Meet Almamy | Singer, Recording Artist & Creative Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Almamy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Almamy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

Early on in my career, I wasn’t even remotely interested in signing directly to a record company, I just wanted to chart my own course and have complete control over my work. So, by the time I was ready to release music, it was a no-brainer for me to start my label, ModyWorks. It really was nothing more than just an outlet to put my records out at first, but then it quickly grew into an actual company when I started to sign artists a year after the label’s launch, mostly records I loved by friends.

There are a lot of things in my industry that could be vastly improved, and I realized after while that I can actually make a difference, in my own small way, by continuously building the kind of business I’d like to see. Entrepreneurship truly gives you that chance to fulfill your vision, shape the industry you’re a part of, and write its future instead of having it dictated to you. I get to use the freedom I granted myself to explore wild ideas and ways of doing things that may not have existed before, and as a result, maybe add something new to my industry by betting on my tastes. So far, it’s been a hugely fulfilling voyage of discovery.

Alright, so for our readers who might not be familiar with ModyWorks, can you tell us more about it?

Well, being artist-owned makes ModyWorks a point of view, first and foremost, and hopefully a haven for artists to explore their limitless visions and most experimental sides, regardless of genre or medium. Although the label always leaned towards electronic music, it has very much broadened its scope to champion the whole avant-garde gamut, from composers to noise, to sound art, and everything in between. But it’s what an artist uniquely brings to a genre, and where they take it, that matters.

Over the years, ModyWorks naturally evolved into film, publishing, art and technology. So, today it’s a multidisciplinary studio rather than just a record label, as we’re involved in these other creative fields. The thing is, as I grow as an artist, so does ModyWorks. Everything I’m interested in eventually finds its way to it. Ultimately, it’s all the same to me, it’s about supporting singular voices and putting great art out into the world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

I’d first take them on a morning hike up to Griffith Observatory, as you have to see LA from up there to truly grasp how sprawling the city is. It’s breathtaking! From there, you also have a pretty awesome view of the Hollywood sign, a cultural icon anyone coming to Los Angeles for the first time wants to see. Then, we’d hit some more trails before trekking back down to Los Feliz. As one tends to get hungry after a hike, I’d take them to Le Figaro, which is an amazing French bistrot on Vermont. And after a good breakfast there, we’d swing by Skylight Books, an independent bookshop next door.

Later in the day, I’d take them to Olvera Street, in Downtown LA, which is the actual birthplace of Los Angeles. It’s quite special over there. I’d show them La Placita, the first church built in LA, back when California was part of the Spanish Empire. Then, we’d go to Union Station, it’s such a beautiful Art Déco meets Spanish style building. For a late lunch, I’d take them to Grand Central Market, as you can’t go to Downtown LA without a stop there. The food is too good!

And to gloriously end the day, we’d head to Malibu for one of those magical orange and pink sunsets Southern California is known for, and a bonfire on the beach later in the evening with more friends.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

Adam Cuthbert and Daniel Rhode, the founders of slashsound, which is fantastic label representing forward-thinking composers, electronic musicians and visual artists. I love the idiosyncratic way they run and curate slashsound. The music on it is just brilliant, and so are the artists. They have M.O.T.H, Phong Tran, Adam Holmes and various projects and aliases by both Adam and Daniel, like RETCON, kuuma and I-R.

Website: https://modyworks.com/almamy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/almamy__/

Other: https://modyworks.com/

Image Credits
Lisa Noreaga, Izar Khan and Sam Fuller