Former St John XXIII Catholic College Stanhope Gardens pupil Alyssa is a familiar face in the area, from greeting staff in Bunnings Rouse Hill to walking Milo, her beloved King Charles Cavalier, around the park.
The eldest of three girls, Alyssa, 20, credits her success to her loving family, mum Richelle, dad, Adam, and lecturers at JMC Academy, where she is doing a Bachelor of Music.
“I couldn’t have got through it without them all,” she adds. “Being shy, I’ve always found it hard to put myself ‘out there’ and struggled to believe I’d have a career in the music industry.”
Not that she needed to worry; her show-stopping duet of Selena Gomez’s Lose You to Love Me with Voice coach Kate Miller-Heidke sealed her win last weekend, drawing praise from fans across Australia.
Now, with $100k prize money in her pocket, Alyssa is living every young artist’s dream.
About to drop debut single Cruel, on December 5, and hit the road on her first tour, she’s getting a crash course in music industry hustle due to her rapid rise to fame.
Navigating singing with studying, streaming, and strategies around socials and self-promotion, she’s being guided by her JMC “family”, including Performance Coach Ana Kypreo, Vocal Coach Chrissy Moy, and Producer Paul Aiden.
“Singing is the easy bit!” she laughs. “It’s the business side that’s trickier, but JMC has given me a really good foundation. Now, I’m putting into practice what I’ve been learning.
“Paul’s helping me with things like branding, social media strategy, and setting up my artist profiles on Spotify and other streaming platforms – which are a bit of a jungle.”
Producer/songwriter Paul has over two decades in the global music industry, with accolades spanning chart-toppers, over 250 million streams and collaborations with the likes of Ministry of Sound.
He’s confident Alyssa is set for success, saying, “My focus is helping students understand that being a professional musician today means much more than playing or singing. It means owning your process, knowing your market and mobilising your network.”
Alyssa hopes her journey from shy schoolgirl to household name will inspire others to follow their dreams, adding, “Mum got me into singing lessons at ten to bring me out of my shell.
“I’m so grateful now as it made me ‘be me’. Winning The Voice is amazing, but it’s just the start.
“If I can inspire even one shy kid like me to believe in themselves – that’s the real victory.”
