ALUS

HOMETOWN: Montville, N.J.
INFLUENCES: Billie Holiday, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin
ALBUM: Alustrious EP, out now
WEBSITE: facebook.com/alusmovement

Born and raised in New Jersey, Alus comes by her musical talent honestly. Her grandmother, a Juilliard graduate, was once a renowned musician in the Violinaires, a group of violinists that regularly performed with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and the rest of the Rat Pack. Meanwhile, her father played trumpet and drums. The musical torch was passed to Alus at a young age. “I started performing when I was a baby,” she says. “I was onstage in musicals when I was just 4 years old. For as long as I can remember, music has always been my passion.”

Eventually, Alus began training in musical theater and opera with instructors from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Her parents also encouraged her to take classical piano lessons. “I’m an old lady in a young girl’s body,” she says of her traditional training. “I’m definitely an old soul.” Following high school, Alus was accepted to Boston’s Berklee College of Music but instead pursued her own dreams by moving to New York City. “I used to take the bus with a headshot, resume and CD, and I’d sing for anyone who’d listen,” she says. Her persistence started to pay off—Alus began playing venues in the City, and was tapped to sing the national anthem for a nationally televised professional boxing match and other noted sporting events.

Since signing with Water Music Publishing, Alus, 20, has amassed more than 6,000 Facebook fans and 65,000 Twitter followers. She recently released her eight-song EP, Alustrious, which features the first single “Relapse.” Her goal is to evoke the music she grew up listening to and loving. “It’s a lot of relatable music for everyone,” she says. “I’m writing what I feel, so some of it is fun, sexy and just feel-good music.”

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