Singled Out: Alanna Sterling's Down

Montreal-based multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Alanna Sterling just released the new single "Down" and to celebrate we asked Alanna to tell us about the track. Here is the story:

I wrote "Down" sitting under a palm tree, lost in Las Vegas. The friend I was staying with was at work, so I took the day to explore the suburbs with nothing but my phone and my guitar on my back. After hours of adventure, I noticed my phone had died and I had no clue where I was or how to get back home.

I decided to set up on a bench near this strip mall and sing a few tunes, my guitar case out in hopes that passerbys would toss in a couple bucks so I could swing by a coffee shop and hopefully get a charge.

A few songs in, a man in uniform walked right up to me. Our conversation went a bit like this. He told me, "You can't do that here". "I'm just playing music" "This is private property" "How is this private property, I'm literally on a public bench" This entire area belongs to [blah blah blah], I'm going to give you a $500 fine if you don't leave right now" All righty then. I picked up the couple bills in my case, packed up, and went to the nearest coffee shop. Thankfully, they had a charger and I got enough charge to call my friend to pick me up.

While I waited, I found a palm tree to sit under (making sure to be far enough off the "private property") and got to writing, feeling charged up from my encounter with the authorities. Strumming four simple chords, I started singing the simplest line ever - "Down da-da-down da-da-down". The rest of the lyrics for "Down" just flowed out of me, and in under 15 minutes, a song was born.

The song evolved over time as I started using my Boss RC-30 loop pedal to stack layers upon layers of guitar, piano, strings, and vocals. Those four simple chords would soon become notorious, as "Down" quickly became the most popular request on my Twitch live streams. The combination of catchy simplicity (the chorus) and rhythmic rap-esque storytelling (the verses) created a tune that has since gotten people singing along even on their first time ever listening to it.

Co-producing alongside Jace Lasek, I brought the song to its final form at BreakGlass Studios. I played guitar, bass, keys, I stacked dozens of vocals, and I even performed some harp parts to give it a truly unique sound. "Down" is the third single off my upcoming album, "My Path", which is set to drop late 2026. We filmed the music video in LA and it's out now on YouTube, check it out!

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here

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