of the week, a friend is playing somewhere. But it doesn’t feel oversaturated. We’re helping each other, building shows, trading sets, feedback and applause. It may sound kitschy, but I’ve been calling this era “post-pan.” You know, short for post-pandemic. Our worlds were collectively and simultaneously rocked, forcing us to pick up the wreckage in one way or another. Now that the dust is settling, I’m noticing a collective understanding: we do need each other, healing is soft and mandatory and without collaboration, every triumph is empty. I feel honored that the people I eat dinner with are the same ones I’m writing with.

It’s not about “making it” anymore, we’re all trying to make it through life. Music just helps.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/larrissamusic

Image Credits
Cate Jones