On the heels of her deeply personal singles “Casual” and “The Dog,” Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Alaina May is stepping into a new chapter defined by authenticity, vulnerability, and self-discovery. Throughout our conversation, May reflects on how embracing her identity as a queer woman transformed not only her songwriting, but also her relationship with herself, allowing her music to become an honest reflection of love, loss, identity, and healing rather than stories shaped by outside expectations. Written from a lyrics-first perspective and built around warm acoustic textures, rich harmonies, and intimate storytelling, her songs invite listeners into the messy realities of being human. With “The Dog,” May examines the beauty and danger of loving with unwavering devotion, drawing a poignant comparison between a dog’s unconditional loyalty and the importance of maintaining healthy boundaries in relationships. As she prepares to release her debut EP, she hopes her music reminds listeners that it’s okay to feel deeply, embrace vulnerability, and find comfort in knowing they are never alone in their experiences.
“The Dog” will be out on all streaming platforms on July 13.
Interviewer: For new fans, can you give some insight into who you are as an artist? And a little bit about your journey so far in the industry?
Alaina May: “Totally! I’m a singer and songwriter based in Brooklyn, NY. I’d say my sound toes the line between indie-pop and indie-rock with some folk/americana elements in there as well. I write songs to mend something in myself, but also to make a common ground for so many of these human experiences we face…love, loss, identity, self-awareness, bad habits, things of that nature.
I’ve been making music for as long as I can remember, but I think there’s been a notable shift in my writing and identity as an artist over the past 2 or so years. I just released my first single, “Casual,” last month, and am finishing up a forthcoming EP that reflects on these messy, chaotic, beautiful human-isms I’ve been bearing witness to over these past few formative years of my life. I’m so stoked for this music to be out in the world!“
Interviewer: How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard your music without using genre labels?
Alaina May: “Analog, acoustic-first, lyrics-driven, warmth … In practice, I’m a lyrics-first writer, so all of my songs start with a word or phrase that is stuck in my teeth. I write the lyrics, typically 2 verses, a chorus, and the occasional punchy bridge, and then sit down with an acoustic guitar or keyboard, and a mission to build a sonic home that does these lyrics justice. But it all starts with a word or two, and an acoustic guitar/keys. I think this process gives my sound an analog texture and feel; I want all of my music to feel like it was written in a familiar room, amongst friends, from the heart. Even post-production, I like to think that this dynamic can still be felt. Warm guitars, old pianos, rich vocals and harmonies, things of that nature.“
Interviewer: How has embracing your identity as a queer woman changed the way you approach songwriting?
Alaina May: “There is so much I could say on this, but I think the essence of it is that, as I’ve morphed and changed as a human, writing has become less of a task and more of a reflex. I think the past 2-3 years is when I’ve really found my voice as a writer and an artist, and I think that is largely a function of this self-discovery. Prior to this, I was sort of separating from myself when I would go to write; I was the third person observing and narrating the stories that I thought people would want to hear. Now, when I write, I step into myself.
I’m not digging for riveting stories, I’m rather pouring out a little bit of my brain on the page…speaking to the things that I feel and witness and experience…and hoping that other people resonate with this outpouring. I’m not playing a part, but just paying homage to the joys and trials and thoughts I’m existing within. I feel closest to the core of my being in this space.”
Interviewer: Has writing music helped you separate your authentic self from the expectations you grew up with?
Alaina May: “Oh of course. I sort of touched on this in the last question, but it’s just night and day with how I approached songwriting in these two periods of my life. It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation… I’m not quite sure whether the writing helped me to step into my authentic self, or that personal shift inspired the writing, or maybe both? I think both…in a way, my journey as a human and my songwriting are one and the same. I am my songs, my songs are me, yada yada yada.
I do believe that though; as writing has increasingly become such a core part of who I am, it naturally has taken on authenticity and is coming from a place of my authentic self, rather than the person I felt that I had to be growing up. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but yes, it has definitely 100% helped me separate from those former expectations.”
Interviewer: Have you found songwriting to be a form of healing or reconciliation with your past?
Alaina May: “Who I was, and the journey to who I am now, is a huge piece of how I view the world around me, and naturally, that informs my songwriting. It’s like I said before, writing is the space in which I feel closest to the epicenter of my being, and that includes the person I was in the past, the person I am now, and the person I’m still becoming. Writing is definitely a space where I reconcile with that version of myself. In terms of the healing power of writing, I don’t think that writing necessarily fixes anything, but it is a vessel in which to put the big, heavy things.
It helps me understand experiences and interactions better. It helps me understand myself better. It has helped me understand my journey and the person that I want to be better. Sometimes I’ll finish a song and realize that it was the processing of something I hadn’t even acknowledged. It’s medicinal for sure. We are all just on this perpetual journey of finding ourselves and songwriting has been instrumental in that journey for me.”
Interviewer: “The Dog” explores loving like a dog; can you elaborate on that feeling of affection that is both beautiful and perilous?
Alaina May: “I’ve historically felt maybe a little bit broken in the way I love people and things. I’ve always tended to love with this really intense loyalty and devotion, often to the point where I lose pieces of myself in the heat of it all. Dogs have this beautiful, unconditional way of loving…they don’t keep score. They are sort of one-track-minded.
There’s something so precious and pure in that love, but also, dogs aren’t humans…they don’t have the complexity of the human psyche that we all exist in, they aren’t wired to have to love despite human nature and everything happening around us and to us. The way in which humans love requires devotion, yes, but also and equally as importantly, boundaries and self-awareness and space for oneself to exist and grow and be. I think “The Dog” sits in the space of wrestling with that part of myself…and gaining the self-awareness that loving so blindly and without boundaries is not healthy.”
Interviewer: If listeners could take away one feeling after hearing “The Dog,” what would you hope it is?
Alaina May: “After hearing “The Dog,” I hope that listeners feel less alone in the loudness with which they love others. I’ve been in a place of embarrassment or shame for feeling ‘too much’ or caring ‘too deeply’, especially in a cultural moment that often celebrates and glorifies detachment. I hope this track encourages folks to embrace that tenderness, while also tending to our own needs and wellbeing in the context of. relationships, romantic and platonic. It’s really cool to care a lot (and also to give ourselves that same care)!“
Interviewer: Do you have a message for fans who have supported you throughout this journey?
Alaina May: “Just thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you a billion times for listening to Casual and The Dog and the songs to come. It means more than I can say…there is something so special and intimate about putting art out into the ether, and it truly means everything that folks out there are listening to it and digesting it and relating to it and sharing it. I know this is all cliché, but I’m just so damn grateful!”
Interviewer: What’s next for you after “The Dog”?
Alaina May: “I’m so glad you ask…I’ve been working on an EP for the better part of the last year and it’s just about done. This body of work is something I am so excited to share, it really is a labor of love and a collection of thoughts and experiences from the recent years that fill a space really close to my heart. While we don’t have a date picked out just yet, it will be yours very soon...”
Interviewer: If listeners remember just one thing about Alaina May after hearing your music, what do you hope it is?
Alaina May: “Hmmm, I suppose I hope it’s just that they felt something real and something human. I’m not trying to have the answers figured out in these songs…I’m just trying to be really candid and honest about what it feels like to be a person navigating love, identity, heartbreak, joy, and all the messy human things. These songs are just my two cents on the chaos of it all. If someone walks away feeling a little more understood, or a little more willing to embrace the parts of themselves they’ve been reluctant about, that would really mean everything to me.”
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