Meet Sierra Cornell | Songwriter

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

Hi Sierra, what role has risk played in your life or career?
As a songwriter, risk is an essential part of the job. Whether it’s releasing music, performing, or working with other people, there’s always the chance someone won’t like what you’re doing. It’s scary because songs can feel like a part of you, and then criticism feels personal. However, you’ll never see any rewards if you keep your music to yourself. Taking that risk every day is necessary.

I always try to follow risk. If it scares me, it scares me for a reason and that means it’s probably important. If it’s not scary, you probably don’t care about it all that much. For example, I have no attachment to being a rocket scientist, so that career doesn’t scare me in the slightest. Releasing my music into the world? Terrifying! I knew I had to pursue music because it was the only career that really scared me.

Risk is highly motivating. That feeling of “I have to make this work” pushes you to do things you never would’ve done before. It’s liberating to realize you can do something you thought you couldn’t. Or when something you thought would be hard is actually easy. I have found it’s usually our thoughts around something that are the most scary, not the actual thing itself.

Nobody has ever grown sticking to their comfort zone, especially in the music industry when there are few rules and a million paths to take. Risk is our most helpful guide. My advice? Follow risk and learn to trust yourself enough to make the most of any situation.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a pop and R&B songwriter with a folk background and a love for lyrics. I love helping artists tell their stories in new and interesting ways. Discovering the root of an emotion or experience, and then figuring out how to convey this through song is like putting the pieces of a puzzle together.

I love exploring unusual topics and I’m very lyric driven. I believe everyone feels the same emotions, yet each story behind them is different. Finding the balance between originality and universality is always a fun challenge.

Everyone is on their own journey in life, especially the music industry. There’s no “right” way to do anything and regardless of how smart you play it, there will always be challenges. One of my favorite songs that I’ve written is called “Right Where I’m Supposed to Be.” I wrote it in a time of uncertainty, yet confidence that all the bumps on my road were integral parts of my path. Even if it doesn’t feel like it, you’re always right where you’re supposed to be.

Two transformational books I’ve read are The Artist’s Way and the War of Art. They taught me so much about creativity, where it comes from and how to harness it. I have a much more productive and healthy relationship with music since reading these books.

I’m excited to see the artist’s I’ve been working with grow and develop incredible careers. I’m also excited to launch my own artist project in the coming year. I’ve been experimenting with a lot of different sounds and styles and although I’m still discovering my identity as an artist, I’m excited for the future.

I’m also excited to launch my own songwriting academy! I got a Bachelor’s degree in Songwriting and noticed how many of my peers dropped out because it was too expensive, or they figured they’d be better off just heading straight to LA. There are tons of people who want songwriting education and mentorship, but can’t pay or don’t see the value in a four year degree. I’m here to provide that! Over the course of eight weeks I’ll teach you *literally* everything I know about songwriting and the music industry. I’m excited to create a community of likeminded songwriters and launch this program.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Every day would start off with coffee from Intelligentisa in Silverlake! Hands down the best coffee I’ve found. Dulce is a close second for coffee – I love their Little Tokyo location . Then a morning walk through Elysian Park and an afternoon pottery class downtown at Still Life Studio in the Art’s District. Lunch would be at Urth Cafe or Smorgasburg at The Row if it’s Sunday. Then over to explore Koreatown and finish up with dinner at Dan Sung Sa. I also love Santa Monica and Venice so we’d spend a few days there too.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
To my parents who have always encouraged me to pursue music, even when I wasn’t so sure myself. To my boyfriend who helped me to leap into the unknown. To all my teachers and every songwriter I have learned from.

Website: www.sierracornell.com

Instagram: @las_sierras_

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sierracornell

Youtube: Songwriting with Sierra

Other: TikTok: @sierracornellmusic