Senior Meena Alvi was sitting at her windowsill during the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak when she was inspired to write her first song, “Make it Rain.” From there, Alvi has featured her singing talent in two more original songs as well as multiple covers.
When Alvi began writing songs at age fourteen, most of her work stemmed from her isolation during the pandemic, which allowed her to dedicate time into her songwriting. “I remember I was trying to find a way to lift people up during lockdown, and I wanted to channel my feelings into a relatable song,” she explained.
Support from her family, a singing coach, and even writers in Nashville helped introduce Alvi to the music industry. “I currently have three originals that I wrote with the writers, but because of copyright things that are still up in the air, I haven’t been able to post anything yet,” Alvi said.
“I remember that my feelings, along with my environment, impacted how I wrote ‘Make it Rain,’” Alvi recalled. “At that moment, I was feeling pretty moody and angsty, which led me to channel these feelings into my songs.”
“Make it Rain” combines aspects of upbeat pop with restless lyrics to commemorate Alvi’s feelings during the time with an up-tempo and energetic way of conveying how she felt during lockdown. Alvi drew inspiration from the post-punk ‘80s rock band The Pretenders to incorporate her favorite music from her childhood into her debut song. “It’s all about emotion when you write songs,” Alvi said. “Artists like Taylor Swift all channel their feelings after a breakup into their songs, even if they can’t get everything out.”
Alvi’s inspiration originally rose from her interests in artists like CVX and ‘80s bands that she listened to growing up, and later transitioned to the styles of modern balladeers like Lana Del Rey and Adele. “I was already writing songs revolving around pop, but my experience with ‘80s music made me want to experiment with other genres,” Alvi said.
On top of COVID-19, Alvi’s experience witnessing bullying has also contributed to songwriting inspiration. This can be seen in her second song “Just Like You.” “Coming out of middle school, a lot of people felt ostracized because of bullying, cliches, and other experiences,” Alvi explained. “Although I didn’t experience bullying, I related to those who were treated differently.” Seeing this problem and a way to empathize with her classmates led Alvi to compose the track.
In “Just Like You,” Alvi combined features of both alternative rock and pop to accomplish a blend between her preferred styles of music. In terms of lyrics, Alvi explained that they are aimed to resonate with the listener. In the song, Alvi pointed out the verse, “I’m just like you, you’re not alone, I’m just like you, we’re the same inside and out,” as an example of how her lyrics aimed to connect with the troubles people faced during the 2020 pandemic.
Alvi continues to pursue her musical career by promoting songs through her Instagram and website, which features both her original and cover songs.
