Daily Inspiration: Meet Siale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Siale.

Hi Siale, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a singer/ songwriter based in LA. Being Polynesian, I was introduced to music very early on.
My mom and her siblings had a family band so I was constantly surrounded by music. I grew up singing in the church choir and did musical theater throughout my high school years. I, then, went off to Los Angeles Recording school where I found a lot of love for songwriting.

That is also where I met Fernanda Curado, a classmate at the time, and she ended up becoming my full-time manager. Since then, we have been working hard on music and trying to make a name for ourselves in the industry.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Growing up in a musically inclined family was a blessing and a curse. I was very insecure about music and becoming an artist/songwriter was always a touchy subject because I was always scared of not being good enough, especially when it came to my family’s opinion.

When I started songwriting, it was definitely the most vulnerable I had ever been and I had to learn to let my walls down creatively. Today, I have the best relationship with myself musically and my family is super supportive. As we all know, it is hard to find genuine people in the industry, especially in Los Angeles.

I always compare LA to a huge bucket of crabs. Everyone is willing to step on one another to try and get to the top. It took a few years for Fernanda and me to find a really good core group of people who just love to create and it has been working out so seamlessly.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work is pop with R&B fusion and little hints of Polynesian-inspired elements. Being in the studio creating is probably the most freeing thing. Creativity is subjective, which is awesome because there are no rules to it.

My debut single “Kill in the Night” was a song written about falling in love with a psychopathic serial killer. During quarantine, I fell into a binge of watching true crime videos, which is where the idea came from. One of my favorite things to do creatively is to stack and comp vocals along with harmonies.

After recording all the vocals, I like to mute the instrumental track completely. If the song can sound just as good with just vocals only, that is when I know the song is ready.

We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking?
Risk-taking is necessary for growth and development as a person. There were a lot of risks I took to get to where I am today. One really big one that I remember is deciding to come out as gay to my family.

I grew up in a religious household, so I was the most scared but I knew that at the age of 17, it was time for me to do so. On that day, I knew that I could have potentially lost the relationship I had with my family. Thankfully, they took me with open arms and accepted me fully.

Being involved in the music industry, just about every aspect of it involves risk-taking. As an artist and songwriter, you are putting the deepest parts of your life on display for everyone to perceive and interpret however they choose to. At times, it can be the scariest thing in the world, but there are very select moments that make it all worth it.

This June, I am proud to announce that I will be performing at the 2022 Utah Pride Festival. It is moments like this where all the hardships and struggles feel worth it.

Image Credits
Luis Matias