Alaina Nelson ~ Old School Memories

• Posted on July 6, 2009 at 6:45 am

Elementary school… those were the good ol’ days.  Gotwals Elementary school to be exact, Norristown, PA, USA.

I guess it was about 20 years ago, maybe even a bit more, when I first heard the melodic tunes that were actually the vocals of, what I  (at age 7 or 8) imagined could possibly have been “The Next Mariah Carey.”  In my opinion, then & now, Alaina Nelson will ALWAYS be an idol of mine. 

Being that she was a couple of years older than me, she was like a model “older cousin that you admire so much as a child.”  Although I never thought my voice would EVER be as good as Mariah Carey or Alaina Nelson, for that matter, as a child I dreamed that one day, I would have that powerful confidence behind my singing voice as they both did. 

Some good times out on the playground at recess. Girls jumpin double dutch or playin’chinese jump rope  Boys, climbing the “Big Cheese” or shootin’ hoops. Kids being kids, of course.  A few of us choosing to spend our time at recess singing together.  We would sing just about anything Singing popular songs from the radio by Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston,  TLC, Envogue, and more…  These were the years were I got my first taste of hip-hop & rap music.  A little Public Enemy, NWA, 2Pac, LL, Young M.C. etc…  I was in heaven!  New songs, new artists, a way to broaden my muscial horizons!

 Growing up I was fed mostly Disney tunes & church hymns.  I want to thank Alaina for being such a positive musical  influence in my life as I’m sure she has been in many people’s life.  Her voice brought me encouragement when I was young.  Now, as an adult, I can feel her style of music and still admire her confidence and eagerness to fulfil her lifelong dream to be and artist and creatively configure musical treats for the world to enjoy! 

Alaina Nelson ~

“In a day and age where true artistry is rarely demonstrated and even less likely to be celebrated, Philadelphia based singer/songwriter Alaina Nelson claws her way to center stage…ready, willing and fully capable of defying the odds. A self-proclaimed ‘artsy artist,’ her sugary, story-telling soprano grabs you by the hand and beelines straight to the left. Perhaps a sub-conscious, yet brazen attempt to distract you from her commercial appearance…or just maybe, a mere glimpse into the gray area that is her world.

The daughter of a local icon, singer/musician Dave “Sonny” Nelson, Alaina was often the only child present at his band rehearsals. Tucked away in a corner, her eyes open wide with fascination; it was there that the adoration she held for her father sparked her love affair with music. Even further defining Alaina was her upbringing as a child of African-American, Irish, German, and Native American descent in a rough, urban neighborhood on the outskirts of Philadelphia. This instilled a survivability instinct within her that would later become evident in the lyrics she would write and the passion with which she would sing…

At the tender age of five, she began cultivating her musical roots via training in piano and musical theatre, and it quickly became apparent that she had been blessed with a beautiful gift…a powerful, luminous, and undeniable voice. Alaina’s focus then shifted toward industry icons like Stevie Wonder, Teena Marie, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey; with whom she was strongly impressed by their vocal delivery, writing and performances. Relentless in her pursuit, Alaina landed several noticeable exposure opportunities over the next few years including an impromptu performance during a taping of Showtime @ The Apollo, Trump Marina and The Sounds of Philadelphia in Atlantic City,  The Taste of Philadelphia and several events promoting the campaign for President Barack Obama.   

Alaina’s musical journey has inspired her to travel up and down the east coast, performing, writing and entertaining as much as she possibly can. Currently she is the lead female singer for PopDotSoul, a popular wedding band in the Tri-State area. She is also signed to Pinnacle Music Group as a recording artist and songwriter and is working on her debut album tentatively scheduled for release early 2010.

Alaina describes herself as “that quirky-silly-sing-songy-love to pick up a pencil and write a little something-proud mixty-touchy-feely-insomniac chick you might think you know a little something about. But you probably don’t…”  ~ I can definitely relate to that… Tiffi

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AlainaNelson.com

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