Hey! I’m Alden, an independent artist from Nashville pathing the way for young poets in the music industry. As not only a spoken word artist and performer, but a singer/songwriter and music producer, I’m constantly finding new ways to force two-dimensional art into headphones.
Where are you based?
Music City
How long have you been making music?
Only a year now, but once I discovered it, like for real, when I realized that there’s actually something else sustainable behind the lyrics, I fell in love all over again. I’ve been absorbing as much information as possible since about all aspects of the industry, and will be studying such at Dark Horse Institute (recording) come August as I was accepted in last fall at the start of my senior year.
What genre would you consider your music to be?
Primarily Spoken Word and Hip-Hop, but I love to experiment and learn new styles! I’m also constantly determined to blend and design my own.
What inspired you to pursue a career in music?
I’ve been surrounded by music my entire life as I am lucky to have a father who’s been in the industry for over 40 years. However, my interest in creation wasn’t truly ignited until I began working with Southern Word, a non-profit organization based in Nash aiming to grow local talent and provide unique opportunities for the city’s youth. Every week I have the privilege of working with experienced mentors who not only care about what they teach me, but each have their own source of inspiration in helping us persue our passions in the most genuine way imaginable. I thinking learning about the business aspect of the industry through my internship with BMG and Southern Word has also inspired me in a new way. All I want is to be a Swiss Army Knife and learn it all. I know I’ll never be able to, but I’m sure as hell gonna try!
What are your biggest musical influences?
Eminem, Hobo Johnson, Lorde, Lana Del Rey and Kid Cudi are some of the biggest artists that have always inspired me! I recently recorded the title track for that EP I mentioned at Sun Studio, and stood right next to a piano Lana played and recorded at. It was a really intense moment for me, because not only was I producing in such a historic studio, but realizing that made me start to legitimately wonder if I have a shot at this. Now I’m beginning to adopt a “you don’t have to remember my name yet but remember my face” mentality. Not overly confident, just working really hard and it pays off more and more each day. I’m lucky to have discovered my passions so young and to have access to the resources I need to chase after them.
Are you signed to a label or are you an independent artist?
I am finishing up the process of registering and establishing myself as an independent.
What have been the biggest challenges in your music career?
Singing, because it’s not for me! I do it because I love it, but I’d be lying if I said that Autotune is my enemy. Girl’s my closest friend! In all seriousness though, there’s been a lot of challenges. It takes an incredible amount of effort to get your voice heard and build a platform for yourself, and it’s even harder to get the people who do find you, to take you seriously. I wish I could take social media a little less seriously, but it is unfortunately an essential in today’s world, and that’s okay I guess. One day soon I’ll come to fully understand it’s potential benefits.
How many songs or albums have you released to date?
I have three singles and an EP, all unreleased, for the previously mentioned reason of not being fully finished with my “registration process”. However, I did launch my website today as linked, and there you can find a spoken word piece of mine (one I won 2nd in our county slam with), as well as a new beat I just dropped on SoundCloud!
Can you tell us a few things about your latest release?
The spoken word piece (Road Block), is about the complicated relationship I have with my biological father. In other words, it’s about “daddy issues”. However, it did help me win my first slam and carry me onto State. Well, I was shocked to win that too, and I’m now advancing on to Internationals as a participant of 2021 Brave New Voices and I couldn’t be more excited. The beat on the other hand, was just a fun and spontaneous project of mine since I’ve been itching to release anything I can justify doing early. It accidentally turned out pretty good I think, and I had an absolute blast designing the cover art.
Any plans for new music or upcoming projects we should know about?
Yes! The EP (Falling Under), and three singles I mentioned (Misinterpretation, Pink Shirt, and Heaven). Although “Pink Shirt” hasn’t been officially released yet, there is a music video for an early mix somewhere on the Southern Word YouTube page that I had the privilege of recording sometime late last year.
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