Ally Cribb has lived before on this planet. Despite being only 18, her voice is resonant and soulful. Ally has been exposed to a rich and diverse musical scene in Toronto, Canada, but she believes that creativity and imagination are universal and can be developed anywhere. Music was something she had always understood. She inherited it from her father, who is also a musician and a writer. When Ally started taking singing lessons at the age of eight, she never looked back because she had a natural talent for artistic expression and a knack for turning emotions into sounds.
Ally Cribb is a natural empath, and her experiences have helped her write songs with sensitivity and resonance. Like her musical role models Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves, Joni Mitchell, and Ella Fitzgerald, she sings songs that demand to be felt. Over 200,000 people have viewed her debut song, “Creep,” a cover of the Radiohead song that has undergone radical transformation. With the gravitas of the piano replacing the guitars, she gives the song fresh dimensions of pliability and tenacity.
Unbroken, her self-released debut EP, is a remarkably exposed work. It’s a story of surviving after her mother unexpectedly passed away, using music as an escape from the suffocating grief that comes after. The seven original songs are skillfully crafted ballads that let her voice stand out sharply against understated instrumentals. She pays homage to the traditional folk and country sonic motifs while incorporating pop and jazz undertones to make each song as arresting as the last. Unbroken is most notable for Ally Cribb’s masterful storytelling, which is similar to that of Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves in that she is not ashamed of feeling; rather, she feels everything with pride. Her reward is wisdom. Ally Cribb is receiving recognition despite her age. Since the release of “Creep” and “Bigger,” her music has received over 300,000 streams and received praise from publications like Plastic Magazine and Lefuturewave. Additionally, Canadian broadcasting legend Alan Cross and Runrig lead vocalist Bruce Guthro have endorsed her music. Check out her debut EP Unbroken and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how you got started?
ALLY CRIBB: I’m eighteen years old, and I’m born and raised in Canada. Although I was born in Toronto, Ontario, I spent a lot of time as a child in my dad’s hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia which has a really unique and ridiculously talented music scene. I would definitely say I’ve been heavily influenced by the music scene on Canada’s east coast. It draws in Celtic and country influences that I find hauntingly beautiful and authentic. There are a couple of songs on the EP – Halifax Time and End of August – that reflect that east coast musical influence.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
ALLY CRIBB: I started taking vocal lessons with Paula Griffith, an incredible vocal coach in Toronto, shortly after I turned eight. Around the same time I started taking piano lessons as well. It took me some time, but I was eventually able to combine the two and accompany myself. I played and sang for the first time at an annual recital when I was twelve years old. My dad helped me a lot. He’s always been a big musical influence for me, especially when it comes to songwriting and musical creativity.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘ALLY CRIBB’?
ALLY CRIBB: Definitely singer/songwriters like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Taylor Swift. Since I was a little girl I’ve wanted to be able to write songs like them and to stand on a stage hearing thousands of people singing the words to my songs. I am also a huge fan of east coast singer/songwriters including Stan Rogers, The Rankin Family, Joel Plaskett and Matt Mayes. Ally Cribb is just my first and last name.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
ALLY CRIBB: I’d say one thing that sets me apart from other artists is my ability to write my own music. I place a lot of importance on lyricism and the quality of the lyrics I write. All of my influences and the artists I grew up listening to are all well-known for their incredible songwriting craftsmanship, so I think that definitely shaped the way I write songs today and who I’ve grown to be as an artist.
ALLY CRIBB:
I definitely think a lot of who I am today comes from studying the styles and work of some of the artists I’ve mentioned. I think I’m still learning about my own voice and where I will land as an artist.
6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?
ALLY CRIBB:
I write what I see and feel. Whenever I’m going through something significant in my life, I turn to my piano or guitar and start sorting through feelings of confusion, frustration or wonder and finding the words and music to give them expression. Everything I do is inspired by personal experiences. The hope is that the writing I do has resonance with others who see and feel the same things.
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
ALLY CRIBB:
I’d definitely say it has been very fulfilling watching my music inspire my own friends and family, and that’s all I can really ask for. One thing I’ve always thought to myself is that if I’m able to make music that somehow inspires at least one person, or if I am able to create that one song that someone clings to during periods of adversity or hardship or joy, then I’m doing what I set out to do.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
ALLY CRIBB: One reason I love songwriting so much is because the creative process unfolds differently every time. Sometimes I start with music. I’ll stumble upon a chord progression I love or strum my guitar until a melody pops into my head that I really love. Other times, a lyric will pop into my head and I’ll immediately grab a napkin and a pen and write it down. I have a list of lyrics on my phone that’ll come to me in the middle of the day (most of the time when I’m in class). It’s so funny how the creative process works. There are days I’ll clear an afternoon in the hopes of writing a song or finishing up a couple of rough drafts, but nothing will come. I’ll just be staring at the piano for hours, unable to think of anything at all. And then there are days I’ll be sitting in the classroom, writing a test, and an idea I love will pop into my head and I know I need to write it down immediately or I’ll forget it. No two songs are written the exact same way, and you never know when creativity is going to strike. My dad is a musician with whom I would practice and play music growing up. I think in many ways, he influenced the way I write songs today and the attention I pay to detail in lyricism.
9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
ALLY CRIBB: The songs for Unbroken spilled out onto the pages of notebooks, scraps of paper and screens over the past couple of years. It has been a time of intense challenge and inspiration in my life including the sudden loss of my mom while spending my high school years largely isolated by the pandemic. Throughout it all, I’ve tried to find myself through this music. This creative process has been the one constant in my life. I hope this record can offer some glints of compassion, hope and resilience to anyone who needs them as much as I have.
10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
ALLY CRIBB: I think I’ll always remember the day my EP was released very vividly. It was one of my proudest moments in my life, not only as an artist, but as a person. I watched this project that we had been working so hard on for the past two years of our lives, through the COVID-19 pandemic and other unexpected tragedies, finally be released into the world. I felt proud knowing that all the time and effort we had poured into the project had finally paid off, and now these songs are available for anyone to listen to at any time. Unbroken’s release marked the beginning of my journey as a singer/songwriter, and was a moment I had dreamt of since I was a little girl.
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