We were lucky to catch up with Laryssa Birdseye recently and have shared our conversation below.

Laryssa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I started music a little later in life, though it had always been a passion of mine. I had started writing music at 14, singing basically when I could talk, and putting songs together in high school. I was terrified of sharing any of it with people, but there was always a little voice in the back of my head that urged me to pursue it. At 25, I was working a corporate finance job, wearing stilettos to work and hating every day of it. My boss at the time took me to lunch for my quarterly review, and when he asked me how I was enjoying my time, I sort of blurted out that I was putting in my two weeks notice. I had no plan, I had no backup, I quickly applied to a bakery at a tremendous pay cut, but I put a band together and started working, and I haven’t looked back since. I think you have to take risks in life to get to the good stuff. If you leave questions unanswered at the end of your life, I think it will be a massive regret. I’ve always wanted to pursue music because I know the cost of not doing it is too great.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a professional singer, musician, songwriter, model, and creative type. I’m 100% independent, self funded, and work insanely hard at what I do. I first got into the music industry in a very DIY way. I’m based in Portland, which has a very sweet and supportive indie scene, so I had a lot of opportunities to learn, fail and grow during my time here.

I write a lot about mental health issues. As a person who has struggled with trauma, abuse, addiction and a small laundry list of mental health concerns that tend to go along with that story, I’ve used music as a tool to get through my darkest times. It’s my hope that through sharing my struggles and my history, it will help other people feel less alone in theirs.

I’m most proud of my commitment to brutal honesty, even when it’s ugly. I think a lot of artists are so concerned with their image and branding, and I really just want to be myself as much as possible. I’m a human. I’m messy, complex, complicated and always learning. What I want most out of my career is to give as much as possible in terms of healing. It’s my hope that through my own healing, others may heal as well. Music and art are so powerful and connect us to our shared humanity, so I just aim to do as good of a job at that as I can.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Just touching back on what I’ve said, I think connection and healing is a huge goal. I love seeing fans at shows yell my lyrics back to me, or hearing from someone that a song I’ve written has touched them in some way. I had a woman a few years ago tell me that a song I’d written helped her through grappling with her partner’s recent suicide, and that has stayed with me for years. I may not be a household name, but the fact that something I wrote could help someone in that moment means so much to me. It makes me feel like I have a purpose here that’s greater than my own personal journey.

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

That there is a universal timeline to any of this, and that success has to look a certain way or be obtained by a certain time. There is so much pressure to arrive–to be the biggest, to have a high volume following, etc. The internet I think has hyper focused people on fame and attention, and I think it’s a shame that artists specifically are basing their own self value on a number they see reflected on their social medias or spotifys. It would be amazing to have a million followers listening to my music, but the fact that anyone is listening is honestly great. I’ve been thinking so much about why I create and why I continue to create when things get hard, or I feel like i’m not getting anywhere. Change happens in little ways, and each impact I make may just be ripples in a larger pond. It’s my hope to push my ego out of the mix and just keep making art regardless of whatever notoriety comes my way.     

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.laryssabirdseye.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laryssabirdseye/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laryssabirdseyemusic/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/labirdseye?lang=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3AjdfdI_-24CwSZT5nXFVw
• tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laryssabirdseye
• spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3DoMdBzwbOgjj5MeXuK43b

Image Credits
Rosecity Review Music Atlantic Melon