Interview with Allegra Jordyn
Allegra means joyful.
Does Allegra live up to the meaning of her name?
Depends on the day.
We can’t always be joyful, navigating relationships, the crazy music business and life amid a Pandemic without a few rough spots.
Yet, Allegra does take the good time and the sad times, and packages it into what we could only call a joyful musical package.
“My music is happy music for sad people. If you want to listen to it and be in a sad mood, you can and it will make you sad. If you are in a good mood and just want to jam out in your car, you can do that too.”
Allegra strives to be self-aware and will sit and question her thoughts and emotions.
“Writing songs is very introspective.”
She will analyze these emotions until she understands them, then they become songs.
It’s a beautiful cycle that leads to growth.
Despite some sad topics, the new EP “is meant to represent something positive: Growth, discovering yourself and moving on.”
What’s In a Name?
At first, Allegra didn’t want to use her own name as a musician.
“It’s just really cool to have a character or a persona like Lorde or Lady Gaga. They can create a whole character around the name they gave themselves. But for me, you can’t be given the name Allegra and not go by it.”
Her unique and “Googleable” name fits her style well, and she admits that she can still draw on a persona when doing music.
Origin Story
Classic Rock would play in the household, while Allegra grew up, but it was Imagine by John Lennon that awoke something in her.
“If you asked what song I wish I wrote…what song inspires me the most…no matter what you ask me, that’s my go to song.”
It left more than an impression; it is permanently inscribed in ink on her arm.
“It’s the kind of song that impacts so many people and makes everybody feel a certain type of way. It had such a massive impact on the world. I just want my music to do that.”
It reminds me of the quote: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” – Norman Vincent Peale
Imagine
The sad situation is that we are living in a world filled with division, in all aspects of life.
As John sings “imagine all the people, living life in peace”, it rings true even more today.
“It’s a song about finding and making good in the world. I resonate with that a lot.”
Even just by imagining it, we can create our own little bubble of peace and contribute in a way to expand it. Eventually, these will merge and grow exponentially.
10-Year-Old Allegra
At 10 years old, Allegra had not yet begun to write her own music. “She wanted to. She was struggling. My dream at that point was to have my own career as an artist.”
Whoa. I know people in their 30s, 40s, and even 50s who still don’t know what they should do, but little Allegra was aiming at the moon already.
The covers she would play would be songs that hit her a certain way, inspired her and that she fell in love with. It just wasn’t enough.
“I wanted to go through some experiences to be able to write some really amazing songs. I needed songs that were my own that can do that for other people.”
Dipping Her Toes in Original Music
At the age of 14, Allegra released her first single, followed by an EP at the age of 16.
“I love that EP. I still listen to it sometimes.”
While proud of finally putting out 5 original songs into the world, it just didn’t feel completely right.
The song Possibilities was special because it was her song. Some previous singles were done with the help of producers, and songwriters, but this was Allegra sitting on her bedroom floor playing the guitar and letting the song come to be from within.
Allegra took down those early recordings, earlier this year.
While the lyrics and song were good, “in the end, the production didn’t resonate with me. It didn’t represent me or my personality.”
It takes quite an amount of bravery to take down something that you laboured 6 years to create.
There is this overwhelming desire, from Allegra, to be true to herself, and be authentic.
Instead of looking at the EP in a negative light, it was a steep learning curve to getting her to the point where she now knew how she wanted those songs to sound.
“It was just getting the vision out there that I struggled with, honestly until the end of 2020.”
Life Happens for You
Something Allegra and I both believe in is the statement: Life doesn’t happen to you; it happens for you.
No matter what the universe throws at us, we can always grow from the experience.
“For me, it’s the Pandemic.”
While acknowledging that for some, the Pandemic brought an onslaught of loss and pain, the curve ball that was shot at her was having to leave school in Boston.
“That was terrible on my mental health.”
She had to leave both her friends and the coffee shops she loved to spend time in.
Returning home, she was denied the opportunities to collaborate musically with others.
“I was just cooped up in my own little bubble.”
She was writing by herself but losing steam.
The gravitational pull of the universe was pulling her away from even wanting to be an artist or to do music.
Allegra was not going to have any of that.
“I went into that (Pandemic) with: I’m going to write. I’m going to record. I started working with Chris. We started making music for me, for him, for everyone. That made me happy.”
Chris Grey
Chris Grey was the one who could decipher Allegra’s songs and unlock their magic.
