Pronoun

Words and photography by Jennifer Nguyen

Performing under the pseudonym “Pronoun”, Alyse Vellturo is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who made her musical debut in 2016 with her EP There’s No One New Around You. Since then, she has been consistently working, performing at notable festivals like South by Southwest in 2017, and Riot Fest in 2018, all while running her indie music label Sleep Well Records. In 2019, Billboard designated her as one of their indie “artists to watch”, and boy were they right. Her debut LP i’ll show you stronger. showcases her talents not only as a captivating songwriter but also as a proficient multi-instrumentalist, from the tight basslines to the shimmering guitar riffs and enticing vocals. This September, she’ll be touring all over the east coast with various acts, but before that, Jennie got to talk with Pronoun about her new album, the process behind that, and her tips for hopeful artists.

How are you doing today?

Hot, but good.

Tell me about your debut album i'll show you stronger. What was it like bringing a whole album to life in the studio?

It was really cool. It was the first time I’ve ever done that. The first EP was done alone in my bedroom with no live drums or anything. When I made “Run”, I did sample mini drums and when I got the first mix back I thought: “This sounds dumb”. Like, you need to have live drums on it.

So, last-minute I booked a studio space and the album came together super quickly. I put it off for so long because it’s always overwhelmed me. Finally, I was just like “Alright, this track comes out in a month, so you just have to go in there, perform it live, get it mixed, and get it out”. That was pretty cool and I ended up doing a couple of other songs that way too. It was mostly half and half. On all of them, I play bass, guitar, synths, and vocals. There are five tracks with live drums on them as well.

Is there an implicit meaning behind your record?

The record, in general, is about finding yourself after a quick and drastic change in your life. After something like that, you have to navigate through it and rediscover who you are and what you’re worth. i’ll show you stronger. is finding that strength in yourself in a difficult time.

Tell me about your passion for music. When did you realize that you wanted to make music and what made you realize that?

Nothing specifically. When I was 4, my sisters and I took piano lessons for a bit, I also took guitar lessons for a bit, drum lessons for a bit. By 14, I stopped everything all together and focused on sports. It was mainly making music for fun and not writing my own stuff.

When I was in sophomore year, I found Dashboard Confessional and he inspired me to pick up the guitar and write my own music. I felt if this guy can put his heart on his sleeve, get up on stage with just his guitar, and be so openly honest about his life, that’s something so cool and special and I wanted to do that.

Then, I took a break again, before starting at a music school. I thought, “I’m not as talented as these other people”, so I got into producing and engineering other people’s music. Later, I got into the business side of music, working on managing and distributing. What inspired me to pick up the guitar and make music again was a breakup. That was when this project started. It was the only thing that made me feel better.

What is your favorite part of the music process?

I think touring now, which I never thought I would say. Writing is fun when it’s easy. In fact, everything is fun when it’s easy. Writing makes me feel better, but I have to be in a specific mood in order to do it and stuff and it can get frustrating when I’m not. To be honest, it’s all fun. I never thought I would be doing any of this on an actual stage, so when I listen to it or look at a photo of me on stage looking around like “Woah, people are singing along”, that’s really crazy

I'd imagine that touring and making music is super fun, but exhausting. Is there anything you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I run my own record label. I work with a lot of indie artists and trying to expose music I think is really cool. I help them manage their projects and vision and just get it out there. I also love to hang out with my friends and go to a lot of shows.

What advice do you have for aspiring musicians and bands, especially people a part of non-traditional and historically marginalized groups?

I think first off, realize that society and the music industry has been built off of white men. I think people are really just becoming more aware of this fact and the consequences of it, both of which are pretty great. It is not fair at all and the only way to change it is everyone putting in effort to do so. Especially women, nonbinary people, or if you don’t associate with a gender, just knowing that you stepping up helps to change the whole landscape, even though it doesn’t seem like a big thing. Don’t let your perceived limitations be limitations. You’re the only one that is setting them.

"i'll show you stronger. is finding that strength in yourself in a difficult time."