Meet Ali Murphy | Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ali Murphy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ali, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
For me, there wasn’t another option. I knew from a pretty young age that music was what I wanted to pursue. I started taking piano lessons when I was nine, and as I got to high school I just started getting more and more involved in the music program. When it was time to start looking at colleges, there was no question in my mind of what I wanted to go for. Music was it. Now I’m out of school and pursuing my career in music full time. I love what I do and I truly can’t imagine doing anything else.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I’m a musician currently residing in Nashville that loves to perform, write songs, teach, and music direct. I love that I do a little bit of everything; it keeps each day super exciting. Being a musician certainly comes with challenges, but I truly could not imagine doing anything else.

I graduated from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in May 2022 and moved to Nashville in June 2022. It was a little terrifying having to start from scratch in a new city, but slowly started to settle in and find some opportunities in Music City. I started teaching piano and voice lessons in September 2022 and am still doing that. I’ve been gigging around town and am always looking to find new places to perform at. In March of 2023, I had the incredible opportunity to perform at the Bluebird Cafe. To say that was life changing is an understatement. I was singing one of my songs and the entire room started singing along in three-part harmony. It was insane and is a moment I will never forgot.

I am currently getting back in the studio and recording a couple tunes that I plan to release later this year. It’s been way too long since I’ve released music, so I’m super excited to get more of my music out there. I’m also working on some more music direction projects and I’m in the process of writing a musical, which is super exciting!

I absolutely love what I do, but it can definitely get a little messy sometimes when your passion is your job. For me, a lot of my self worth is connected to my abilities and success as a musician. It’s hard to not compare myself to those around me and wonder why I’m not where they are yet. It’s hard for me to internalize that someone else’s success is not my failure. That is something that I’m working on, but I truly believe that 2024 is the year for me to focus on myself and my music and just do what brings me the most joy.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I LOVE East Nashville. Some of my favorite spots are East Nashville Beer Works, UpDown, and Lakeside Lounge. This is where the locals hang out, so if you want to get away from touristy Broadway, go to East! Broadway is of course a Nashville staple, so I would take my friends there for one night, but be prepared for lots of people and super loud music. Another must see is the Country Music Hall of Fame and the National Museum of African American Music. These are both great spots for music lovers! Some of my favorite food spots in town are Pinewood Social and Butchertown Hall. I would also suggest taking a trip down to Franklin, it is such a cute southern town. Lots of cute shops and restaurants!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Over the past 5 years I have become heavily involved with Prima Theatre in Lancaster, PA and I would love to shoutout the entire Prima team. I started as an intern with them in 2019 and have been involved ever since. During my internship, the Prima team came to understand that I had musical knowledge that could be very helpful for their one-of-a-kind projects and decided to make me their go-to music associate. In 2021, they asked me to music direct a show celebrating the music of Queen and Journey. I was honored but also a little bit shocked that they trusted a 21-year-old to direct a project like that. Since then, I’ve directed multiple shows at the theatre and have most recently worked on a project called “Off the Yellow Brick Road,” which takes a modern spin on the story of The Wizard of Oz. I would just love to say a HUGE THANK YOU to the Prima team. Not many people would take a chance on a young girl still in college and trust her to direct a show, so THANK YOU SO MUCH for believing in me and trusting my abilities. I’m so grateful for the amazing opportunities Prima has given me.

Website: https://www.alimurphymusic.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alimurphymusic/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alimurphymusic

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@alimurphymusic