Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Serena Rae of Atlanta

We recently had the chance to connect with Serena Rae and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Serena, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do you think is misunderstood about your business? 
Many misconceptions exist about being an independent artist. Many times people don’t understand how much work goes into releasing a song or performing at a show, not to mention completing things on the back end. Although it is a lot of work, I would not trade it for anything. There are pros and cons to everything, but I love that i have the ability to control my image and release music how I want and when I want to. It’s a true blessing and makes the hard work worth it!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Serena Rae, and I am an independent singer/songwriter. I have been writing and playing music since I was a kid, and started performing and releasing music professionally at 18. I have played at various venues around the Southeast, mostly in the Atlanta area. I have released countless singles, EPs, and 2 albums since 2018. I have been releasing a song a month since January, and I am set to release my sophomore album later this year.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I would say this relates more to when I was in high school, but when it came time to decide whether I would pursue college directly out of high school, I wanted to pursue being an independent artist instead. I felt pressure from some people and struggled with whether or not I should pursue music as a career. I decided that I was going to defer going to school and do what I felt led to do. I spent 4 years releasing songs and performing, and then the pandemic hit. If I had decided to go straight to college and not pursue music, by the time I graduated, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I had done for the past 4 years. I no longer feel the same pressure I did back then, because I know I made the right decision. So, for anyone unsure about stepping outside the box and pursuing something, go for it!

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I think suffering always teaches more than success. When I first started in the business, I always felt sucess was defined by how much money you made or how many views/streams you got. The longer I am in the business, the more I realize it’s just about sharing your gift with the world. Through that, there are ups and there are downs, and sometimes through the suffering comes greater art than success.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
I think the music industry pushes the narrative that co-written songs are better than music written by one person. I don’t think that’s true. Back in the day, artists like Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks wrote incredible music, and it was almost always only them writing it. If you look at modern-day independent artists, most of them are writing their music solo, and their songs are, in my opinion, consistently better than those that are manufactured by the labels. I also think there are so many artists out there creating incredible art that doesn’t get as many views or streams. I don’t think those things should be what defines a great artist; it should be the art itself.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What will you regret not doing? 
My mentality is, I would rather “fail” at doing something than regret not doing it at all. This is why I try to take every opportunity, big or small. I don’t think you ever fail; you just learn a lesson to take with you to your next opportunity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://serenaraemusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serenaraemusic
• Twitter: https://x.com/serenaraemusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/serenaraemusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChNphQYUWA3Qqd-1ZPzhBCA?view_as=subscriber
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-438337383
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4S5i1YFUxdqqDrogeD1aIf

Image Credits
Serena Rae