Yet, that collaboration started with Allegra helping Chris with his last two singles, along with pitching demos for other artists.
When Chris shared the beginnings of I Should Be Happy, it was a song that Allegra wanted to write, but could not put into the right words.
“That’s what I wanted to write!”
Trying to be too poetic, her attempts did not get to the essence of the feelings, which 4 simple words Chris came up with nailed.
Chris said: “What if it’s just: I should be happy right now, but that’s not how I feel.”
BOOM!
“Just say it the way it is.”
When you don’t focus on yourself, it releases the pressure, and you regain your joy, as only helping others can give you.
That’s the moment the boomerang of inspiration came back and hit her!
After 4 months, “I had a desire to make my own EP, an instinct that he was going to be able to hear exactly what I wanted.”
Chris understood her visions “in a way that no one had.”
There was this two-way trust that made the collaboration work.
“I started writing things that I really liked. I was working with the right kind of people for my sound, and me.”
She took many of those old songs, and rebuilt them with a new confidence and energy, knowing that this time, her vision was going to be done right.
Numb – Single
What are the dangers of being numb to the negative things happening in your life?
“As a songwriter, being numb to your life experiences, emotions, moods and thoughts is just the worst possible thing you can do. I cannot write a song without feeling those emotions. If there are terrible things coming out of my life, the best things that can come out of it is that I’m able to write some really amazing songs.”
Running towards those emotions and confronting them in song allows her to help others who may be going through similar experiences. That makes her happy.
Talk of The Town – Single
So many people today want to be influencers, but they don’t really have anything valuable to share. Yet, they get attention.
Getting attention from someone specific is a much harder challenge.
“I shouldn’t be difficult…in this instance it was. The song is about the kind of person that is so focused on their dreams and goals and leads you on. They give you their attention and then take it away out of nowhere.”
Allegra confesses that being focused on dreams and goals is something she also does, but she can find that balance.
“I felt underappreciated. All I’m trying to do is support them and give them the attention they want.”
But like a black hole, her attention was not enough to feed the insatiable need for everyone else’s attention.
The video used lighting to highlight the emotions, with the help of an amazing light tech.
“They had a haze machine, so that spotlight effect is the coolest thing ever.”
With Chris Grey & Mikalyn Hay behind her, “that was a vision I wanted so badly, at the end when they are coming out and getting me.”
They are saying: “Talk. Talk. Talk.”
Were they helping or hindering?
“The reason it’s called Talk of the Town is because this person is trying to be successful and wants to get attention. They want to be the talk of the town. So, many people are talking about them.”
Allegra’s vision was for the video to feel claustrophobic.
“I can’t even get away from them, even if I wanted to. You are just hearing about them all the time…how people love their music. I’m just…OMG…just go away. I’m trying to move on, and it’s really hard when that is in my ears and around me all the time.”
Connecting with Fans
“There have been so many nice DMs I’ve been getting lately.”
People are finding her, encouraging her to continue and enjoying her music.
Even JP Saxe commented on one of her Tik-Toks, which was an honor for Allegra who looks up to him as a songwriter.
The Void
“The void is a terrible thing. Social media and the Internet have really become that lately. So many are posting TikToks/Instagrams of their music, that it can feel like you are shouting into a void.”
Although Allegra wants her music to speak for itself, she realized that it’s 10% music, and 90% promotion, talking about your music.
“Why do I have to talk to you, and you have to see my face 10 times on your TikTok, talking about my song before you go listen to it?”
The challenge to be heard is difficult, but worth it.
“Releasing music is a very anxious feeling, but also a very cathartic.”
Instagram First Post
Allegra’s first Insta post, to her new account, was a cover of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Games.
“I love that song, it’s so pretty.”
She covered the song yearly, every March, but broke that streak this year.
Leading You On – Single
Allegra’s next single is Leading You On.
Don’t wait till you hear about it 10 times, check it out now!
Connect with Allegra Jordyn
instagram.com/allegrajordyn
facebook.com/allegrajordyn
twitter.com/allegrajordyn
tiktok.com/@allegrajordyn
allegrajordyn.com
Writer: Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and MasterMind Facilitator with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. His Podcast RockStar Today helps musicians quit their day jobs with out-of-the-box advice from Ted Talk Speakers, Best Selling Authors and other interesting Entrepreneurs and Creatives. He created the Rock Star Today MasterMind Experience for musicians. Randal also is a collector of signed vinyl.
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