Today we’d like to introduce you to Garrett Alden
Hi Garrett , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello, my name is Garrett Alden and I am a 22-year-old Singer-Songwriter from Kailua, Hawaii. Currently, I live in Nashville and am getting ready to graduate from Belmont University this Winter. I will be graduating with a Degree in Music Business and can’t wait to get my foot in the door in the industry here in Nashville. A year before I moved to Nashville, I was chosen as a top 10 artist with Haku Collective. Which is an Artist Development and Talent Production agency founded by multi-Grammy Nominee and island music legend Kimie Miner. Some of his biggest inspirations are John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Zach Bryan, Norah Jones, and Chris Stapleton. Garrett’s deep passion and interest in the music industry stems from the collaborative music culture of Hawaii. Growing up around “kanikapilas” (jam sessions) and always being surrounded by music since a young age has inspired him to make his own music. The commitment to representing Hawaii and honoring the countless musical mentors who have helped him along the way are the main driving forces for Garrett’s burning desire to pursue a career as an artist in the music industry. Both in Nashville and beyond.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Looking back, I would say that it has not been very easy. Unfortunately, I have had to deal with lots of loss in my life. But that has only fueled my fire and hunger to want to achieve my dreams even more. I lost my Grandmother when I was only 9 years old. It was a shock to the family. My Grandfather, whom I was extremely close with and who first inspired me to chase my music dreams fully, sadly passed away from cancer as I was first moving to Nashville and first attending Belmont back in 2020. My Freshman year was also COVID, which made starting College even harder as it was. Especially after having made the massive move of going from a small town in Hawaii all across America to the big city of Nashville. Upon arriving here in Nashville, I knew nobody. My most important guitar teacher to my development and growth as an artist was Jim Cobb. A local Hawaii legend and dear friend of the Hawaii music scene, including Kimie Miner (who is one of my mentors still and is a Grammy Awards Nominee and best-selling Hawaii music artist). Jim Cobb was a great mentor and a dear friend to me, I looked up to him so much. Sadly, Jim passed away when I was just 16 years old. Out of nowhere he committed suicide, taking his own life. I promise to carry on his legacy. I just want to make them all proud one day when I am successful in music and achieve my dreams.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Some other things to know about me is that aside from music I really enjoy surfing, NFL football, mixed martial arts, and entrepreneurship. Speaking on Martial Arts, much of my early life growing up in Hawaii was filled with my Taekwondo training. I joined the best Martial Arts school in my town of Kailua, Hawaii when I was only 6 years old. I trained there consistently from the time I was 6 all the way to age 16, over 10+ years of training. When I was 15 I achieved the rank of Black Belt and became a head instructor for the school, giving back and teaching Taekwondo classes to kids ages 2.5 – 13. I loved Martial Arts so much and I attribute my training and early years to the reason I have such a strong work ethic in music today. Once I was around a Sophomore in High School, music really began to takeover my life and so I left Martial Arts behind and began to work on my music full time and develop my skills as a songwriter/performer. My Grandad was the one who introduced me to Belmont and that is what ultimately lead me to Nashville after High School in Hawaii.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Nothing makes me more happy in this world than writing/recording songs and spending time with my family. Family will always be first above everything to me. And music will always come first above any friendships, girlfriends, side jobs, etc. Nothing matters more in my life than my music career and my family. I am determined to make this music thing happen for myself and I promise this interview will not be the last you hear of me. I hope to have a long and fruitful career as an artist in the music industry, God willing. I am open to leaving Nashville one day but I do see Nashville as the place I would like to come up in for sure. I love the music culture here in Nashville and how collaborative all the writers/artists/producers tend to be in this town specifically. I also love seeing others achieve their goals and I hope to inspire the next generations of music creators. I believe my ultimate purpose and why God gave me the gift to write music in the first place is to inspire others to chase their dreams and believe in themselves fully without holding back. Don’t let anyone or anything stop you from reaching your dreams, no matter how big those dreams may be. I strongly believe that in the end, hard work always beats talent when talent doesnt work hard. And when you have both the talent and the work ethic then that is when you get an artist like John Mayer (my biggest hero in music hands down).
Pricing:
- No pricing information. A little self plug: I WILL BE RELEASING MY FIRST OFFICIAL MUSIC NEXT YEAR IN 2025. IT WILL BE AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc.) I also enjoy playing private concerts for house parties, corporate events, weddings, graduation parties, birthdays, etc. So if you are looking for any live music from an upcoming artist that is hungry to succeed contact me via my social media which is @garrettaldenmusic or go direct to my email: garrettaldenmusic@gmail.com. Mahalo for the support! 2025 will be a big year.
Contact Info:
- Youtube: @Garrett Alden
- Other: @garrettaldenmusic (tiktok) @Garrett Alden (spotify)
