Scott Alan is a composer/lyricist. Scott’s third CD “What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up” just came out. His first two CDs were “Dreaming Wide Awake” and “Keys”. Scott has worked with performers such as Tracie Thoms, Eden Espinosa, Shoshana Bean, Diana DeGarmo, Laura Osnes and many more.
Th3Heights: How did you get interested in writing?
Scott Alan: I started writing when I was 18 when I needed a platform to deal with inner ramblings that need to be vocalized.
T3: Is there anything that gets you inspired to write?
SA: I write from personal experiences. Breakups suck - but boy do I write a lot of songs about them. Sometimes I think happiness is a curse for me because I don't get to write as often as I do when I am depressed.
T3: How long have you been writing?
SA: Since I was 18. I'm old now so you do the math ;)
T3: Have you ever written a song with a certain performer in mind to sing it?
SA: Oh, all the time. I am still waiting for many of them to agree to sing them.
T3: Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
SA: Joni Mitchell. Through her music and lyrics has taught me that being honest in your work is the thing that brings you closest to others.
T3: What is your favorite song that you have written?
SA: Oh, that is like asking who my favorite child is. They all have special meaning in my life. Easier would be 'which song do you regret writing.'
T3: How do you chose who will sing on your CD? Is this process any different than how you chose performers for your concert?
SA: Choosing a singer for the CD is a lot of work, actually. I tend to get very detailed with it. To me, having the right vocalist is more important than getting a 'headlining' name to sing it, though, often I have been lucky enough to get both.
T3: How do you choose what songs you want to put on your CD?
SA: My mind has been so consumed with writing albums now that it think in terms of writing the next album - so normally I wait until I have eight songs that I am POSITIVE I want on the next album and then go from there.
T3: What can Scott Alan fans expect on this new CD?
SA: Every song on this new CD is so different. Jesse Vargas, who arranged and orchestrated the entire CD, has done an amazing job with making sure that each song has its own story. In addition, I think this CD is my most personal. This is the first CD where I listen to it from start to finish and still can feel the pain or joy that went in to writing each and every song.
T3: What was the process of making "What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up” like?
SA: It was a hard one because I always wants to make sure that I am not repeating what I said on the last album - so this CD was a full orchestra and four of the songs came after a hard breakup that led me to a horrible battle with writers block and led to four of my most personal songs yet.
T3: Do you have a favorite song on this CD? If so what is it?
SA: Again, a child BUT, I will say that Crystal Monee Hall's song, Anything Worth Holding on To, which was the song I wrote while having writers block, funny enough, has a very special place in my heart for me. It captures a lot of what I was feeling for a major part of this album.
T3: If people are thinking of buying "What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up" but aren't quite sure what would you tell them so that they would run to their computer and order it?
SA: Even if you hate the songs, which I sure hope you won’t, you won’t find better vocalists. Every single song has some of the most incredible vocals I have ever heard in my life. And, like all of my CD's, you will discover new vocalists you may not have known prior.
To learn more about Scott and his music check out his website
To order “What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up” click HERE
