The Art of Emotion: Brynne’s Musical Journey to Self-Discovery
By. Alicia Zamora
In today’s independent music scene, artists are constantly pushing boundaries and redefining how they connect with their audiences. One such artist making waves is Brynne, an LA-based indie pop musician who brings raw emotion and authenticity to his craft. Known for his self-described "angsty iPad kid" persona, Brynne creates music that captures fleeting moments and deep feelings, resonating with listeners on a personal level. In this exclusive interview with Alicia’s Studio, he opens up about his artistic journey, from reluctant beginnings in music to finding his passion and performing for the first time.
Brynne’s path to music was anything but conventional. As a kid, he struggled with traditional instruments like clarinet and violin and only joined choir because it was the easiest option at school. It wasn’t until he picked up a guitar—after being inspired by a friend—that his real love for music began to take shape. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Brynne took a leap into music production, experimenting with different sounds and discovering his own artistic voice. However, the defining moment came in 2022 when he performed his first live show with his collective, Next World. That experience solidified his passion and proved to him that music was something worth pursuing.
In this interview, Brynne also shares what he hopes listeners take away from his music. For him, each song is a snapshot of emotion—a way to bottle up a feeling and share it with the world. He wants his audience to experience the same emotions he felt while creating, forming a shared connection through sound. As he prepares for the release of his upcoming album, Brynne is focused on staying true to himself and continuing to push creative boundaries. Tune in as we dive deeper into his journey, his creative process, and what the future holds for this rising indie artist.
Diving In
Alicia: Welcome back to Alicia's Studio! We have our twenty-first special guest.
Brynne: Hi, I'm Brynne. I'm an indie pop artist based in LA, and I have an album coming out soon.
Alicia: For those who may not know you yet, how would you introduce yourself as an artist?
Brynne: I would say—well, it's in my Instagram bio—angsty iPad kid. I think I fit that role pretty well. Honestly, I just make whatever I feel like making, and that’s about it.
Alicia: How did music become such a big part of your life? Was there a specific moment that made you realize this was your passion?
Brynne: I actually didn’t like playing instruments when I was growing up. I was terrible at clarinet and violin, and I only joined choir because it was the easiest thing to do at my school. Later on, I picked up the guitar after seeing a friend play, and I thought, I wanna do that too. Then COVID hit, and I figured, Let’s see what happens when I start producing something. I think around 2021, music started becoming something I truly cared about. The moment that solidified it for me—the moment I realized, Oh, I should probably keep doing this—was my first concert with my collective, Next World, in 2022. Just being able to perform my music in front of people was an incredible experience.
Alicia: Oh, okay, so this all started because of choir?
Brynne: I guess so. Yeah, probably. That was the only time I sort of enjoyed music in general.
Alicia: If someone is hearing your music for the first time, what do you hope they take away from it?
Brynne: I just hope they can feel the same emotions I felt when I was creating. That we can share in the experience of whatever I was feeling at the time. A lot of my songs capture a moment of intense emotion, and I just hope listeners can connect with that.
Alicia: When you’re creating music, is it based on personal stories, or do you gather inspiration from movies, books, or things you see online?
Brynne: Most of the time, it’s from my personal experiences. But sometimes, I’ll see something that reminds me of a moment in my own life, and that sparks an idea. That’s usually how I expand on my storytelling in a song.
Alicia: How would you describe your creative process? Do you have any specific routines or rituals when making music?
Brynne: Yeah, I’m in my room a lot when I write. I usually start with an idea—either something I want to write about or a guitar chord progression I really like. From there, I build the production on my own. Once I’ve done as much as I can without proper mixing, I send it over to my producer, Stephen. He takes a look at what I have and adds his own creative touch to it.
We bounce ideas back and forth until we feel like the song is complete. There are usually a couple of 3 AM Discord calls, mixing sessions, and then I bug him to master the song. And that’s pretty much it—that’s how the song comes together.
Alicia: And you're in school, right?
Brynne: Yes.
Alicia: How do you juggle that? Because I know it’s hard. I’m also in school, and doing all of this can be pretty hectic.
Brynne: It’s definitely difficult. Learning to balance everything has been one of the biggest challenges over the past few years. I know I can’t fully commit to being an artist 24/7, but I also can’t fully dedicate myself to academics either. It’s about knowing where to make sacrifices in both areas. Honestly, time management is the only thing that keeps it all going. I have to set aside dedicated time for both school and music. My calendar app is a mess—I have every little thing planned out. Even then, I still miss a few due dates for my schoolwork. But I’m figuring it out as I go. That’s just how it is.
