Utah
Utah musician moves to Los Angeles following TikTok success
Alayna Grace Thompson, of North Salt Lake, lately moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of turning into an expert musician. (Joseph Lee)
Estimated learn time: 4-5 minutes
NORTH SALT LAKE — The favored social networking app TikTok has made a sensation out of scrappy, 22-year-old Alayna Thompson, a musician from North Salt Lake whose current success has led her to Los Angeles to pursue a dream.
Thompson, identified professionally as Alayna Grace, was posting to TikTok 3 times a day for months with out breaking her 300-follower document. However her consistency paid off when one video of her singing a canopy of Sam Smith’s “Make It to Me” went viral. Within the final 12 months, her following went from roughly 300 to greater than 840,000 individuals.
Earlier than her TikTok success, Thompson tried out for “The Voice” a number of occasions, however did not make it. Nevertheless, after going viral, “American Idol” approached her and requested her to audition. After getting by way of the primary few rounds of the present, she determined to step again and go a unique course, although she’s open minded about occurring the present sooner or later.
When different TikTok creators and music producers from Los Angeles started reaching out to her for collaborative work, she and her husband determined they might transfer there throughout his hole 12 months earlier than making use of for doctor assistant applications.
“I … love the creativeness of L.A., as a result of everybody right here is type of doing the identical factor as you … All of them have these very inventive passions for themselves and it is like a really go-go-go place, so it is tremendous cool to be surrounded by that,” Thompson mentioned.
One of many musicians she has collaborated with is from Provo, with L.A. connections. Oba Bonner is a part of the Bonner Household and is understood by his musical artist/producer identify Obeeyay.
He moved from Utah to L.A. as a freshman in highschool to pursue music professionally. Each day after faculty, he would go to a recording studio to shadow Grammy-award profitable producers and songwriters who had labored with artists comparable to JoJo, Queen Latifah and Woman GaGa. He even labored in some periods with Queen Latifah and JoJo.
Obeeyay’s present focus is acting at live shows and he was lately signed to a document label referred to as Wonderwild Information. And he and Thompson collaborated on her upcoming single, “Advised Me To not Fear.”
The music business is extraordinarily aggressive, however Obeeyay mentioned he thinks Thompson units herself aside by posting her music so constantly on social media.
“First off, she’s extremely proficient, however what’s extra essential and most essential in my view is simply being in keeping with it and persevering with to grind and to work exhausting, and that is what she does,” he mentioned.
He additionally mentioned her character — and the truth that she’s an important individual — units her aside, as effectively.
Each day, Thompson movies and posts movies on-line, writes music and sends out emails to get model offers. She additionally networks with individuals and emails labels and producers. Along with her each day pursuits, she has launched a number of unique and canopy songs on Spotify and Apple Music and has filmed music movies which might be on YouTube.
Within the long-term, Thompson desires to maintain herself financially by way of music, by touring and being signed to a document label. Her subsequent short-term aim is to get considered one of her unique songs to go viral on social media.
A giant spotlight for her in her profession, up to now, was with the ability to open for Colbie Caillat at considered one of Caillat’s live shows in November of 2021.
“Simply with the ability to do music each single day and truly receives a commission for it’s insane to me, in order that’s one other large spotlight. … It is simply one thing I by no means would have imagined taking place,” Thompson mentioned.
Thompson mentioned her model is a combination between Olivia Rodrigo and Tate McRae. She can also be impressed by Beyonce.
Pursuing music is not simple. Thompson mentioned it is exhausting as a result of she usually compares herself to others within the business and focuses on areas wherein they’re doing effectively and the place she feels she’s missing.
In order for you it dangerous sufficient, it’s going to occur.
–Alayna Thompson, rising artist
“I believe one factor that is helped me is I even have a factor on my white board the place it says, ‘Be thankful for the place you are at,’” Thompson mentioned. “And so I at all times attempt to remind myself, ‘I am right here proper now, and I have to be grateful for … what I’ve come from,’ as a result of a 12 months in the past, I’d have by no means thought I’d also have a following in any respect, and so I needs to be grateful that I’ve that, you already know.”
Thompson mentioned she would encourage anybody making an attempt to pursue a dream and hasn’t seen it take flight but to “hold being persistent, hold being constant in what you are doing. … In order for you it dangerous sufficient, it’s going to occur.”