Meet Paige Alyssa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Alyssa.

Paige, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Music has been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mother played piano and organ in the church which led to me singing in the choir and playing drums (starting at age nine). From there, I joined band in middle school where I focused on percussion instruments and eventually matriculated to playing the snare drum in marching band in high school. After graduating from McCluer North High School in 2011, I attended Webster University where I shifted my focus to jazz vocal performance.

During my time at Webster, I studied under the greatest vocal coach in the world, Debby Lennon. Between working with Debby, and learning how to write and arrange music, I began applying my training to writing and producing my own music in 2014. In 2015, I graduated from the Department of Music with Honors and with my first EP under my belt. To date, I have independently written and produced 3 EPs and my latest LP, ‘Who Is Paige Alyssa?’, and worked on various other projects with my colleagues.

Though my musical training is rooted in gospel music and jazz, I have always loved pop music. Because of that, my sound has been shaped by various pop artists such as Prince, Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Janelle Monae, Bruno Mars, and countless others. My desire to perform pop music to a broader audience also led to my decision to move from my hometown of St. Louis, MO to Los Angeles, CA in 2018.

While my journey as a musician has been incredibly challenging, I would not change a thing about the process. My goal as an artist is to use my life story to inspire others through music and to let people know that anything and everything is possible.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Obstacles and Challenges, where should I begin? Unfortunately, when you commit to being an artist there is a certain amount of struggle you are signing up to endure (unless you have access to resources already). So I have experienced (currently experiencing) the general artist struggle on top of dealing societal dynamics of being a young, black, femme, queer musician. I have been in male-dominated spaces where I have had to fight to be heard and recognized. I also went through a period where I was afraid to sing about topics pertaining to queer love because I did not know if my music would be accepted or if I’d face backlash for who I am.

With that said, the older I get the less I care about backlash. The love I have received for being my full, black, gay, self in my music has been overwhelming. The world we live in now is not exactly welcoming to folks who fall outside of “normal expectations” so now more than ever, it’s important to me to live out loud. My philosophy is, if people who identify with me see me performing my music, living my life fearlessly, then perhaps they will be inspired to do the same. On the flip side, I also invite others into my world who may not share the same identities or experiences. Ten times out of ten, they realize that we are not that different after all.

While it is my hope that someday folks do not have to face challenges because of their gender, sexuality, race, economic status, etc., I am happy to continue the fight in leveling the playing field through my music.

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I am a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and all-around badass. I think there are a number of things that set me apart from others. The fact that I not only perform my music, but I write and produce/arrange it, I can read music, I can sing and understand musical context of multiple genres, the list kind of goes on.

While all of those technical things are great, what I am the most proud of is my ability to connect people with my music. If I was not able to bring folks joy, inspire dreamers, or put good things back into the atmosphere with my art, all the things I mentioned above would not matter. The tools that I have are the most powerful when the intent behind said tools are to make the world a better place than what it was before I got here.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory is making up song lyrics to the Sonic the Hedgehog video game soundtracks. Sonic the Hedgehog plays a huge role in my sound as a musician. Because I grew up in a baptist household and my mom played organ for the church, in my earlier years most of the music I was listening to was gospel music and my favorite video game soundtrack, Sonic the Hedgehog.

When I would play, I would be singing away, making up words or just singing the melodies that were in the songs. Little did I know, those sounds were making its way into my musical DNA.

Contact Info:

• Website: paigealyssamusic.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspaigealyssa/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MsPaigeAlyssa/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mspaigealyssa/
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7lf5c1AoyIpT7AXiMicEUd

Image Credit:
R.J. Hartbeck

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.