Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alyssa Cass. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alyssa, 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.
My confidence has come through taking risks whether it be in music, fashion, or how I show up in the world being unapologetically myself. I believe in being bold and never dulling your shine. It’s better to be hated for who you are than loved for something you’re not. Ironically, I’ve also developed confidence through falling down and making mistakes knowing that I can pull myself up again and keep going. When it comes to the belief in my abilities and what I do, that’s something that has been earned over many years of working at my craft. Confidence is all about “owning it” and knowing you can do anything you set your mind to.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a recording artist. I make dance-pop R&B music. I like to keep the song structure and hooks of top 40 pop music and combine it with soulful vocals. As an independent artist, I sing, write, produce, and mix my music in my home studio in LA and direct and edit my music videos. Vocally, I’ve been frequently compared to Adele and Ariana Grande. Rihanna is another big influence of mine. Sonically, my music is very inspired by The Weeknd; I love to create bass grooves and add an 80’s flare. I want to make music that people can dance to and have fun.
It’s been exciting getting to perform at different events in the Los Angeles areas including most recently performing as the guest artist at Miss Filipina International and Miss Alcala. Any chance I get to perform is always a blessing.
In addition to music, I’ve been working on my fashion line sewing clothes and curating a collection of high end pieces. I love to work with satin and intriguing patterns. It’s been many months in the works and I’m excited for the eventual release.
I keep creative in a variety of ways; I recently wrote and directed a short comedy film and have been doing some acting and modeling. It’s been great collaborating with different photographers in the Los Angeles and Orange County area shooting different concepts for photoshoots.
Music is always my main focus, but when different creative opportunities present themselves, I tend to say yes. I find working with different mediums strengthens me as an artist in how I express myself.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Learn to create opportunities for yourself. Unlike other career paths that are more laid out, as an artist you really have to pave the way for yourself. It’s on you to make it happen. People are often surprised when they find out I don’t have an agent, manager, or any representation yet. All of the performance opportunities I’ve gotten have been word of mouth from doing just one gig at a birthday party in Beverly Hills which led to performing at Miss Filipina International to the next event and the next. The beauty about being an independent artist is I have complete creative control. So while the responsibility falls on me for my music, it’s amazing to have the kind of freedom to be in the driver’s seat of my career.
Live life on your own terms. I’ve been vegan for seven years now, I don’t drink alcohol or do any drugs. I’ve found that making certain lifestyle choices has had a positive impact on my life and career. Through developing systems that work for me personally, I’m able to focus on what I truly value. To make the right decisions for yourself, you have to know yourself on a deep level. For me, my purpose is my top priority. With this in mind, I know I don’t want to have kids for the level of responsibility that comes along with that. Sometimes by saying no to things you’re creating space for other possibilities. I value my freedom so I aim to design my life to reflect that.
Know how to prioritize: this has been something I’ve struggled with at many points in my life when I find myself juggling so many things. When I was in the thick of grad school pursuing my music career amidst an intensive program, working part time, and juggling a relationship at the time, I often found myself overwhelmed by my to-do lists and would get down on myself for not being where I want to be yet. I’ve since learned to be more gentle with myself. Pursuing an artist career amidst surviving in an expensive city like LA is not easy: there are only so many hours in the day and you’ve got to make the most of what you got. The truth is you can have a project be “fast,” “cheap,” and “good” but you can only pick two. Meaning if you rush and try to do it for cheap, it’s probably not going to be very good. If you want something good and done in a short time frame most likely you’ll have to hire people and it’s going to be expensive. If you do more of the work yourself and you want it to be good, it’s probably going to take more time. Anything I don’t have to outsource, I do myself. For this reason, any freetime I get is mostly dedicated to my creative projects. I personally really enjoy being so involved in my art from the conception writing the music, to recording vocals, to producing and writing the instrumental hooks, mixing, to coming up with a concept for a music video, doing the choreography, editing, to releasing the final product. Juggling so much has forced me to be very deliberate in how I prioritize. Being an independent artist is a lot of hard work but it’s very rewarding.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I believe in a mix of both. In my life, I’ve had to be adaptable; the natural progression of pursuing a career as an artist has led me to acquire different skills along the way to achieve my vision. When I first started writing music, I had no reference point for how to bring an idea to life in a production sense. At this stage, I had been doing theater, chorus, A Capella, and writing music was just a way to process my emotions through singing and playing piano. This curiosity led me to teach myself how to produce in Logic Pro X and obtain a B.S. in Music Production & Recording Arts. During my time in college, I spent most of my weekends in hermit mode making music in my room. Truth be told, not much has changed and most of my freetime is dedicated to developing my music career. Going by the 10,000 hour rule that to master a skill, it takes many hours, I’ve worked on developing my voice through studying the great R&B singers including Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey.
When it comes to releasing music, I am the kind of artist who wants to do a music video for each release. Not the best on my wallet (because yikes music videos are expensive) but my love for storytelling has compelled me to lean into my creativity and want to be deliberate with the visuals that go with my music. With this in mind, I decided to expand this skill set and get an M.F.A. in Filmmaking. I find music videos especially fun because it’s an avenue to showcase charisma, dance, fashion style, and performance.
While on one hand, I’ve had to learn the importance of being multifaceted and honing different skills, there are times that call to isolate and focus on one thing you really excel at. When it comes to performing, I like to just focus on my vocals and entertaining an audience. I’m so grateful for my band members who add so much to what I do and elevate my live performances. Similarly, when I am shooting my music videos, I heavily rely on a team of people to do different roles so I can excel as an artist. Surrounding myself with talented people has been key to my success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alyssacass.com
- Instagram: @alyssa_cass
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alyssacassofficial
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJLbsW-2IVVijqmYpJMke_A
Image Credits
Surya Nikhil, Khush Patel
