SEQUOIA, musical artist

For readers who might be new to your music, could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about who you are?

My name is Sequoia and I'm an independent indie artist from Orange County, California.

I am eighteen years old and I've had a love for music my entire life. I would describe my

music as a mix of Dream-Jazz and Soulful Bedroom-Pop. In simpler terms, “if a rainy car

ride was an artist, it would be Sequoia.”

What is your earliest music-related memory?

My earliest music-related memory has to be driving up to Big Bear with my family and

singing ‘Jesus, Take The Wheel’ by Carrie Underwood. Watching my parents share

impressed looks and feeling the passion and confidence that only little Sequoia could've

had. Since then, I still strive to receive that look from my parents every time I sing.

Are there artists (musical or not) who’ve impacted you growing up?

There are many artists that have impacted me growing up. For example, artists like

Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys, Adele, Stevie Wonder, Etta James, and Amy Winehouse,

are just the start of my list. I was born into a music loving family but nobody else wanted

to create it except me. I believe that growing up while listening to numerous R&B figures

has contributed to the sound I emulate. Somewhere in my mind I've always known that I

wanted soul in my music. I wanted to portray the feeling of loss and love the way Etta

did, I wanted to create music for people to dance to like Michael did, and I needed to be

raw and authentic the way Amy was.

What is your songwriting process like, from thoughts to pen and paper?

When I write my music, I never know what I'm going to write about. As soon as I find

my chord progression, I search for the feeling each strum portrays. Yearning, anger,

delusion, denial, satisfaction, bliss, even acceptance. I find writing on paper instead of

using my phone a lot more engaging. To elaborate further, once I find my feeling, I relate

it to something true. I search for moments where I've felt these specific feelings and I

write stories about them. My philosophy is that writing is universal. People will listen to

a song and make it personal by relating it to themselves. As I write, the words can have a

totally different meaning to me than how the listener perceives them. Writing music is

one of my favorite parts about being a musician. What the song is about will always be

up to the listener to decide.

Your recent single Love Doesn’t Grow on Trees strikes a balance between yearning and playfulness. What personal experiences shaped the lyrics and tone of that track?

As a teen girl, I've experimented with love. In doing this, I've found myself in many

situations where my love was being taken for granted. I'm someone who loves easily, I

find the most precious traits of a person and I hold onto them. With this song, I took the

term “money doesn't grow on trees” and I made it into something that felt silly but still

honest, hence “Love Doesn't Grow on Trees”. During the period of writing this song, it

was the first time in a while where I wasn't romantically interested in anyone. I felt an

absence but I had hoped that maybe it wasn't a bad thing. I believe that subconsciously I

created this balance.

As an indie artist gaining traction, is there a certain milestone that you’d like to achieve in your career?

A certain milestone that I'd like to achieve in my career would have to be either having a

sold out world-wide tour or winning a grammy award. I have 34.7k monthly listeners on

Spotify as of right now, and when I win my grammy, it'll be them I thank for getting me

there.

What keeps you going in life?

There is a lot that keeps me going in life. To list a few I'd start with my family. I have 4

sisters and they are all resilient in their own ways. Without them, I'd never have the guts

to do what I do today. My mom and dad are my biggest supporters and there is nothing

that motivates me more than seeing their faces in my crowds while I'm on stage. Another

thing that keeps me going in life is the privilege to release music and share it with such an

amazing small community to support me.

How do you hope listeners feel when they come across your music for the first time?

I hope that listeners feel intrigued. As an artist with a smaller discography, I hope that

people listen to my music and stick around for more. Emotionally, I hope they feel

connected to me and my music. I hope that my music can be an outlet for people to relate

to and feel understood. I hope for my music to be exactly what a listener is looking to feel

through music.

And lastly, do you have any message or note you’d like to tell your fans and

community?

For my listeners, thank you for your loyalty and support. Music has been and always will

be a part of me. Knowing that I have you grants me every ounce of gratitude I could

possibly possess. Thank you for listening to my stories, my feelings, and my dreams, I

cannot wait for you to hear what's next.