Alyssa Reid Was In This Months 'Off The Map'-an online indie magazine that showcases young, talented, and hopeful Toronto artists. It features an array of artistic talent, from fashion to music, film to poetry, and photography to art. With unique images, laugh-out-loud interviews, and influential voices, Toronto will be seen and heard around the world. OTM uses an online platform to provide a pop cultural fix. We celebrate the individual on our own terms.
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AND LASTLY THE INTERVIEW TEXTPOETRY FROM THE HEARTALYSSA REID HAS MADE A NAME FOR HERSELF IN THE COMPETITIVE SCENE OF TORONTOS MUSIC INDUSTRY
BY BRIAN BOUDREAUAlyssa Reid is a normal 17-year-old girl- she has Bieber fever and avidly watches Hannah Montana. But there is something that sets her apart: she has worked her way up to becoming one of Toronto's most promising young musical acts. A top-six finalist on YTV's The Next Star, Reid has gone on to collaborate with big names such as Emily Osment, Danny Fernandez, Jesse Labelle and The New Cities for "Pop Goes The World", and to preform at the Teen Read Awards last September. Her new album is due out in the new year, and she hopes to be back on tour once again shortly thereafter. Admist all of her success, Reid remains suprisingly cool and level-headed; shes just one of us, and she wants it to stay that way. I met up with her at a small photo studio In Toronto, where she shared her thoughts on life and over coming the lies and empty promises that flood the music industry.
Brian Boudreau: How long have you known that you wanted to pursue singing?AR: I was in a performing arts group when I was 3, and I just kind of grew up singing. When I was 9, I entered my first contest, and after that I knew that it was just what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, because nothing else really appealed to me. It’s not just singing. There’s the whole other aspect of being a performer. At the very end of a performance, when you just can’t hear anything, but you can just see the crowd and see your own dream – it’s just kind of a moment.
BB: How have you evolved as an artist since you first started?AR: I’ve definitely evolved as a writer and as a musician. When I first started singing, it was just with a little karaoke machine, and now I’ve learned how to play piano and guitar. I write or at least co-write all of my own songs, so I’ve evolved as an artist as well.
BB: How did it feel to be a part of the Teen Read Awards?AR: It was amazing. It was cool to be a performer at an event that I was so excited to just go to in the first place. Having read all the books that were up for awards, it was cool that I got to be a part of the event as a performer and to not just be there supporting the authors.
BB: Any other cool things that you are currently doing?AR: My album should be released in the new year. I co-wrote all of the songs on my album, and we’re recording another music video fairly soon. I did my first collaboration with a rapper, which I was also really excited about. That song should be going to radio very soon, so I’m excited for that. Hopefully, I will be on tour within the next year again.
BB: what would you say to up-and-coming artists in Toronto?AR: I’d tell them that it’s very important to not give up on achieving what you really want. And there’s a lot of people who are going to promise you the world and that you are going to have all of these things handed to you if you just sign this piece of paper. In reality, it’s a lot of empty promises and it’s a lot of work. But if you really want something, you just have to keep going for it.t