Alicia: Are you almost done?
Brynne: I have one more year left.
Alicia: That’s not too bad.
Brynne: I’m an electrical engineering major, so I have senior design for the next two semesters—I don’t get a break. I don’t get a break.
Alicia: That’s insane, though. I feel like you’re juggling everything really well, considering what you just said.
Brynne: Yeah, a lot of people, when they hear I’m an EE major, they’re like, Why? Why would you do both at the same time? That’s so stupid. And honestly, it is kind of stupid. I don’t know why I’m still doing it.
Alicia: But you’re managing it! That’s crazy. I’m still in shock.
Brynne: A lot of people assume I’d be a music major, but I’ve had a passion for engineering for a while, so I stuck with it.
Alicia: What has been the most defining moment of your journey as an artist so far?
Brynne: I’d say the most defining moment would probably be—oddly enough—another Next World event. It was our last really big concert at The Paramount here in LA. A lot of my online friends and artist friends flew over to watch, and it was our biggest concert yet. I was performing a set, and I very clearly remember the last song, Why Do I Still See You?—hearing the crowd sing the lyrics back to me was such a surreal feeling. It was so loud. I just stood there thinking, Damn, this is really happening right now. It was one of those moments that made me realize, I have to keep doing this. I live for those kinds of core memories.
Alicia: How do you feel before going on stage? Do you get anxious? How do you deal with that?
Brynne: Alright, so here’s the method we go for. I have a tradition with my friends—since concerts are usually at night, we always go to Jollibee for lunch. And it’s the worst thing ever because you’re not supposed to eat fried food or chicken before singing… but we love Jollibee, so what can we do? After that, I won’t eat anything else for the rest of the day because otherwise, I feel sick. I get queasy, like I might throw up. I definitely get a little anxious and jittery, but I just try to hang out with my friends, relax, take deep breaths. I do some vocal warm-ups—not as often as I should—but when I really have to go on stage, I make sure to do them properly. Then I just sit back, talk with my friends, and try my best to stay calm. At the end of the day, however the performance goes, I know I did my best. That’s all I can do.
Alicia: That’s such a great mindset to have. I feel like that helps a lot.
Brynne: Yeah, I don’t really see the point in stressing too much. It’s going to happen either way. If I mess up, it’s bound to happen. There’s no such thing as a perfect live performance—that’s what makes it a live performance. So if I make a mistake or two, it’s okay.
Alicia: That’s so true. And then your debut album, All the Words I Could Have Said, is releasing on March 28th. What does this project mean to you?
Brynne: This project is the culmination of my entire artistic journey—finding myself, discovering my sound, and learning to be vulnerable in my music. All the Words I Could Have Said feels like a letter, not just to one person, but to everyone. It’s about asking myself: If these were my final words to say to someone, what would they be? What message do I want to put out into the world about myself? How do I tell people who I really am? This album means a lot to me. It’s deeply personal—about my fears, anxieties, insecurities—all the things I was never confident enough to express before.
Alicia: And then when you write, you said that it's personal. Do you ever feel stuck or anxious that people won’t really understand what you’re trying to say through your music?
Brynne: Absolutely. But at the end of the day, I make music for myself more than for anyone else. If people connect with it, cool. But if they don’t, then it can just be my own little thing. I try my best not to get caught up in What are other people going to think about this lyric? because I used to hold back on things like that, and I realized it was stopping me from maintaining my artistic integrity—this is who I am. At some point, I just decided to let go of that fear. While I do hope people understand the emotions I’m trying to express, I don’t let it hold me back anymore.
Alicia: No, yeah, because I feel like when writing—whether it’s music or anything else—if you're too in your head about how others will perceive it, it can give you writer’s block. That happens to me sometimes.
Brynne: Yeah, absolutely. Overthinking how people will interpret a single line or making sure the storytelling is perfect can be really limiting. The more I do that, the more I realize it’s unnecessary. Instead of focusing on what should happen, I just try to ask myself, What do I feel like creating?
Alicia: The title of your album suggests a deep personal connection. Can you share the story behind it?
