Speed Kills, But Feelings Last: Inside Ally Evenson’s Growing World

Some artists pull you in right away, while others quietly stick around until you realize how often you’re coming back to their music for more. Ally Evenson falls firmly into that second category for me. Raised about 45 minutes outside of Detroit before planting roots in the city for college, and now calling Los Angeles home. Ally's world has always been flooded with creativity. A dad who taught her music, a mom who lived and breathed fine art, and an upbringing where expression was never optional but constant. Add in the only-child energy, which she openly owns, saying it's "so obvious," but it honestly makes sense with how her music feels so deeply personal, self-aware, and quietly confident in its own weirdness.

Music didn’t just pop up one day for Ally, it’s been there as long as she can remember. Community theatre was the first love, the thing she thought might shape her entire future. But somewhere between upright bass, jazz band, and concert band in high school, everything shifted. Playing music in a group setting hit her "like a truck," but in the best way possible. That feeling of collaboration, of locking in with other people, made it clear this all wasn’t just a hobby.

Photo by Cole Silberman

One of the clearest pictures of that world shines through one of her recent releases, “Strawberry,” a track that’s been stuck on repeat for me in the most unshakable way. Written early in the album process with Trella and longtime collaborator and right-hand man/producer Nydge, the song traces Ally’s first gay relationship with tenderness and honesty that never feels performative. It all started simply with a verse melody, and then the pieces fell into place from there. She described. There’s something powerful about how “Strawberry” doesn’t over explain itself. It trusts the listener to sit with it, to recognize that feeling of truly loving someone for the first time and knowing it’ll stay with you forever.

Her latest single, “Turning Turning,” released just a few weeks ago, feels like a natural next step rather than a sharp turn. Where “Strawberry” leans into reflection, “Turning Turning” truly captures her emotion. It fits perfectly into this larger body of work she’s been building. A 14-track album written in a blur of daily sessions over a few intense months, titled Speed Kills. There’s a sense of freedom running through this project so far with what's been released, a willingness to be funny, whimsical, and a little unhinged without losing emotional weight. You can really hear Ally letting herself explore, trusting her instincts instead of overthinking every move.

That trust shows up just as clearly in her visuals. Ally doesn’t see them as an accessory to the music; they’re part of the song’s DNA. As she puts it, she “can’t really consider a song finished until there’s some sort of visual for it,” and honestly, it really shows. Ally shares that ideas usually hit her while driving, where they end up living as voice memos sent to friends with the simple question. "Is this batshit crazy or cool?" From there, those rough thoughts turn into a real direction. For Speed Kills, she created loose visual treatments for every concept and brought them straight to her team. She comes up with the ideas, stays heavily involved in the direction, and doesn’t really let go of the process, because she has to. “I have to be so hands-on, or I will go insane,” she admits. It’s that level of care that makes her videos feel intentional and inseparable from the music itself, never just some visuals added in for the sake of having content out.

Everything about Ally Evenson, from her inspirations like Radiohead and Sheryl Crow, to her all-women led touring experiences, all point back to one thing. Her authenticity without any apology. She’s still learning, still asking questions, still figuring it out in real time, and she doesn’t pretend otherwise. Her advice to new artists sat deep with me: trying isn’t embarrassing. Showing up isn’t embarrassing. Caring loudly isn’t embarrassing. And honestly, that mindset should run through all of us. Ally isn’t just making music, she’s building a world that feels lived-in, honest, and impossible not to root for.