Meet ALY-SLAY

 

We were lucky to catch up with ALY-SLAY recently and have shared our conversation below.

ALY-SLAY, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

I began performing at a young age – on school stages, in children’s choirs, at church, and then made my way into musical theatre. The spotlight has always something I’ve never shied away from so I built this muscle memory from an early age. Over time, I honed my skills to keep building on every performance. Whether it was learning a new choreography in a production, or a new dialect, a character – all of these aspects allowed me to further develop my stage presence, and therefore the confidence to deliver performance excellence to a live audience. One of the things you develop especially in performance settings is the ability to connect to your audience. You want each new audience to feel the same magic every night because every audience is new. I was taught early on that it doesn’t matter how well you did at your performance the night before, tonight’s new audience is different and has never seen you so you need to bring them just as much or more as you did your last show.

Additionally, in business I was fortunate to gain so many skills in the public relations arena working right out of college at an international public relations firm. I was a sponge and learned how to speak, navigate different audiences of people, and ultimately present to clients which further developed my confidence and self-esteem. There is no greater feeling than putting together a solid strategy, presenting it to your client, and them loving your work.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m ALY-SLAY, R&B, Pop and Afrobeats Singer-Songwriter. I’ve been doing music my whole life and started learning how to sing and play piano from a young age. I performed in musical theatre, choral, and solo settings, and really found my stride in music in 2021 in R&B. One of the most special things about what I do is the opportunity to inspire people and make them feel happy. Music is a universal language, and as artists, we GET the opportunity to create lyrics and music that take people on a journey. We get to speak from our experiences – and put it in a song. This is a gift I will never grow tired of or take for granted.

One of my newest projects is my new exclusive Afrobeats single for the summer “Don’t Play” featuring VGA. We launched this movement on Memorial Day and began with organic traction on social media. I’m now so happy to report that we have gotten international distribution in France, and we are continuing to do even more with the song including releasing a new Club Remix featuring Yung Heffy, an incredible artist of of Canada. We have a variety of live shows planned throughout the summer where we will performing in addition to other related initiatives in the works. I’ve also been working with will.i.am’s AI app, FYI (For Your Ideas) to develop content, and a larger major project we are discussing. Additionally, I have partnered with hollo.ai to create a celebrity twin AI of ALY-SLAY which allows fans to connect with me at any time by simply asking me any questions; soon I can make calls and do even more with the technology! hollo.ai will also power our tours! The future is now.

I also recently launched my exclusive new merch line, I Smell Like My Boyfriend, signature hoodies that can be customized. And we are expanding my platform as I recently had my debut comedy set at Flappers Comedy Club with more shows there this summer.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Resilience. The ability to look obstacles in the face and keep going anyway. Life is our greatest teacher and there are so many lessons to learn along the way. Developing resilience will always serve you because no matter what comes your way, you can simply look at it and handle it accordingly. When you build the muscle of resilience, you can literally handle anything that comes your way! It’s all about perspective.

Keep being a student of life. Keep always learning. Keep growing and build healthy routines that allow you to thrive.

2. Surround yourself with great people. The saying “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” is so true! Having great people around you that lift you up – when you’re in your greatest triumph moments or dealing with something – is the best thing you can ask for.

Have friends in your circle who share your values, your mindset, your outlook on life. I promise once you truly find your tribe, you will thrive in bigger and better ways than you could ever have imagined for yourself.

3. Gratitude. Having a grateful heart will allow you to attract the BEST! When you exemplify gratitude, you not only pour more positivity into your life, but others as well. I promise you never know whom you will touch by simply expressing gratitude for things big or small. Gratitude has a ripple effect and will allow you to soar!

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

As we continue to build our team, we are excited about continuing the momentum we have in our music and related creative endeavors! We would like to partner with apparel, beauty, wellness/fitness, food/beverage and hospitality brands whom we can also help elevate by using our platform to drive more awareness to their business and also earn from partnership opportunities while also helping those brands make money!

Additionally, I am looking forward to sharing my music with even more people as our movement and platform continues to grow, so collaborating with the right label to help us expand our growth including in radio/TV/Film and more, will be a welcome addition!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Get Right Media
Kermit Carlyle Photography

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