Autumn Stallia is an artist/producer/songwriter as well as being a student within film – truly doing it all but only getting started. As she embarks on releasing new music, Amplify spoke to her about her music so far and her journey until now, and what is to come.

Growing up, Autumn was surrounded by music and different music genres consistently. She describes that was down to her “parents being singers and meeting in a gospel choir” and that her parents “listened to a lot of different music growing up so it definitely inspired the music that I make.” This is widely seen through her music being eclectic, combining a variety of genres per song, being a “pop artist” but also bled in a lot of funk and RnB and hip hop”. In her debut EP, ‘objects in the mirror’, there were also a song per genre.

The start for making music on her own front was in her senior year of high school. Stallia describes a class she had to take called ‘Capstone’ where “they could make a unique visual performing arts project” and she recalls a student in the year ahead making an EP. “I like to sing, let me try and make an EP and see what happens…so made 5 songs and released them, and everyone in school loved them.” So she then thought,”this seems like something I’m able to do and continue doing so. Why not?” Thus, began her journey as Autumn Stallia, that we know now.

Her second EP, “Wondergirl,” shows her ability to cross genres per different songs, to create an eclectic piece. ‘My Mental’, is a particular stand-out song on the EP, with a slower tone than the rest of the record. Autumn describes writing that in ‘summer 2022’ when she felt as if she was struggling to find a sense of purpose, and including themes Gen Z go through. Stallia wrote this expressing “all the trials that Gen Z have to face in day to day life when it comes to mental health or even when it comes to trying to build a career at such young ages.” This was definitely a song that connected with her fanbase through the raw and honest lyrics being at the forefront of the song, almost descriptive.

Majority of the time, Autumn produces and writes on all of her tracks, so the melody tends to come first in the creative process. “It starts with forming a sound whether it be a guitar melody or piano melody and based on whatever that melody makes me feels, is what inspires the lyrics…If it’s more on the soft sides, like ‘my mental’, it makes her feel reflective.” Another example of such is in her song, ‘We Fall Apart’. “It starts with a smooth synth that sounds intergalatic,” which can be associated with connotations of space and the feeling of floating.

A recent song that took that melody combined with lyricism and vision is her track, ‘PSA’. The background chanting of ‘alright’, with a bolder tone, makes for a statement of a piece. Stallia comes across confident and unstoppable when listening to the track, with a sense of anger. This vision is brought to life with the music video for the record, which I find a creative, performance piece. Showing her acting as different personas, opening with her on a TV, to being on different stages, feeling almost like a movie scene of a girl fighting back and taking back her power. Autumn being a film major definitely plays into that creative film aspect, and her having a musical theatre background plays into the acting strongly. Autumn describes herself being in a ‘space of anger and frustration, facing many obstacles at the time’ of the song, and wanted to ‘make a statement’. When speaking with a friend, they said ‘she has to drop a music video with the song’. And they were right, the performance piece encapsulating that statement, bringing that storytelling to life.

Performance is a huge part of what makes Autumn stand out, an incredible performer in every aspect, from her music videos to her live shows. Although her music is so uniquely original, putting her own spin on a lot of genres, there is musical inspirations for every artist, that help with her performance quality. When speaking about this, Stallia explains artists such as Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar are all inspirations. “Michael Jackson is one of the biggest people that inspire me, because I think his music is also eclectic, and he’s also an iconic performer’. With Kendrick Lamar, she explains that he inspires her through him ‘being unapologetically themselves…really appreciate that kind of bravery and vulnerability when it comes to music.’ With her performance quality so strong, she pins that down to her dance/musical theatre background and being a film major, which is all very creative. She believes the ‘best shows are one that combine all those creative aspects (that are relevant to an artist) and create more of an experience’, which we see through shows from herself and artists like Sabrina Carpenter, making it feel like a real show start to finish.

Autumn has already achieved a lot in her career so early on, but a memory that sticks out to her is definitely her performances, having that one-on-one shared experience with the audience. “One specifically was when I sung disgusting for the first time, before the EP was released, and did this call and response with the hook…there was so much energy.” This enabled her to release the song, which she was hesitant on previously due to it being more on the rap side, because people were excited about it and connected with it.

Autumn has an exciting project upcoming, with plenty music on the way. She describes this work as ‘a little more subdued, with more serious emotional topics covered. There are still sprinkles of that happy, energetic style but still more dimmed down.” Comparing it to records like ‘Thank You Next’ by Ariana Grande. Definitely one to look out for as she continues to rise on the scene, and mark herself in the industry.

To end this interview, I asked if Autumn had any advice for up and coming creatives, especially within the music space, which was responded with two inspiring answers. Stallia explains ‘don’t hesistate to make the art you want to make…people often focus their energy outwards and to what other people are going to like but making sure to ask yourself if you like it.” As well as this, to “speak from the heart when writing and producing, because that is what makes it unique and stands out”. We definitely see this with Autumn’s work, as she defines herself as a “pop artist that has an eclectic vibe.” With her raw lyricism, her use of different genre styles, and talent in producing, she is not one to miss on the scene.

You can listen to her below: