Alus is a New Jersey-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, hip-hop, and R&B sensation. She passed on a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, signing with Water Music in 2012 right out of high school.
Alus has performed at SXSW and Neiman Marcus’ Fashion Night Out. Her style is reminiscent of Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson. Her debut EP, Alustrious, dropped in January 2014 to critical acclaim and in the Summer of that same year she released her radio single, “Ordinary Girl.” She has worked with brand names such as Porsche and Rolls Royce, and was recently named an ambassador for for ASPCA.
Table of Contents
6:39 – If you had to describe yourself as a band, song or genre, what would it be?
8:23 – How did you get started in the music business?
10:27 – Looking back at your career, what stands out to you as your proudest moment?
12:10 – What’s been one of your biggest failures?
17:35 – Three things artists should be doing today to grow their fan-base and move their careers forward
If you had to describe yourself as a band, song or genre, what would it be?
A combination of classic and modern. I’m an old soul at heart. But at the same time, I’m young and I’m embracing today.
How did you get started in the music business?
My family support really helped me get started in the business. They always encouraged me when I was younger, and I think that encouragement is so essential for growth. When I was a kid, I would watch the Grammys and other award shows, and I would mimic the performances I saw or songs that I heard.
My parents really embraced that. The encouragement that I had gave me a strength-booster. That really helped me as a kid grow into what I wanted to do.
Looking back at your career, what stands out to you as your proudest moment?
I love performing so much–it’s like an adrenaline rush when I’m on stage. I have so many goals, and there are so many proud moments to come, but my proudest moment thus far was my last performance. We work really hard to make each performance better than the last.
That was a highlight. I’m an entertainer. I want people to see that I sing, that I write the music, I play the instruments, and I dance…I want people to get that in one sitting when they see a show. And we accomplished that during the last show. And we work hard for every performance, so I know the next performance can be my next proudest moment.
What’s been one of your biggest failures?
My biggest setbacks are the relationships that I’ve been in. They have always had an emotional and musical effect on my career. You put yourself out there, and you have to be careful about what you release because you become that release.
If you release a sad, depressing song, and your touring that song everywhere, and answering questions about that song, you embrace the emotion that was in that record and you become that emotion. That is why I liked Ordinary Girl so much, because it’s bossy and who I am.
Three things artists should be doing today to grow their fan-base and move their careers forward:
- Persistence. You have to work hard, and keep working the same set over and over again to get it right. It’s like boxing: You need to work hard in the off season so you are ready when the season is on. You can’t get lazy because you need to be ready when opportunity strikes.
- Consistency. The most important aspect of consistency is to consistently believe in yourself. All of the people you meet aren’t always going to believe in you. There is no substitute for believing in yourself.
- Patience. This does not happen overnight. You will hear a million stories about, “Oh, they called me the next day and then I was a superstar.” But, that’s not really the way things happen. You don’t know how hard those people worked to get things right and make the connections that would further their career.
The best ways to reach Alus:
On the web:
http://www.alusofficial.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AlusMovement/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AlusOfficial/
Outro Music:
Ordinary Girl
Alus
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