Artist Name: Alannah McCready
Hometown: Blaine, MN
What project(s) are you currently working on?
Over quarantine this past year I really wanted to focus on creating new music because it has been about three years since I’ve released anything new, and it just felt good to get back into the studio and write. I just released my newest single, “Something Like That,” on Feb. 26! It is the first single off my five-song EP. I co-wrote with Will Gittens and I cannot wait for everyone to hear the full project! Will’s brother, Sterling Gittens Jr., produced the project and the three of us had an amazing time creating this new music! I think this new project is the epitome of who I am as an artist and I am very proud of it!
What inspired you to pursue a career in music and when did you know?
Both of my parents are very into music. As a kid, they would have my brother and me listening to all genres when we were on road trips. To this day, we still play the “who sings it” song in the car together as a family! My dad is into rock and oldies and my mom is from Oklahoma, so my love of country music definitely came from her! Because of that, I grew up listening to the great women in country music like Reba, Trisha, Martina, and Shania and I think they really shaped who I am as a singer and songwriter today. I used to mimic how they sang, and I taught myself how to sing by listening to their songs.
I think I have always wanted to do music professionally, even as a kid! Recently, my parents showed me a picture I drew when I was probably 4 or 5 years old. I drew myself singing to a crowd and I wrote “I am happy when I’m singing.” It wasn’t until 2012, however, that I got my first opportunity to write and record my own music and have been doing it ever since. I just can’t picture myself doing anything else!
If you weren’t pursuing a career in music, what would you be doing for a living?
I would probably be a makeup artist or an interior designer! Those are two of my favorite hobbies when I’m not making music. I just moved to Nashville a few weeks ago and am very excited to decorate my new house!
What is your favorite downtime activity?
I love to read and spend time with my dog, Zoe. To me, high-quality downtime is when I can step away from my phone for a little while and just chill.
Who is your biggest celebrity crush?
Idris Elba or Ryan Reynolds
Who is your favorite sports team(s)?
Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Wild. I am a hockey gal and from the ‘state of hockey’ but also GO PACK GO!
What is the last movie that you watched?
I am the type of person who likes to re-watch movies especially if I love them and, right now, I am in the middle of re-watching the Divergent movies.
What is the last album you listened to?
It’s not an album, but I absolutely love Jordan Davis’s new EP! I think it’s amazing from start to finish.
If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Wow, that is really tough, just one?! Yikes! Okay, I’d have to say either 8701 by Usher or Girl by Maren Morris.
What is the greatest country song of all time?
Wow, the pressure! If I have to pick one, I’d say “Crazy” by Patsy Cline.
What has been your favorite city/town that you’ve visited out on the road?
I love going back to Minnesota and playing hometown shows! Each time I go back, I see more and more faces from my childhood and there’s just something about hometown love that you just can’t beat!
What is your favorite meal?
My all-time favorite food is sushi!
Who is your dream duet partner?
This list is quite long but if I had to choose right now, I’d say either Dan + Shay or Carly Pearce!
Who would you like to go on tour with?
This is also a long list! I have seen Jordan Davis live a few times and I think he’d be fun to tour with. I would also love to be a part of a “girl power” tour with artists like Maren Morris, Carly Pearce, Miranda Lambert, and Lauren Alaina. It would be a dream come true to tour with the amazing women in country music.
What is your ultimate career goal(s)?
There are so many! One would be that tour I mentioned in my last answer, that’s for sure. Obviously, as singer-songwriters, we all have the ultimate dream and goal to win awards and break records. But aside from that, I just want to be able to do what I love every day as a career. I feel like being able to support yourself as an independent singer-songwriter is already a career goal. The ultimate goal would be to have my music heard by the masses and I hope that it heals people in the same way that it healed me to write it.