Alyssa Baker didn’t choose music. It chose her.
“I always had this desire to sing,” Baker said.
For as long as the teenager can remember, she had always been singing along to music.
“I think that music sort of chose me,” Baker said. “I started singing along to the radio when I was about two years old.”
Alyssa Bakers self-titled album, above, was released in 2014.
Since then, Baker has progressed into a indie pop-folk artist, who now regularly performs throughout British Columbia.
On April 17, Baker will be performing at Smoke N’ Water restaurant in Nanoose Bay.
“I am really excited for the opportunity,” Baker said. “A lot of my family is also out on the Island and so it is really great that I can get them to come out and support me as well.”
Baker, 17, was born in Calgary but moved to Vancouver at an early age and has remained there ever since.
When she was about six years old she began taking singing lessons after doing well in school.
“All I ever wanted to do from that point forward was sing,” she said.
And that is exactly what Baker did.
By the age of 12, Baker was writing her own music and by the time she reached 14 she had already performed at the Pacific National Exhibition and had her first open mike session.
“I just started performing all the time and really getting into my own music and just progressed from there.”
Last March, Baker released her debut record, a self-titled four-song extended play.
The album was recorded by Winston Hauschild, who has worked with likes of Hey Ocean, Bodhi Jones and Hanna Georgas and takes listeners on a journey of relationship.
“Each song tells a different aspect of a relationship and the order that they are in will go progressively through a relationship from beginning to end,” Baker said.
Alyssa Baker's newest music video for her song Goodbye was released on March 30.
The Vancourite said she wants people to be able to connect to her and understand her thoughts through her lyrics.
“I want to put my emotions and my thoughts out to the world and hopefully people will connect with the worlds,” Baker said.
In addition to releasing her self-titled album last year, Baker also toured across British Columbia and Alberta.
She also travelled to Nashville for the first time, where she had the opportunity to perform at some of city’s famous venues.
“It was so exciting to go there,” Baker said. “I have wanted to go there for forever.”
The teenager was able to perform at the The Bluebird Cafe, The Row Kitchen & Pub and Paradise Park Trailer Resort.
“The opportunity was just completely amazing and mind blowing,” Baker said.
As a first time visitor to Music City, Baker said she was slightly overwhelmed.
“There is so much to do there,” she said. “There are so many opportunities and you do feel overwhelmed.”
Baker said visiting Nashville made her understand just how big the city’s music community really is.
“One of the main things that I took away was that not only is Nashville a huge music community but the songwriting is even bigger there,” she says.
Baker plans to return to Nashville in the future and has a better idea of what she will do when she is there.
“I went there with no plans – just to embrace everything,” she said. “Now I have embraced everything and I know what the most important things to hit are.”
Baker performs at Smoke N’ Water restaurant, 1600 Strougler Rd., in Nanoose Bay at 7 p.m.
For more information, please visit www.alyssabaker.com or follow her on Twitter @AlyssaBmusician. You can also subscribe to her on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/AlyssaBakerMusic
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