ALLIE MOSS

HOMETOWN: Long Branch, N.J.
INFLUENCES: David Bazan, the Cardigans, Ella Fitzgerald
ALBUM: Late Bloomer, out now
WEBSITE: alliemoss.com

Having cut her teeth playing guitar (and briefly acting as tour manager) for indie-pop singer and songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, Allie Moss stepped into the spotlight for real when an English telecommunications company contacted her through her Facebook page about using her solo song “Corner” in a TV ad. The attention eventually led to exposure for her tunes on TV shows in the U.S. (Bones, Pretty Little Liars), and finally to Late Bloomer, produced by Sam Kassirer (best known for his work with Josh Ritter). True to its title, the album’s release represents a moment Moss has been waiting for since first picking up a guitar at age 16. “By the time I learned five chords, I was ready to start writing songs,” says Moss, whose parents—her father is a theologian, her mother a photographer—encouraged creativity in the house. “It became like an addiction. I’d always been able to sing as a kid, but it wasn’t until I played guitar and could create something out of nothing that music became my dream.”