A lot of 14 year old girls get “Butterflies”—but only Alana Lee has 9.1 million (and counting) YouTube viewers sharing the ups and downs of young love with her!
While the media was focused earlier this year on Rebecca Black’s now infamous song and YouTube video “Friday”—also written and produced by ARK Music Factory–
the multi-talented Southern California based performer was building an enthusiastic fan base of her own, with a much stronger “like” ratio.
One of Alana’s more prominent fans showing love is celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who featured the video for “Butterflies” on his website Perez TV. The track also broke through into the Top 100 Download charts on iTunes in seven different countries.
Building on this momentum, and super-excited but feeling no nervous “butterflies” in her stomach, Alana is recording her highly anticipated six song debut EP, to be released in time for a series of shows she will be performing this summer. She is signed to the innovative Long Beach, Calif. label 37 Records, whose roster currently includes the indietronic band White Apple Tree, Orange County (Cali) based underground pop band The Gromble, Americana rocker Charlie Baker, singers Kristen Trayer and Melody Zephyr and folk singer-songwriter Cathy-Anne McClintock.
The label is owned by Steve McClintock, a veteran singer, songwriter and music producer who won a BMI Award for a track he wrote for 80s teen pop singer Tiffany, whom he also managed during her time of superstardom. McClintock has also taken the reins of Alana’s very promising career.
Alana played a big part in choosing the songs she would record for her EP out of over 100 suggested to her by McClintock. The collection will include “Synchronize,” “It’s Nothing Personal,” “This Is Me,” “Drive Me” and “Turn It Up.” There will also be a remix of “Butterflies.”
“I think it’s a good blend of material for me,” says Alana, who has been singing since she performed her favorite Britney Spears song “Lucky” at age four on a cruise ship talent show. She began taking voice lessons at age eight.
“I chose these songs to record because they’re the most relatable. These are things that have happened to me and address situations that could happen to most kids my age. Because I love music so much, I’ve always believed that anything you go through can be described with a song. All of these are fun, catchy and age appropriate. My favorite if ‘It’s Nothing Personal,’ which I know any kid still in school will understand. It’s about this person who is bothering me and I want to tell them, but not so they take it in a bad way.”
Musically and lyrically, Alana feels that these songs truly convey who she is in her life right now as a person and an artist developing her unique “voice.” She adds, “The big thing I am communicating is that I’m still a kid having fun and doing what I love to do. If I can relate to these songs, everyone can – but it’s not just for girls my own age. I think the appeal is greater than that. I think guys will be able to relate to it too. And kids who are older and even adults will enjoy it if they like good, fun pop songs.”
Alana has also appeared in a number of short films at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts in Orange, Calif. This past year, she appeared in her first feature length film, “The Measure of a Man,” produced by Higher Definition Media, which will be out on the film festival circuit this year. The film is based on a true story about a dying man reminiscing about his family of nine children, ranging in age from 5-17. Alana is cast as one of the kids, “Mary.”
Alana trains with Sterling Studios Young Actors Group, has attended Camp Bravo Acting for the past two years, and takes vocal lessons from Kelly Rice in Hollywood and Andy Boetner in Costa Mesa. When she’s not in her “singing sensation” mode, she’s a regular kid with a hot streak of achievement. She’s a straight A student taking all honors classes who has excelled at softball, soccer, basketball and gymnastics. She is looking forward to high school next year as Alana was just named Commissioner At Large for her Freshmen class.
“Everything is happening so fast and is so exciting right now, but I’m so happy with the way things are going,” says Alana. “I love the recording process and really enjoy the genuine, caring people who I am working with. It’s also so rewarding getting feedback from fans. Their excitement is infectious and inspires me to become a better singer and performer all the time. My dream is that people will soon be listening to my songs all the time on the radio and I’m so grateful for all these opportunities. I’m a young girl who loves my friends and loves singing and it’s so much fun to be able to pursue what I feel so passionate about.”