Brynne: Yeah, so when I was writing a few songs in late 2023 and early 2024, I realized I had a project coming together. I had a set of songs that felt cohesive, but I didn’t know what to call it. One night, my friends and I were having a deep conversation, and we started talking about this question: If you had one last thing to say to someone who meant something to you, what would it be? That thought stuck with me. And that’s where All the Words I Could Have Said came from—because I don’t think there’s ever truly a final thing you can say to someone. There will always be something left unsaid. That idea really comes through in the last song of the album, where I reflect on the fact that I can’t neatly wrap up all my thoughts and emotions into one final statement. If someone means that much to you, there’s always going to be more to say. The album is built on that idea—How do I write a final letter that truly captures who I am?
Alicia: You spent a year working on this album. What was the most challenging and rewarding part of that journey?
Brynne: Other than the fact that I had no time to work on anything? *laughs* Like I said, I’m a student. I have 12-hour days on campus, and by the time I get home, I just try my best to work on some part of the album. So time constraints were definitely a huge challenge. Also, doing an album this early in my career sets a precedent for who I am as an artist. So there was a lot of pressure—like, Oh my God, is this album going to turn out okay? Are people going to understand it? Even though I say I don’t care, deep down, as an artist, there’s always a small part of me that does.
Brynne: At some point, though, I realized that instead of asking How do I make this sound good?, the more important question was How do I make this sound authentic? That’s what kept me going. This album is my story, more than just something designed to get streams. If people want to listen, they’ll listen. And of course, another challenge was money. I don’t have a huge team or a label backing me—I’m an independent artist. So navigating everything on my own was difficult. But luckily, I have amazing friends who were willing to help out.
Alicia: I'm still stuck on the fact that you created a whole album while being in school. Like, that’s insane to me. How did you juggle that? Because I know you mentioned time management, but there’s no way that’s the only thing.
Brynne: I mean, I had the summer to work on things. But the thing is, it wasn’t fully made by me. Most of the productions were things I started on my own, and all the lyrics and vocals are completely mine—no features, nothing like that. But I wasn’t doing all the heavy lifting alone. Steven was a huge part of it. I would go to class, and—actually, let’s introduce Stephen here.
Alicia: Yes! Introduce yourself!
Steven: Hello, I’m Steven. Nice to meet you. Yeah, I mean, Brynne was balancing school and everything, which was tough. There were days when he’d come back and be like, I can’t do anything, I’m too tired. When we first started working together, I would handle most of the production, and he would take over the songwriting. But over time, he developed as an artist—becoming a better producer and songwriter. Now, he starts a lot of the songs himself and then passes them to me. I think that actually works better because, like Brynne said, it keeps the music authentic to him. When he gives it to me, I mostly polish the sound, fine-tune the mixing, and sometimes add a little creative touch to spice things up. But a lot of the time, he’s already done most of the work. The album, as he describes it, is a culmination of a year of us going back and forth—capturing different parts of his life. So, it really is a personal journey for him. And it’s not just me—there are other people in the background who helped, like Elmer. When making an album, it’s a collaborative effort, and that’s what makes it special.
Brynne: Yeah, sometimes I’d go to class, export all the production files and stems, and send them to Steven. Then, while I was in school, he’d work on the mixing and additional production. It was like a machine, constantly running. That’s probably the only reason I was able to make this happen—along with developing time management skills to get anything done.
Alicia: Can you give us a glimpse into your songwriting process? Did any track come together in an unexpected way?
Brynne: Yeah, for sure. When it comes to songwriting, it usually happens in one of two ways. Either I start with a production, freestyle over it, and whatever lyrics come to me just feel right for that song. Or, I’ll have a melody stuck in my head for days, and I need to translate it into a song somehow. In those cases, I’ll spend a few days figuring out the right chord progression and overall sound that fits the emotion I want to convey. But there was one song on the album that came together completely differently—"I’ll Figure It Out." It’s the final track, and I originally had a different demo for it. It was supposed to be a sentimental outro, but I ended up scrapping it. One day, I was messing around on my guitar and came up with this chord progression that was just beautiful. Stephen and I agreed that we had to use it instead.
Brynne: The funny part is, I didn’t even write the lyrics at home, where I usually do. I was in class. Sorry if my professor ever sees this, but... we were going over homework, and it was dragging on, so I flipped my paper over and just started writing. A majority of the song came together right there. I actually kept that piece of paper because it was such an unexpected moment. Usually, I try to separate music and school, but that day, I just had to get the lyrics out of my head. When I got home, I made a few minor changes, and that was it—I knew it was finished.
Alicia: I feel like sometimes you write the best things when you’re not supposed to be doing them.
