Meet Bossi | Singer, Songwriter and Advocate for the Arts

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

Hi Bossi, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I have always been an artist. I grew up on piano & voice lessons, dance classes, painting and school plays. Some of my earliest memories in life are of holding choir practice in my closet with my stuffed animals and sitting on the organ bench next to my grandmother as she led the church in song every Sunday. I was fascinated by, and in love with creativity; this magical ability that some have to imagine something new into existence.

I studied theater at Northwestern University and after moving to New York transitioned to becoming a Singer / Songwriter. But like many artists, after a few years I had a crisis of faith, realizing how difficult it was to sustain a life as an artist. So I transitioned and built a career in hospitality. This new career path led me to leading marketing & cultural programming for top restaurants, hotel brands and commercial real-estate companies. Yet, even in these roles, I always gravitated towards the arts. I was constantly scheming and finding ways to incorporate artists into everything I proposed, how to showcase them more often, support them and bring them into every space I found myself in.

And then life threw me a curve ball. One year after marrying the love of my life and feeling like life was just getting started, I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 32 and again at 34. Nothing clarifies your life and values like having to face your own mortality. As I sat across from doctors and heard the words, “You have cancer,” two thoughts immediately entered my mind. The fist was that I wasn’t ready to go, I hadn’t made enough art yet. The second was that I wasn’t ready to go, I hadn’t done enough to help others yet. And so, it was clear to me that I had some unfinished business in this life, that I still had something to say as an artist and that the values that meant the most to me were expressing creativity and serving others. Once I had this realization I knew that I could either choose to reorient my life in a way that maximized those values, or I could choose to ignore them and always have a part of me remain unfulfilled. Ultimately, I chose to take the leap, return fully to my artist career and also to build a platform to support other artists along the way. It was incredibly frightening to take that leap and leave a secure job. But I had learned first hand that life is far too short, and hopefully far too long, not to pursue what truly sets our spirit on fire.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
First and foremost I am a singer, songwriter and poet. My songs often explore themes of self-empowerment, finding your inner voice and using it to speak up for creating a more equitable world. My recent EP, Run with Lions, features 5 songs, each of which is a chapter in my own story of becoming Bossi. Waterfall is Chapter 1, about falling in love with my husband whose last name is Bossi (and that name was just too good not to reclaim for women everywhere)! Run with Lions is chapter 2, about fighting two battles with breast cancer which ignited my warrior spirit and showed me the strength of my will. Rule the World is Chapter 3, about coming out of that dark time, processing the trauma, reassessing life and making the decision to live the rest of mine with more courage and intention. And finally Talking 2 You and Honey are chapters 4 and 5, about using my voice to speak up for a better world. Much of my merchandise was also created to inspire change and support causes I care deeply about; from The Ukraine T-shirt, whose profits benefit Ukrainian refugees, The Uterus Shirt whose profits support Planned Parenthood, to The Artist Tees that support my efforts at House of Bossi.

Which brings me to the second half of what I consider my work and my purpose to be: the creation of House of Bossi, a platform I started out of my home to support the arts through residency programs, concert series, workshops, creation spaces and community events that foster connectivity. One of our upcoming residencies will bring visual artist and poet Halim Flowers, formerly incarcerated for 22 years, onsite for one month. Halim is an extraordinary example of the power the arts hold to not only transform the life of the artist, but to push culture forward, speak truth to power and challenge how we have been conditioned to think.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My in-laws recently visited us from Italy and we spent a week showing them some of our favorite parts of the city and of course many of the most iconic spots that LA is known for. Highlights included the Griffith Observatory, Warner Brothers Studios, dinner at Bavel, lunch at Roberta’s (which always serves their red wines by the glass at an appropriately chilled temp…something I highly, highly appreciate) shopping at The Good Liver and Platform in Culver City, visiting the local distillery The Spirit Guild and of course walking the beach in Malibu. Los Angeles is a unique and often hard-to-grasp sprawl that combines big city culture with access to incredible natural landscapes, so we always try to show our guests a mix of both.

We also hosted a concert night at House of Bossi to give them a glimpse into the incredible talent and generous people that live in this wonderful city!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people in my life that deserve shoutouts for supporting me along the way. My grandma and parents for igniting and fostering my love of the arts. All of the generous patrons who support our work at House of Bossi. Friends, fans and other artists that keep me inspired and remind me of the impact that art can have on a life, on a community, on a country, on the world.

But my deepest, most heartfelt shoutout goes to my husband, Nico. I cannot overstate how much he does every single moment of every single day to breathe life into my passions and into my becoming my most powerful and Bossi self. First, for reminding me of my gifts as an artist and pushing me to invest in cultivating them. Second, for always inspiring me to think bigger, to do more, to express more freely. Third, for showing me what living a generous life looks like. He is constantly serving others and House of Bossi is as much an extension of him as it is of me. Fourth, for always telling me the truth even when it’s hard to hear. And finally, for doing all of the unglamorous things that make being an artist possible. There is no job too big or too small for him to take on if it empowers my mission. He is my coconspirator, my manager, my muse, my rock. I have become a better version of myself since knowing him and everything that we encounter in this life is taken on in the spirit of true partnership.

Website: https://www.iambossi.com/

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/iambossi

Other: https://www.iambossi.com/house-of-bossi https://www.iambossi.com/store

Image Credits
Bossi headshot taken by Amber Waller Bossi Live at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame taken by Earl Richardson Bossi and her band, black & white and performing live by Taylor McWhorter