Ré Alissa has an alluring voice that grabs the attention of anyone who listens. This rising star from Chicago has had a passion for music since she was very young but only started pursuing it as a career after the loss of her mother. Ré Alissa caught the attention of the late Juice Wrld and music legends such as Babyface, Toni Braxton, and Bootsy Collins. She is exactly what the R&B scene has been needing. Get ready for songs filled with emotion and about all the ups and downs of life, everyone can relate to. Her EP, 'Rétrospect', draws on the heartstrings of listeners and is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Her title track “Secret” is a classic R&B song with incredible chill vibes that lets you relax. Ré Alissa’s voice is smooth and easy to listen to, someone you could listen to all day long and not get tired of. The melody is almost haunting and mystical and draws you into something of a trance while listening. Tamar Mitchell’s voice is incredibly complementary to Ré Alissa’s and it adds depth to the melody. The lyrics depict what it’s like to finally find somebody who you think might be the one and want to keep them “secret”, all to yourself. If you’re looking for a mellow song that will put you in your feels, this is one to add to your library.
Listen to "Secret" here.
How did Juice Wrld first hear you and how did that feel for your talents to be recognized by someone like him?
I did a cover/rendition of his song Lucid Dreams and just kind of posted it on all my social media (as I always do!) Then a few months later I woke up one morning and my Twitter was blowing up. He had quoted/retweeted my cover of his song and it got up to like 100K views. Eventually, Universal Music Group flagged my cover for copyright which is actually why my Twitter is suspended right now. JuiceWrld is one of my favorite artists so that had me on a high literally for the entire year of 2019. I’ve always felt so connected to him. The studio that I recorded most of my EP is where he recorded ‘Goodbye & Good Riddance’. To be recognized by him was everything to me. It gave me a lot of validation as well.
Off of your new EP “Retrospect” which song was the most difficult to write? Which was the easiest?
The most difficult song to write was probably Can’t Get Over You (C.G.O.Y). The lyrics are a direct reflection of things I’ve felt since the end of a situation I went through. I was being very vulnerable and honest with the feelings I was expressing. The easiest song to write was my song Reminisce because I actually never wrote it at all! It was a freestyle that I did in the studio and ended up being one of my highest-streaming songs.
You collaborated with Tamar Mitchell on this record, tell us about what that was like. Is there anyone who you’d like to collaborate with in the future?
Tamar is actually my brother! So we had a lot of fun working on the song Secret. We did the whole thing in about 2 hours and it’s the song from the EP that everyone loves. There are so many artists I’d love to collaborate with in the future— like H.E.R, Drake, Young M.A, etc. However, most of the artists that I want to collaborate with the most have already passed away.
What part of being an independent artist excites you the most?
Probably the whole aspect of not really knowing what’s in store for me! I feel like I’m just getting started on my journey as an independent artist but there are so many people that believe in me— some people and celebrities that I didn’t even know I existed. So I guess it’s the knowledge that my entire life can be changed at any moment. I never know when that moment will be, so I just keep going hard regardless!
What's next for you?
This year is all about branding myself and putting myself on a map. I want to have quality and consistent content that people can actually visit and be like “hey, check out this R&B artist I found! I love her music.” Rather than just “I found this girl who sings on Instagram! She has a great voice” if that makes sense. It’s all about branding myself as an artist. I want people to familiar with me and my sound and my name. I’m so confident in myself and I love my music. I know there are so many people out there who will love it as much as I do!