“Music is my aMUSEment” | D.I.Y Singer Songwriter creating eclectic digital pop with a soulful throwback voice.
Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
Alisha Christopher: They actually reached out to me through Twitter and asked if I wouldn’t mind doing an interview about my music. As an independent artist doing everything on my own, I am always happy to find ways to help with exposure.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Alisha Christopher: I was born in New York but I was raised near Orlando Florida. I took an interest in singing at a really young age, and by the time I was fifteen my dad and I started to perform live all over Central Florida. I always knew that I wanted to be a singer, but it wasn’t until I graduated from UCF that I started seriously pursuing composing and songwriting. In the summer of 2015 I released my debut full-length album “From Here On Out” on my own record label “Leolyn Records”. This marked the beginning of my solo career as an independent artist.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Alisha Christopher: I frequently go by “Ace” on stage, a nickname I’ve had since middle school thanks to my name’s initials. My record label name, Leolyn Records, was inspired by a small patch of woods up near where I was born in Upstate New York. The place always seemed magical to me and I thought it would help keep me inspired.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Alisha Christopher: I feel thankful to be able to share my music electronically. I truly feel that without the Internet I would not be nearly as successful doing what I do. I am in the process of getting started in the budding house concert movement and part of that is encouraging to donate what they can so I can continue doing this thing I love. In some instances audiences might end up getting to see a free show but I think by offering people the choice to “Give what they can or what they think a show is worth” it goes a long way in connecting you with your audience.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Alisha Christopher: It may sound simple, but the best advice I’ve found is to just do what you love and not to get discouraged by failure. Everyone I have ever respected in music has said time and time again that they had worked their ass off for years and failed countless times before they ever had any sort of success. The struggle in the end is what gives you the opportunity to be great.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Alisha Christopher: Your mistakes and your failures help you find what works. Failing means you’re trying. If you’re not failing, you’re not pushing yourself to the limits of your ability and you’re probably not growing as an artist. I have never been a fan of anyone who doesn’t know how to take risks.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Alisha Christopher: I wouldn’t say that I have “toured,” but I have performed at many different types of venues for many years. Touring is something that I definitely want to do, but it will be more of a house concert tour than what you would typically think of as a tour.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Alisha Christopher: I gain a lot of inspiration from living life itself, but I am also really inspired by creating characters and writing from my character’s perspective. I like to think of characters I would like to play as an actress, and then I try to write a story about what I think it would be like to live as that person. I also like to write songs about injustices. It’s my way of starting a conversation about things that are important to me. My song writing process usually starts with me playing a few chords together on a piano or a guitar until I start to pull a certain mood from the sound those chords make. After playing those chords over and over words start to come to mind from the emotion I’m feeling by playing those chords. After enough time a story starts to unfold in front of me. It can sometimes feel a little like an out of body experience. I sometimes feel like the songs create themselves, but it might just be my subconscious peeking through the cracks of my mind.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Alisha Christopher: I do have an official website where you can find links to all my music and social media platforms I use: www.alishachristopher.com. Currently I share my music on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. I am also a CD Baby artist; they take care of getting me on iTunes and many other streaming services like Spotify and Google play.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Alisha Christopher: I don’t really get embarrassed by music. Everyone has their own taste but I’m sure some people would laugh at the fact that I have MMBOP on there, despite the fact that Hanson is one of my all-time favorite bands.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Alisha Christopher: I would save half of it for my future self/family and I’d use the second half to backpack the world and write/play music.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Alisha Christopher: At this point I have everything I need to do what I do. If anything, I will probably get a new set of monitors for mastering my music. Right now I am working with a 27” iMac, a Blue Yeti condenser mic that I record with inside of a DIY sound booth I built. I also have a keyboard hooked up with a midi cable but that’s about it, I like keeping things simple.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Alisha Christopher: I love creating YouTube videos. I make lyric videos for all my songs so people can listen and read the words at the same time. I also keep up with social media platforms to create a community for my music and what I’m doing. Honestly I think YouTube has been the biggest help with exposure, other than playing out.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Alisha Christopher: I would probably say Hanson. I have been a fan of them since I was really young. I respect them because they have been successfully independent for a long time and they create music I really vibe with. Their influences are very similar to mine.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Alisha Christopher: I’m currently promoting my debut album, but I am also writing almost every day getting ready for the next release. I am really excited to be playing out more this year, and trying to reach more people so that I can eventually start house concert touring.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Alisha Christopher: Honestly I can’t see myself doing anything else, but if I wasn’t doing music, I would either be a writer or an artist in another art form.
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Alisha Christopher: The first album I ever bought was Hanson’s “Middle of Nowhere”. The thought that went through my head when I first listened to it was “I’m so glad to see kids my age creating music and playing all the instruments themselves, I hope that is me one day.” They tend to be lumped into the “boy band” groups of the 90’s, but they stood out to me because they played their own instruments.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Alisha Christopher: I try to take it day by day. There are some days I get so much done, and feel really on top of my game. It can be a real challenge to remember why you do what you do when you are trying to keep up with all the other pieces of the puzzle. When it comes to marketing, branding, and business responsibilities I try to remind myself that this is all I ever wanted to do. My biggest nightmare would be to be working at a 9 to 5 job for the rest of my life. It’s just not the lifestyle I want for myself. Being an independent artist can be really hard, but there is nothing I am willing to work as hard for. The biggest thing I’ve worked on is my time-management skills. That and keeping a bullet journal that keeps my life organized.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Alisha Christopher: I am looking forward to doing some unique cover videos for my YouTube channel, as well as getting out there and meeting new fans performing live. I’ll also be keeping everyone updated on all the new music I have coming soon.
