A breath taken in, the clutch of a microphone, and the song begins. Alina Adams has been singing since the age of six. Following the support she has from her family and friends, she is beginning to take her opportunities and resources seriously.

“My dad, who is actually a music producer, would have me and my sister sing in the studio, just for fun most of the time, because we would have to go to work with him,” Adams said. “My sister is six years older than me and was already into singing and songwriting. My parents threw me into it because it was a family thing.”

Adams’ music career began during the holiday season over a decade ago when she performed a Christmas rap on stage at Fremont Street. 

“I’ve never actually performed in front of people like that before,” Adams said. “It made me realize that if I actually want to do this as a career I’m gonna have to be able to sing in front of people.”

Earlier this year, Adams hesitated to release her past works and was “actually really surprised” that she “wasn’t hated on.” After receiving internet support from both friends and strangers, she was influenced to share her songs beyond her Notes app. Adams’ single, “For Me,” released in October, garnered success with over twenty-one thousand streams.

“I had a five-song EP that came out in May, but I did not do a very good job of promoting it, so no one actually listened to it,” Adams said. “It was obviously nerve-wracking but I knew that if I don’t release music, I will not get comfortable with performing in front of an audience.”

Though her voice is her number one instrument, Adams prefers to play the acoustic guitar simultaneously to portray the emotions she can’t form in words. 

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“When it comes to writing songs, it just comes when I’m feeling super emotional about something or I have a lot on my mind,” Adams said. “I’ll usually sit down and try to write a song. I just have a pretty decent basis on the guitar. I’ll usually just start laying down chords that feel right. It’s not a very planned sort of thing.”

Adams will stop to create music anywhere and at any time, even in the most obscure of locations.

“I’ll be on like an airplane, and suddenly I hear this song and start writing in my notes manically,” Adams said. “While I’m singing, people probably say, ‘Shut up.’ But it very much comes out when it does—I can’t force a song to happen. If I try, it ends up being horrible. I have probably scrapped 100 songs, maybe more.”

In her ideal reality, Adams would want a singer-songwriter career or even a solo artist performing and doing world tours.

“Obviously, that’s very far-fetched, but that’s the dream,” Adams said. “I’m planning on going to Belmont University or University of Colorado-Denver. I can, in the future, song-write and produce for other people.”

Adams’ music career is on the rise, and if you haven’t been a fan before, her latest song might change your mind. 

“I released my new single over winter break. This new song is very different than anything else I’ve done. It’s like pop,” Adams said. “I was trying to emulate more Nessa Barrett and a grungy Olivia Rodrigo because I listen to that kind of music. I do not like to listen to the kind of music that I make. And I want to make something that I would actually put on and be like, ‘I want to listen to this.’”

Adams’ sister, Gianna Adams, is a Top 10 Billboard Albums songwriter. Gianna often writes songs and attends Alina’s performances in support.

“Working with my sister is the best thing in the world. We get to write together, and she’s constantly inspiring me, so it’s amazing,” Gianna Adams said. “Music helps us bond a lot because it’s a shared passion we both have that we get to bounce off of each-other and grow constantly. It’s a special thing we share, and she’s one of the best writers I’ve ever seen so it’s really cool getting to collaborate and share a brain sometimes.”