We recently connected with Aliyah Danielle and have shared our conversation below.
Aliyah, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I’m convinced that finding and fulfilling our purpose is an ever-changing, lifelong journey. The purpose I feel like I’m fulfilling right now is to stay true to myself and not limit my own potential as a result of fear. Within that, I’m being positioned as a role model for folks who may be going through a similar phase in life. Almost 8 years ago when I was still working on my undergraduate degree, I was in a car accident that I believe altered the trajectory of my life. I was fortunate enough to have walked away from the accident with no physical injuries, but the thought that the outcome could have been much worse shook me up. It made me realize that I had been living my life for external approval and to check boxes prescribed by society. From that moment came a lot of personal growth and introspection which was the springboard for the life I live now. I always try to ensure that anything I take part in falls in line with my goals and that my reasons for putting my time and energy in them are because I want to, not because I feel like I have to. I simply want my experience to be an example to others that the lives that we dream of for ourselves are possible, and we owe it to ourselves to work towards living independently curated, fulfilling lives.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Aliyah Danielle is a dynamic artist with a unique approach that can be summed up in one word: unconventional. The winding roads of Aliyah’s diverse interests and experiences converge to form the heart of her creations, which seek to tell stories through sound and blend genres to create new, interesting sonic textures. A collaborator at heart, Aliyah’s mission is to use her art to pose questions and start conversations surrounding issues embedded in our world’s cultural and social systems, allowing us to better understand others and their belief systems.
Aliyah enjoys a multifaceted career including performing, composing, arranging, orchestration, producing, and teaching. Primarily performing as a singer and french horn player, she frequently experiments with genre-fusion and performs music influenced by funk, neo-soul, gospel, jazz, classical, and other contemporary styles. She regularly performs original music as a part of her own projects and initiatives and supports various artists all around the world. She received her Master of Music in Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) from Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain, and also holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
In August of 2023, Aliyah released her debut album, GENESIS, which is inspired by her journey of self-discovery and focuses on the themes of mental health, breaking free from societal expectations, healing, and personal growth. Aliyah’s upcoming performances this spring include a trio set of selections from GENESIS at the SHE: Festival of Women in Music in Fayetteville, AR, a 7-piece dynamic band set the Mid-South Horn Workshop in Stillwater, OK, and a solo and contemporary chamber recital at the North Carolina Horn Day in Boone, NC.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three most important things in my development and that I still cultivate to this day are surrounding myself with a community of supportive people, laying a solid foundation from which to grow and evolve, and exposing myself to experiences and ideas that are different than what I’m used to.
Having people around you who are not only support of what you do, but also push you to be better and exceed your potential are so important. Intrinsic motivation is a great starting point but can only take us so far. Humans are communal by nature and it is important, especially as you’re growing, to build real, meaningful with folks who have your best interest in mind.
Putting in the time, effort, and work required to hone in on your craft is of the utmost importance. For example, during the fall of 2019, I participated in a self-prescribed “100 Days of Practice” challenge where I recorded and logged my practice sessions each day for 100 days in a row. At the beginning, I noted areas of weakness that I wanted to focus on and set some overall goals. On top of that, I used a special journal that allowed me to take notes as I practiced and track my progress towards the 10,000 hour goal. I made a marked improvement during that time and I’ve found that I continue to use a lot of the ways I learned to practice during that challenge now. In addition to my own practice, I also have two degrees in artistic field and I plan to pursue another that will widen my knowledge and understanding of the business side as I pursue entrepreneurship in this stage of my life.
Lastly, intentionally putting myself out of my comfort zones in safe environments has widened my worldview and has had a profound impact in helping me understand who I am and how I see myself in the world. For example, I read a lot of non-fiction books about topics that I don’t know about, have conversations with people with different social statuses or political views than me, and have traveled to countries where I don’t fluently speak the language, and a lot more. I feel very fortunate to have had these opportunities (some are a lot more expensive than others), and would encourage everyone to find ways to open your mind to new ideas as an avenue for personal growth.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
As an independent musician who is constantly working on many projects at a time, I feel overwhelmed quite often. I’ve found that organization, structure, and planning as much in advance as possible (to an extent) has helped my workload feel manageable. My to-do list is constantly in a state of having things checked off and new things added, so I like to give myself deadlines for tasks to make sure that things are getting done in a timely fashion. As someone who is self-employed, there is also a lot to be said about personal discipline and holding myself accountable for finishing my tasks and maintaining a positive relationship with my clients. Most importantly, ensuring that I maintain a balance between work and life helps relieve me when I’m feeling overwhelmed. Since my job is my passion, I can sometimes fall into a cycle of long periods of work without sufficient rest or without seeing friends or family. I try my best to always set a hard deadline of when I’ll stop working for the day and schedule quality time/outings with my loved ones, giving it the same importance as I would a work task.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aliyahdanielle.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thealiyahdanielle
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/thealiyahdanielle
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/aliyahdanielle
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1z3kVkx9bWL66wZpTqOwVx?si=AU9dhuXJQs2YLFwul_Ld0Q Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/aliyah-danielle/1682009274
Image Credits
Rosie Yang Photography Luca Bordonaro