Brynne: Exactly. The most inconvenient times are when I get the best music inspiration. It’s almost a tradition at this point—every midterm and finals week, I suddenly have amazing ideas. And then I look at my schedule, and I’m like, I’m doomed. There are times when I physically can’t study because I have to get a song out of my system first. So, I’ll take a break, write or produce, and then go back to studying. It’s the only way I can focus.
Alicia: Is there a particular song on the album that you’re most excited for people to hear?
Brynne: "Epistasis," for sure. It’s my favorite track on the album. I consider it the last lead single, aside from "Composure." It’s so technically different from anything I’ve done before. I feel like all the production techniques I’ve learned over the years—and all my growth in songwriting—culminated in this one vulnerable moment where I wrote "Epistasis." It’s about my internal struggles with the future and existentialism. It’s a concept I’ve wanted to explore for so long, but I never knew how to approach it. And you’ll hear it—it’s all over the place, chaotic in a good way. I love it for that.
Brynne: Steven and I worked on it for almost six months on and off because it was so difficult to get right. In my eyes, it’s the most unique thing I’ve ever made. We also have visuals coming out for it—we just shot them yesterday. Elmer is working on them now. The studio shots and the nature scenes we filmed were already beautiful before editing, so I cannot wait for everyone to see the final result.
Alicia: If listeners could take away one message or feeling from this album, what would you want it to be?
Brynne: I want listeners to know that even though there's so much going on, even though you have so many internal struggles… We're good, guys. That did not happen. It’s okay. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Even though you have your own problems, your own fears of growing up and living, and you just don’t know what to do with everything—just know that it’s going to be okay. Because as long as you're trying your best, that’s all that matters.
Brynne: It’s actually part of the spoken word in the album. Between “Fear” and "I'll Figure It Out”—the intro and outro—you hear this little spoken moment that Stephen recorded of me while we were talking about the album. I wanted to tell people, Hey, these are all my fears, my struggles, everything I’m dealing with. But I also wanted to leave it on a sweet note—like, you know what? I have so many problems, both mentally and emotionally, but in the end, it’ll be okay because there’s nothing else for me to do but to try my best to live. I feel like that’s a message a lot of people need to hear sometimes—that as long as you’re trying your best, that’s all you can do. And that’s okay. That’s it.
Alicia: How do you feel now that you're finally sharing these words and emotions with the world?
Brynne: It feels so relieving that I can just write and express myself without worrying, Will this get streams? Will this really matter? Because when you're writing an album, logistically, it’s not a good idea to focus on that. I guess that helped ease the fear of Will people really listen to this? I remember when we finally uploaded everything to my distributor—it was 3 a.m. Stephen and I, along with some other people in a call, were going over the entire album. I remember hitting upload—I even recorded it. I hit upload, took a deep breath, and thought, It’s done. A whole year of What if I made an album? turned into I'm going to make this album, and now... it’s just done. It feels so surreal to finally be able to say, Okay, this is it. I can put a period on the sentence. And just knowing that I could be that vulnerable in expressing myself, without having to worry about what people will think, is so relieving. I really do see music as a way to express myself—like a lot of artists do—but it’s just nice to be able to do so.
Alicia: Do you ever find it hard to express those feelings?
Brynne: Sometimes. There are lyrics and melodies I’ll write out, and then I’ll stare at them for a few minutes and think, Is this too much? Am I getting too personal with it? But then I just tell myself, Whatever. Let’s just put it out. If people like it, they like it. If they don’t, well…
Alicia: I feel like I do the same thing. Sometimes, I randomly post stuff on my story because I write, and I’m used to writing reviews. But then, when I put my own writing out there, I’m like...
Brynne: I’ve seen your writing before, and I think it’s sick. I fully support it.
Alicia: Thank you! No, yeah, it’s so scary. But at the same time, like you said, you kind of just have to do it. Just post it at this point.
Brynne: Exactly! Why wouldn’t you? You don’t really lose anything from just posting things, no matter how personal they are. So it’s like, Okay, let’s just put it out. If people like it, great. If they don’t, I’ll just archive it and move on to the next thing. If this album doesn’t go well, I’ll just take it down—
Brynne: No, I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I’m very proud of this album, and I’m keeping it out.
Alicia: With your debut album coming out, what’s next for you? Any upcoming projects or shows in the works?
