Kirstie's Story

Interview and Slideshow by Anna Clay

    I recently had the pleasure of getting to sit down with local musician and compose Kirstie Alyssa Jordan and talk about her professional life. When I first met her a few years ago, I didn’t imagine that Alyssa would not only become a dear friend of mine, but also my vocal instructor.

    Her constant positive attitude has made me grow very fond of her, and her talents in music has made me desire to understand more about her professional life. I inquired if I could interview her, and she happily agreed and informed me with a laugh that this was her first interview about music.

    For the interview, we met in a cozy music room containing a piano, guitars, and other instruments at Summit Crossing Community Church. Chatting with her, I learned that Alyssa not only sings because she finds it calming, but also because she wants to reach non-believers with her music. She also shared some advice I thought was great for any musician.

    At first I asked her if she had any formal training to become a musician. She smiled and replied, “ I didn’t have a lot of training as a kid. However, when I started getting more serious in high school, I started taking lessons with a teacher I had in middle school. I got most of my training in my senior year of high school continuing through college.” Upon her answer I asked at what age did she realize she wanted to become a singer, and she told me that becoming a professional has always been a huge dream of hers, even when she was just three years old.

    I then inquired why she sings, and how it makes her feel. “Why do I sing? That is such deep question!” she laughed, “I’ll answer the second one first. It makes me feel calmer. So I feel like if I am stressed out, or overwhelmed it is something I can always just go to. Other people have things they naturally go to like sports or hanging out with people. If I’m overwhelmed or anything like that, singing is something that is calming. And then, why do I do it? I think it started out just because I love doing it.” She paused thoughtfully and then continued, “But now that I am older, I get to see how it impacts other people, which is really nice too. It is not just for me, it can actually encourage somebody else too.”

    Since I have known Alyssa for a few years, I also knew she is a fantastic composer. When I asked her the name of her first composed song, she responded, “I think it was ‘Trust’, which was based on Proverbs 3: 5-6.” She then chuckled, “I didn’t really know where to start with writing a song, so I was like, ‘ will just look in the Bible.’ So I basically just pulled out a verse and made the verse the chorus.”

    After that I was curious about what audience she wants to reach with her music, therefore I asked what her target audience is. She paused then responded, ““That’s a hard one, because I feel like my target audience has switched throughout my time in music! I feel like it has jumped around a lot. I try to target non-believers most of the time. Some of my composed songs like ‘Stained Glass’ are for people who may have been hurt by the church or just struggling to believe. So that is one target audience. But also, youth and youth girls especially.”

    After she answered, I remembered the first time I heard her song “Stained Glass”. To me, it is a beautifully created piece that can resonate with a lot of people. Alyssa regularly plays original music at coffee shops, women conferences, nursing homes, music festivals, and church services.

    I also discovered that she has all of her music professionally recorded too. “It is all under Alyssa Jordan.” She told me, “It is on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and wherever you stream music. Also on Facebook and Instagram.”

    My final question for her was what was the most important piece advice she would give to someone wants to become a professional singer/musician/composer. Her response was, “What’s my advice? I would definitely just say to trust the Lord and follow where He leads. And if you need to take time to think about why you are doing it, and not rush, you should. That would be my biggest advice.” She paused and pensively recalled, “When I look back, if I could do anything differently over the last couple of years it would be to slow down before I made decisions and pray about them too. It is good to be intentional.”

    Overall, Alyssa Jordan was an inspiring person to talk to about the professional side of music. Her advice and past experience made me have a better idea of what being a music artist looks like. She not only sings because it is fun to her, but to encourages others in their walk with Christ.