Today we’d like to introduce you to Ali Gray.
Hi Ali, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
For as long as I can remember, I liked singing. In elementary school, I liked to pretend I was Annie. In middle school, it was in theater, in high school, I added local talent competitions, and in college, I threw myself into theater and singing in bands. At 19, I started singing in a local duo. Our first gig was at O’Gara’s Garage in St Paul. It was pretty special. From that day, my career just naturally snowballed. It was a slow snowball but naturally rolled all the same. I eventually joined an all-female track band called Singing Express.
We had many exciting moments, including playing We-Fest and traveling to Hollywood to try a pre-American Idol nationally televised talent show. From Singing Express, came a call from Martin Zellar’s camp to audition for his newly created Neil! A tribute to Neil Diamond. Singing in Martin’s band became my job all through college, and that was incredibly exciting. I have continued to sing beside him for the last 25 years. From there became my journey of writing music and starting my bands. Ali Gray Band was created in 2003.
I spent some time in Nashville writing and meeting with an agent. I soon discovered that road was not for me, and came back to MN ready to dig in my heels to the local music scene. Over the next 21 years, I formed or joined countless projects, and released 5 studio albums and many singles. Somehow, someway, I got to call this music thing my job. My full-time job. It has been incredibly exciting, fun, AND challenging.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The hardest thing for me to figure out was overcoming my stage fright. In my early twenties, I was incredibly insecure and also a perfectionist. So a low crowd, a bad look from a listener, or an imperfect pitch would send me spiraling. It took me a while to realize that the Magic was in being myself, on stage and off. All I knew was that I loved to sing and I hoped that I brought joy to others through music.
Once that started to shift, I enjoyed myself, and the audience enjoyed themselves a lot more. The folks that come and watch me are my friends. I’m always grateful they are there and feel so lucky that they are in my life. We share a love of music. And there can be some really special moments at shows when you are all in the same place loving the same thing. I’m just incredibly fortunate.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a singer in multiple local projects. I also manage half of those groups. I think I am most proud that I do all of it myself. Half of the job is bookings, marketing, advertising, networking, replying to inquiries, updating my website, and social media… all of this is the least comfortable to me as I enjoy the other half so much more – performing.
But I’m proud that I do it all myself. I have been called the hardest-working female musician in MN- (I think they mean several gigs) and I feel strange agreeing with that, but I do keep my calendar full and I am very proud of that.
What do you think about happiness?
My daughter. She grounds me. With any job, I can have a bad day or show. And my happy place is her.
Singing makes me happy. Sometimes I’ll get to a venue a little edgy, and once I start singing, I feel happy. I guess it is a sense of peace and also a way for me to get out my emotions.
Live music makes me happy. You’d think after all of the music in my life that I would need breaks. But I find great joy in watching others do what they love.
Contact Info:
- Website: Aligray.com
- Instagram: @aligraymusic
- Facebook: @aligraymusic
- Twitter: @aligraymusic
- Youtube: Ali Gray Music
Image Credits
Melissa King Photography, Davin Brandt Photography, and Michelle Tanner Photography
