Ally Bakst Exclusive Interview

We are joined by Ally Bakst to chat about her music and future in the music industry! We’re excited to learn more about you! Let’s dive right in. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your latest release? What motivated you to create this particular piece of art?

Hey, thanks for having me! My song “Mystery Girl” coming out on October 19th is the first song I’m releasing off my upcoming project. The song is inspired by the experiences I’ve had as a woman in the world and consequential realization that in order to protect the beautiful parts of yourself—your vulnerability, softness, femininity—you must develop an exterior shell. I take my reality and use it to create a completely abstracted version of myself, which can be seen in the harsh, violent character that is Mystery Girl. She is the definition of feminine rage and power taken to the extreme. To me she represents the darkest, most repressed parts of womanhood, and I think every woman has a little bit of Mystery Girl in her. It’s built in I think.

What was the creative process like for this project? Did you face any challenges or breakthrough moments during its development? 

The project I’m working on currently has been in the works for a while now. Mystery girl is one of the newer songs I’ve written within the past year, but I started a lot of things 4-5 years ago that I’m just now bringing to life. My upcoming project definitely reflects that range. It tells the story of innocence lost, beginning with a song about the pain of first love and ending with the callous and emotionally hardened character in Mystery Girl. These songs I had put away for a while came back to haunt me and wouldn’t stop replaying in my head. I’d try to go to sleep, but one would play on a loop, and the moment I’d finish recording it, the next one would start playing. It almost felt as though I couldn’t move forward until I put every single one of those old songs to bed first. And slowly as I started finishing these older works, new material began flooding my mind as if a file cabinet had been cleaned out in the back of my brain. These songs ended up being some of my favorite pieces I’ve ever made, and it really makes me believe that if you’re meant to make something, you’ll make it. Finally giving those songs the attention they were begging for was a huge breakthrough in my process. I think creativity is something that just flows through you if you let it.

Your music has always been known for its unique style. How would you describe the sound and themes that listeners can expect from this release compared to your previous work? 

I still make dark pop music and concepts of duality—life and death, dark and light, beauty and the grotesque, masculinity and femininity, etc—stay consistent within my old and new work. I lean into world building and developing my character further in this project, which is defined by atmospheric soundscapes, twisting melodies, and haunting stacks of weaving harmonies that I’m really excited to share with all of you!

Collaborations can bring a fresh perspective to an artist’s work. Were there any exciting collaborations involved in this project, and how did they impact the final product? 

Meeting my record producer Mark Vogel was a pivotal moment for me. He’s a classically trained pianist and musical genius so learning music theory, piano, and vocal performance with him has changed my life. Understanding the intricacies of recording with musicians and engineers in a studio gave me the confidence I needed to execute my ideas from start to finish at a professional level that I had never previously experienced. This partnership definitely shows in the writing and recording of Mystery Girl, and you can even hear Mark playing the piano throughout the track.

As an artist, growth and evolution are essential. In what ways do you feel you’ve grown or evolved as an artist with this new release?

My skills have improved and knowledge has grown significantly since my last release. As I mentioned before, a lot of that came from working with my producer Mark and the talented sound engineers that have taught me so much and helped me reach the next level in my recording career. Like you said, growth and evolution for an artist are essential, and I feel incredibly lucky to work with people that constantly teach me about my creative process and to be a better songwriter and musician. I’m getting better and better at creating cohesive ideas that connect lyrically, melodically, and rhythmically, and the difference is very clear between my old and upcoming music.

Thank you for joining us today Ally, we are so excited to see your music career flourish! Lastly, where can our audience follow you on social media to stay updated on your future projects and connect with you?

If you’d like to stay updated on everything to come, I’m Ally Bakst on all streaming platforms and @allybakst on Tik Tok and Instagram. Thanks for having me and following along! I really appreciate it and hope to connect with all of you soon!

End of Interview