We recently connected with Savanna Cummings and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Savanna, thanks for joining 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.
One of the biggest risks I’ve taken was dropping out of college to pursue my music career full time. Growing up in a musical household, only added fuel to the fire when it came to my dream of being an artist/musician. I’ve always known that this is what I wanted to do with my life and that has never changed. I grew up in Florida, and while I love it there so much and still wish I could live there full time, I knew I needed to move to a place with more opportunity to make it in music. I moved to Nashville when I turned 18. Education is something I have always had the upmost respect for, and I always loved being in school. My parents also valued education and the idea of skipping college all together terrified me and I knew wouldn’t sit well with my family at first. So I decided to pick a school in Nashville with a commercial music program where I could study music while also living in the city where I was able to pursue my career goals at the same time. I always thought having a degree would give me a sense of security to fall back on if being an artist didn’t pan out, which for the most part is the reason I went to college at all. When COVID hit in 2020, it was the second semester of my sophomore year at college. I knew it was my time to take the risk and talk to my family about not going back to school. I asked them to give me a year, and if in a year I hadn’t proven myself that I’d go back and finish school. They agreed especially under the circumstances of me doing music school basically all online. At that point it just didn’t make sense anymore. So I spent that whole year grinding, taking every opportunity I could to learn more about the music industry, I was constantly writing and creating new music, connecting to other writers and producers in Nashville, building my social media as much as possible, and spent all my time focused on what I could do that year to make this dream become a reality. I am still grinding every day and I’m not 100 percent where I want to be yet, I don’t know if I’ll ever be content with where I am, I always strive for more. But since leaving my dream has turned into a career, I have a full team of people supporting me, I have released one EP, multiple singles, and an eight song album, and I am now in the middle of releasing another five song EP. I have built my social media numbers by thousands and my streaming, I work with some insanely talented musicians and creatives, and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. Leaving school with nothing to fall back on was a huge risk, but I don’t regret it whatsoever. It was the best thing I could have done.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a 23 year old singer/songwriter based in Nashville, TN. I grew up in Brandon, FL and have been doing music pretty much all of my life. I grew up in a very musical family, it’s all I’ve ever known. At a young age I began learning guitar and piano, I started writing songs at 6 years old, singing in competitions and choirs all over Tampa, FL. I sang in a quartet group and was also in a duo with my sister prior to pursuing my own solo career full time. I currently live in Nashville, and am currently releasing my third 5 song EP, and am working on my fourth EP that will begin releasing this upcoming summer. I write songs for myself and other artists. I am most proud of the team I have around me and what we have accomplished in just over a year. We began working together in January of 2022 and since then there has been such growth including releasing an 8 song project which is one of my most vulernable bodies of work to date. I want my fans to know that I make music that is true and real to me, that every song comes from a genuine place, something I have experienced, something I have felt etc. I make music that is so deeply vulernable and real for me because I want my music to make people feel something, to make them feel seen and heard, to give them something to hold onto, to be inspired by.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding part of being an artist is seeing how much your music can deeply affect someones life. I think a lot of times as a songwriter and a creative, we can get lost in the story we are telling, feeling as if we are the only ones going through whatever it is we are writing about… being an artist can feel really lonely sometimes. But when you see your fans/listeners make your story their own, the music takes on a whole new meaning and you realize it’s never been about you. Taking the ego out of what I do, and making the music and the fans the priority ultimately is what is most rewarding to me.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Reaching as many people as I possibly can with my music. Showing people that any dream they have is possible and giving people a road map they can reference in their own creative journey. The sky is the limit. I don’t think I’ll ever truly feel satisfied but I think there is a beauty in that as well. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.savannaleigh.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savannaleigh/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savannaleighofficial/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/imsavannaleigh?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg2PlKFM5g6g3f31EoAjhcg
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@savannaleighofficial?lang=en
Image Credits
acacia evans : photographer