Today we’d like to introduce you to Alissa Moreno.
Hi Alissa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was an indie singer-songwriter living in Hollywood and playing weekly gigs at the Hotel Cafe, The Mint, and Genghis Cohen. I was getting more and more work in film and tv- I had a theme song on an ABC sitcom called Hope and Faith, I was placing my songs in great music shows like MTV’s Laguna Beach and The Hills, and I was chugging along, slow and steady, writing with every great writer I met, and working with any great producer I could work with. One Saturday morning, I was driving down Sunset to the Palisades to teach a private piano lesson, when my friend Jeffrey Steele called. “Are you ready for some news?” I had to pull over because the reception was so bad. “I played our song for Huff, and he pitched it to the Flatts and they love it! They are talking single!” What???!!!! My world changed at that moment. Rascal Flatts DID record our song, “Every Day”, took it to the top of the charts, won a CMT award, got a Grammy nomination…. It was incredible and surreal. I used my first royalty payment to buy a condo in Nashville, and I took my mom to India for Ayurvedic treatment (she was diagnosed with breast cancer and needed more health support.) I met a nice couple at World Market who moved my furniture into my new condo for me while I was overseas with Mom and Dad, I signed my first publishing deal, released my first album, had my first single “Far From Here” as the show ID for the new hit series “Army Wives”, and started writing and working with so many greats. The kindness and open arms of Nashville won me over, and very quickly, I was here for good.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would definitely not define my art and career as smooth, however, I do liken it to white water rafting…when you’re in the right spot and you catch the water correctly and you really pay attention to the path and flow, it can be fast and exhilarating and magical and dangerously fun. However, it doesn’t always go that way, and I certainly have faced numerous obstacles along the way, emotionally, spiritually, physically… Here are a few examples that come to mind: I moved to LA with stars in my eyes and a big goal in mind. My manager took me to the VP of a label to play and I was told “your voice is great, your performances are on point, you just need some good co-writers to help you write better songs. However, you have to lose 20 pounds before we will send you in with any of these amazing writers because they all have to want to sleep with you.” Hmmmmm…… Well, I did end up exercising more and making better food decisions, I did ultimately lose weight, but when my manager went back in with my new demo the answer was “we love the songs but her voice is too whiny. Let’s talk publishing. The industry already has Tori and Alanis!” Well…I tried. Another one that comes to mind is the time I auditioned to be the house singer for a new network talent show. I was so excited when I got my third call back and jammed with the band for an hour. The gig is yours! I was over the moon. My life was going to change. I was going to be paid every week to sing and make music and they were going to send the contract over by the end of the week. I was to come in and rehearse that Thursday at lunch. I told my whole family and I imagined the car I would be able to drive, the home I would be able to purchase, the fun we were going to have! I got a call Wednesday night from the MD and he said “don’t be concerned, but one of the producer’s cousins used to sing with Sarah McLachlan and she’s off the road and coming by to rehearse with you and the band.” I walked in and she was already singing (and she was amazing) and I don’t think I have to tell you the rest of that story. Ha. My last tale has a happier ending. In 2010 I ruptured a disc in my neck and it was incredibly debilitating and painful and costly. I was living in Hollywood and I owned a condo in Nashville that housed other artists and writers and that I stayed in when I’d come to write. I was trying to get through the injury and continue working, but it’s really difficult to get to sessions in LA if you’re wearing a neck brace and existing on a regimen of pain killers, physical therapy. rest, heat, and ice. I was failing and flailing. I decided to take a leap of faith and move into my Nashville home full-time. Writers I hardly knew were willing to come to pick me up or write at my place, pick up prescriptions, drive me to doctor’s appointments. I’ll never forget laying on the floor at Major Bob’s writing and recording with everyone around helping and caring. I ran into Hilary Lindsey and Cary Barlowe at Whole Foods one evening and they could see me struggling, so they walked around with me and helped put items into my shopping cart. I knew I was home. Even though I LOVED my life and career and time in California, I’ve never looked back, and I am so honored to call Nashville my home.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
These days, what I do is write music as a means of expressing myself and working through whatever I’m experiencing at the time. My specialty has always leaned towards film and television and I think it’s because that’s the way I listened to music as a kid. Every song I would listen to would come with visuals and a story that I would develop in my mind, and this seemed to work perfectly in reverse when I began songwriting professionally. I’ve also always enjoyed talking openly about pain and struggles and the little joys of life and that’s really opened me up to other artists, and I’ve been lucky enough to have some really cool people record my songs. People like John Oates, Javier Colon, Morgan Heritage, artists who are out on the road, on tv, on the radio laying themselves out on the line every day for their fans and for their art. It’s awesome! I think one reason I’ve really enjoyed working and writing in Nashville is that I’m often asked to play piano in the room. That is my instrument and it’s a big part of who I am, and even though I’m very natural at melody and lyric and I enjoy it very much, my heart beats best inside a gorgeous old well-loved piano, and I’m so happy to make music that way.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Gratitude.
I’m also extremely delighted to announce that, through the most challenging sorrows of 2020, I was able to write and record a new record which I’m really proud of. 2021 brought the birth of our third son, a record deal with Vere Music Co., and the release of the first 3 singles of my new project which will release early next year. Here’s are some fun links to follow so you can catch the latest music and videos!
Contact Info:
- Email: alissamoreno@gmail.com
- Website: www.alissamorenomusic.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/alissamoreno/
- Facebook: facebook.com/alissamorenomusic
- Twitter: twitter.com/alissamoreno
- Youtube: youtube.com/alissamorenomusic
- SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/alissamoreno
Image Credits:
Heather Seybolt
Justin Mayotte