Brynne: I have a few shows I’ll be performing at during the summer in LA. Specifically, I’ll be opening for my good friend Zach Panna. I’ll also be performing with my collective, Next World, at The Paramount again with some amazing artists. And in terms of releases... all I’ll say is that at the end of every letter, there’s always a little postscript.
Alicia: Oh, shit. Okay!
Alicia: Do you see your sound evolving in a certain direction after this album?
Brynne: I think it’s only natural that as you progress as an artist, you just learn how to make things sound cleaner, tighten things up. I feel like every time I release something, there’s always an evolution in my sound in some way. I try my best not to stick to just one sound or genre because I get bored quickly. So yeah, I see it evolving into whatever I feel like making that day. Like, You know what? Let’s make a song in a genre I’ve never worked in before and just hope it goes well. I just love experimenting, and I think, naturally, my sound will evolve into... just me being me.
Alicia: Are there any dream collaborations you’d love to make happen in the future?
Brynne: Yeah. I mean, the people I look up to the most—Bixby, Starfall, Jun—I’d love to make music with them if I ever get the chance. But I also have a few friends I just really want to make music with. Shoutout to Hevel, Prime, Owen Aguilar, and Mica Yui. I just want to make stuff with y’all. If you’re ever down, let’s work. I’ve been trying to get some of my friends to work on music, but honestly, I’m not the only artist in school. A lot of us are just passing by each other in class or on call. And by the time we actually get free time, we’d rather just play Fortnite or something—we’re all exhausted. But you know, we’ll get to work when we can. I understand.
Alicia: No, yeah, you mentioned Hevel. I actually interviewed him before.
Brynne: You did?!
Alicia: Yeah, over Zoom—because he doesn’t live in LA, guys. But yeah, he’s crazy talented too.
Brynne: I love Hevel. Such a great person.
Alicia: If you could perform anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Brynne: I think I’d love to perform in the Philippines. Being Filipino-American, it would be nice to go back to my roots for a bit. Even though I don’t speak Tagalog—yeah, that’s a thing. People always ask, Why can’t you speak Tagalog? and I’m like, I’m sorry, I grew up in the U.S.! But it would still be nice to go back because I have a lot of family there, and I’d love to show them what I’ve been working on.
Brynne: Other than that, I love performing in LA because it’s my hometown. Seeing my name on venue posters for the first time with Next World was such a surreal moment. I just stared at it like, Damn, this is really happening. Aside from LA and the Philippines, probably the rest of the U.S. And Canada! I’d love to go to Canada one day. I get cold really easily, so I’d probably struggle, but I’d still love to visit. I have a lot of friends there, and I love them all.
Alicia: What’s one goal you hope to achieve in your music career over the next few years?
Brynne: Just to keep making music that makes me happy. That’s all I really care about. It would be cool if I could live off of music, but even if I can’t, I’m content as long as I’m making what I love. If I lost all my listeners tomorrow, I’d still be happy because I enjoy what I do. That’s what matters to me.
Alicia: That’s a good mindset. I feel like so much of the music industry now is focused on streams, followers, and algorithms. It’s refreshing to hear that perspective.
Brynne: I mean, there’s always going to be a little part of me that wants more streams, more followers. But at my core, if I think back to 2021—when I wasn’t releasing anything and just making terrible lo-fi beats—the thing that kept me going was that I had fun. It was something I enjoyed, something that helped me learn, and something that led me to the people I now call my friends. So as long as I’m happy doing it, I don’t care.
Alicia: What advice would you give to up-and-coming artists trying to find their voice?
Brynne: Just keep making things. The only way to find yourself is by trying things. You’re not going to discover your sound by staying in your comfort zone. Keep releasing. Don’t be scared of what people think. You will get hate comments. There’s always going to be someone dogging on you, but that’s just life. As long as you love what you’re making, that’s all that matters.
Alicia: Have you experienced hate comments?
Brynne: Yeah. Several times.
Alicia: How do you handle that?
Brynne: I just look at them and think, Alright, time to make the next song. Like, what am I supposed to do about it? Not everyone will like my music, and that’s fine. I can’t change their opinion, so... whatever.
Alicia: To close things off, if you could send a message to your future self, what would you say?
Brynne: Dude, you better have your money up. No, I’m kidding. I just hope you’re still enjoying whatever you’re making. That’s it. Just remember why you started.
Alicia: And finally, anything you want to say to your listeners?
Brynne: Please stream the album. Please. I hope you guys enjoy it. It’s been a year of hard work—not just from me, but from the whole team. Steven, Omar, and my manager Kai!
